[5] Foy's parents, Richard and Mary Fitzgerald, emigrated to the United States from Ireland in 1855 and lived first in New York City's Bowery neighborhood and then in Greenwich Village, where Eddie was born.

[4] After Richard died in an insane asylum in 1862 from syphilis-induced dementia, Mary took their four children (Eddie was second oldest) to Chicago, where at one time she reportedly tended the mentally ill widow of Abraham Lincoln.

With another partner, Jim Thompson, Foy went west again and gained his first professional recognition in mining camps and cow towns.

In San Francisco, still in 1882, he met Lola Sefton and was romantically involved with her for ten years until her death in 1894; the two never married, but had a daughter named Catherine who was raised by Foy's sister, Mary.

In 1889 he had a tremendous success as the star of the musical Blue Beard, Jr. when it premiered at the Grand Opera House, Chicago[8] He then toured with that production nationally; including stops at Boston's Tremont Theatre (1889)[9] and Broadway's Niblo's Garden (1890).

[4] She gave him eleven children, of whom seven survived childhood:[11] Bryan (1896–1977); Charley (1898–1984); Mary (1901–1987); Madeline (1903–1988); Eddie Jr. (1905–1983); Richard (1905–1947); and Irving (1908–2003).

Between 1901 and 1912, Foy played the leading comic roles in a series of musical comedies in New York City and on tour, including The Strollers (1901), The Wild Rose (1902), Mr. Bluebeard (1903), Piff!

A malfunctioning spotlight set fire to the scenery backstage, and Foy stayed onstage until the last minute, trying to keep the audience from panicking.

The film opens with the girls singing and dancing to "I'll Just Roll Along (Havin' My Ups and Downs)" while Bryan plays ukulele.

The first stage musical version of The Seven Little Foys, written by Chip Deffaa, premiered at the Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 2007.

[19] All of Foy's children except Bryan are buried with their father and mother, Madeline, at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in New Rochelle, New York.