Andy Garcia Biography and Photos

Posted in Actors on Jan 19th, 2008 | Comments Off
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Andy Garcia (born April 12, 1956) is an Academy Award-nominated Cuban-born American actor. He became known in the 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III and When a Man Loves a Woman. More recently, he has starred in Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen.

Garcia was born Andrés Arturo García y Menéndez in Bejucal, Provincia de la Havana. His mother, Amelie Menéndez, was an English teacher, and his father, René García Núñez, was an attorney in Cuba and later a businessman in the United States.

He has an older brother, Rene. When Garcia was five years old, the family moved to Miami, Florida after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. Over a period of several years, however, they built up a million-dollar perfume company. García was raised as a Catholic and attended Miami Beach Senior High School, where he played on the basketball team. During his last year in high school, however, he became ill with hepatitis, which convinced him to pursue a career in acting.

García began acting at Florida International University, but soon went to Hollywood. He started to perform in very short roles, working part-time as waiter and in a warehouse. His chance arose when he was offered a role as a gang member in the first episode of the popular TV series Hill Street Blues.

Director Brian de Palma liked his performance in the 1986 movie 8 Million Ways to Die and engaged him the following year for The Untouchables, which made Garcia a popular Hollywood actor. In 1989, Francis Ford Coppola was casting The Godfather Part III.

The character Vincent Corleone, the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone, was an exceptional part which many actors wanted. Garcia was not the only one of the few actors capable of carrying the part, but he also bore a resemblance to Robert De Niro, who played the role of young Vito Corleone, Vincent’s grandfather, in The Godfather Part II.

The role thus went to Garcia, who earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance and became an internationally acclaimed star.

In the following years, García has performed in a wide variety of films. He has appeared also in several TV films. While not in the same vein of movie stars dominating the box office, Garcia has remained equally strong in both leading and supporting roles.

One of his more well-known films was the 2001 remake of Ocean’s Eleven, in which he played Terry Benedict, the ruthless Las Vegas mogul who just happens to be seeing the estranged wife (Julia Roberts) of George Clooney’s character.

García reprised the role in the 2004 sequel, although many noted that the part was significantly smaller than the one he played in the first film. He has finished and released The Lost City which he co-wrote, directs, and stars in, alongside Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray.

Upon its release, The Lost City sparked controversy among many in Latin America due to its negative portrayal of the Cuban Revolution, and Che Guevara in particular, who have substantial supporters in the early 21st century Latin America.

In 1982, Garcia married María Victoria Lorido. He is the father of three daughters and one son, his namesake, born in 2002. The García family lives in Los Angeles and Miami.

Garcia and his good friend Christian Tellez saved a family of four during a boating accident they witnessed off the coast of Miami Beach in 1986. García is a fervent critic of the Cuban government.

He was also, along with Gloria Estefan, a strong advocate of Elian Gonzalez staying in the United States rather than returning to be with his father in Cuba in early 2000. He also appeared as a waiter in Gloria Estefan’s video for the song “When I see your smile”.

Garcia’s niece Jackie was the longtime girlfriend of the late Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, who was shot by intruders in their Miami-area home on November 26, 2007 and who died from his wounds on November 27, 2007. The two were home with their 18-month old daughter Jackie when the incident took place. Garcia attended Taylor’s funeral, and released a statement to the Miami Herald calling Taylor a hero for saving the life of his niece and her child.

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