Andy Garcia Biography
Born: April 12, 1956
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, Rovi
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