- She is the winner of the most Gawad URIANs (from the country's top film critics), tallying 8 wins, 5 additional nominations (all for Best Actress) and 2 special awards for being the best actress of the '80s and the '90s.
- The only actress to have scored 4 grand slams in Philippine movie history (Caveat: a Grand Slam means that the actor/actress has won the Philippines' FAMAS Awards, Gawad URIAN, Film Academy Awards and Star Awards). She scored grand slams in Relasyon (1982), Dahil mahal kita: The Dolzura Cortez Story (1993), Bata bata paano ka ginawa? (1998) and Dekada '70 (2002).
- The only actress in the history of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences to have won back-to-back acting awards twice (1981 and 1982, 1987 and 1988).
- The only actress who won three consecutive years as best actress in the Urian awards (the country's film critics) for her movies, Relasyon (1982), Broken Marriage (1983), and Sister Stella L. (1984).
- She has never won a single best actress award from her movies directed by an ace director, the late Lino Brocka.
- The first actress in Philippine movies to score a grand slam in 1983 as best actress for her performance in Relasyon (1982) from Catholic Mass Media, Urian, Film Academy and FAMAS award giving bodies.
- Her mother is Mila Tuazon Santos.
- Mother of Luis Manzano.
- Currently serving as mayor of Lipa City in the Philippines. Her husband, Ralph Recto, is an incumbent Philippine Senator.
- Children (Edu Manzano) and Ryan Christian (with Ralph Recto).
- Siblings: Emelyn and Sonny.
- Her Girl Friday Aida Fandialan is girlfriend of her brother Sonny.
- She is also currently the most awarded actress in the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS Awards) with 6 wins (5 Best Actress, 1 Child Actress), a Hall of Fame Award, two Circles of Excellence awards (the highest award of the FAMAS), a Lifetime Achievement Award and 9 other nominations (1 Best Supporting Actress, 8 Best Actress). She also holds the record of having the longest string of consecutive FAMAS nominations for performers; she had 12 consecutive nominations from 1977-1989.
- She is also the most awarded actress in the Film Academy Awards (along with Nora Aunor) with 4 wins for Best Actress, 8 other nominations and 1 Lifetime Achievement Award.
- The other half of the very controversial FAMAS Best Actress tie in 1972. She shared the Best Actress honors with Boots Anson-Roa. It is the first tie in Philippine movie awards history.
- An advocate-endorser of a nationwide milk education campaign called "Laki Sa Gatas," in partnership with Bear Brand, the Philippines' leading milk brand by sales. The campaign aims to promote, primarily among mothers, the nutritional importance of milk in light of declining milk consumption in the Philippines.
- At the Cinema One Originals Film Festival 2009, she received the Cinema One Legend Award.
- Mayor of Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines (1998)
- Elder sister of Winnie Santos.
- currently serving as governor of Batangas, a province in the Philippines. (2007)
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