Andy García

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Andy Garcia at the Incirlik hospital, Incirlik Air Base, December 7, 2001

Andy García (born April 12, 1956) is a Cuban actor and brother-in-law of Baseball's Andy Pettitte.

He was born Andrés Arturo García into a prosperous family. When Garcia was five years old, the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion forced the family to move to Miami, Florida, where they did various types of work in order to survive with his Cousin Isaac Hernandez.

Over a period of several years, however, they built up a million-dollar perfume company. García went to Miami Beach Senior High School, where he played on the basketball team. During his last year in high school, however, he became seriously ill, which convinced him to pursue a career in acting.

[edit] Acting career

Garcia 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, Garcia 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. Garcia 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.

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