Andr?s Arturo Garc?a Men?ndez – Andy Garcia – was born in Cuba on April 12, 1956, and immigrated to Florida with his family when he was five years old. After struggling for a time, the Garcias built up a successful cosmetics company. Garcia began acting in college, and his first notable on-screen role was in the pilot episode of Hill Street Blues in 1981. He guest-starred in several television programs, and had small roles in a number of films, when he was chosen to play Agent George Stone in The Untouchables, in 1987. From there he drew acclaim in roles in movies such as, Stand and Deliver, Black Rain, Internal Affairs, and The Godfather, Part III. He also starred in Hero, When A Man Loves a Woman, The Man From Elysian Fields, and Ocean's 11 (and its sequels), Confidence and Smokin' Aces, among other films.
Garcia's fierce loyalty to his Cuban heritage propelled him to make movies that would bring the Cuban story to the screen, such as, Cachao... Like His Rhythm There Is No Other, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, and The Lost City, all of which he produced as well as acted in.
Garcia and his wife, Maria Victoria, have three daughters.
Best Known As: Young Vincent in The Godfather: Part III
Name at birth: Andrés Arturo Garcia-Menendez
Movie star Andy Garcia is a Cuban American leading man known especially for his Oscar-nominated role as Vincent Mancini, the hot-headed nephew from Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather: Part III (1990). Garcia emigrated to the U.S. as a boy; his family fled Cuba in 1961 after that country's takeover by Fidel Castro. After school in Florida, Garcia headed to Hollywood to make it as an actor in the late 1970s. He finally began getting regular work as an actor in the mid-1980s and had memorable roles in the feature films 8 Million Ways to Die (1986, starring Jeff Bridges) and The Untouchables (1987, starring Kevin Costner). He was the lead in 1990's Internal Affairs (opposite Richard Gere) and his appearance in The Godfather made him an international star, and during the 1990s he had a steady career on the big screen. His movies have included Jennifer Eight (1992, with Uma Thurman);
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994, with Meg Ryan and Ellen Burstyn); Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995); The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca (1997); and Desperate Measures (1998, with Michael Keaton). While playing both nice guys and villains in the movies, Garcia has worked on personal projects about Cuba. He directed the 1993 documentary Cachao... Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos (1993) and was nominated for an Emmy as trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in the TV movie For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000; Garcia was also executive producer). In recent years audiences have come to know him as Terry Benedict -- the casino owner who put the "ick" in slick -- in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001, starring George Clooney). Since then he has appeared in Confidence (2003), The Lost City (2005; Garcia also director, executive producer and composers), Smokin' Aces (2006) and the Ocean's Eleven sequels in 2004 and 2007.
Career Highlights: The Untouchables, When a Man Loves a Woman, Stand and Deliver
First Major Screen Credit: 8 Million Ways to Die (1985)
Biography
Born Andrés Arturo García-Menéndez, actor Andy Garcia was five-years-old when he fled with his family from his native Cuba to Miami, where Garcia's father, a former lawyer, established a successful cosmetics business upon becoming an American citizen. Following his graduation from Florida International University, Garcia moved to L.A. and performed briefly as a standup comic, working as a furniture expediter and waiter when jobs were scarce. While his TV debut was a small role in the 1981 pilot of Hill Street Blues, Garcia did not have to travel far from his adopted hometown for his film bow, Blue Skies Again (1983), which was shot on location in Florida. (Also making her first screen appearance in this forgettable baseball comedy was actress Mimi Rogers).
It was not until he was cast as a drug kingpin in Hal Ashby's 8 Million Ways to Die (1985) that Garcia's career really took off. After turning in strong roles in both The Untouchables (1987) and Stand and Deliver (1988), he achieved an additional degree of stardom when he was cast as Michael Corleone's hot-headed nephew in The Godfather Part III (1990), a role for which he earned Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. The range of Garcia's talents was impressive enough for screenwriter Henry Bean to write the script for the 1990 police-corruption drama Internal Affairs with the actor specifically in mind. But after several years of on-the-edge characters, Garcia softened his screen image as the too-good-to-be-true husband of an alcoholic (Meg Ryan) in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994).
Garcia's career waned a bit during the second half of the '90s, and the actor concentrated some of his energies on starring in various made-for-TV movies and such Spanish-made films as Death in Granada (1997). Although Garcia found his place in American cinema -- indeed, he was one of the few Latino stars to successfully cross over into Hollywood films -- his deep connection and loyalty to his Cuban heritage was illustrated by his involvement in projects that reflect that sentiment. He has produced and directed a tribute to Cuban mambo artist Cachoao entitled Cachoao: Like His Rhythm There Is No Other, and, at one time, he planned to direct and star in a film adaptation of The Lost City, an epic novel of revolution and exile by Cuban writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante. A devoted family man, Garcia lives outside of the spotlight with his wife Maria Victoria (also a Cuban immigrant) and their three daughters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
García was born Andrés Arturo García y Menéndez in Bejucal, La Habana Province, Cuba. His mother, Amelie Menéndez, was an English teacher, and his father, René García Núñez, was an avocado farmer and attorney in Cuba and later owned a fragrance business in the United States.[1][2] García has an older brother, René. 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 they built up a million-dollar perfume company. García was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Miami Beach Senior High School, where he played on the basketball team. During his last year in high school he became ill with mononucleosis,[3] which convinced him to pursue a career in acting. He began his acting career taking a drama class with Jay W. Jensen in his senior year at Miami Beach Senior High School.
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. His solid supporting role in 1985's The Mean Season alongside Kurt Russell brought Garcia wider visibility, although the film fared poorly at the box office. 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 García a popular Hollywood actor.
In 1989, Francis Ford Coppola was casting The Godfather Part III. The character of Vincent, the illegitimate son of Sonny Corleone, was an exceptional part in a highly anticipated film. García was one of many capable actors who wanted to be cast, but he also bore a resemblance to the young Al Pacino. He won the part, earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance and became an internationally acclaimed star.
Garcia followed that with films such as 1990's Internal Affairs, in which he engages in a war of wills with a corrupt fellow police officer played by Richard Gere. In the years to come, he performed in a wide variety of theatrical and TV films. He has remained equally strong in both leading and supporting roles.
One of his most well-known performances came as Terry Benedict, a Las Vegas hotel owner whose casino is robbed in 2001's Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper movie. García reprised the role for the 2004 sequel, although the part was significantly smaller than the one in the first film. He also appeared briefly in Ocean's Thirteen (2007).
In 2005, he released The Lost City, which he co-wrote, directs, and starred 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 in particular Che Guevara, who continues to have substantial popularity there.
In 1982, García married María Victoria Lorido.[4] He is the father of three daughters and one son: Dominik (b. August 16, 1983), Daniella (b. January 3, 1988), Alessandra (b. June 20, 1991) and Andres (b. January 28, 2002).[5][6] The García family lives in Los Angeles and Miami.
García's niece Jackie was the longtime girlfriend of the late Washington RedskinssafetySean 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. García attended Taylor's funeral, and released a statement to the Miami Herald calling Taylor a hero for saving the life of his niece and their infant daughter.
