An electrode catalyst for a fuel cell is provided which excels in catalytic activity and catalytic durability. The electrode catalyst for the fuel cell has noble metal-containing particle deposited on an electroconductive carrier and the noble metal-containing particle possesses a core-shell structure comprising a core part formed of a noble metal alloy and a shell part formed of a noble metal layer different in composition from the core par and formed on the periphery of the core part. This core-shell structure enables the catalytic activity and the catalytic durability of the electrode catalyst to be enhanced simultaneously.