Star Facts
  • Category Motion Pictures

    Address 7000 Hollywood Blvd.

    Ceremony date 09/19/1995

About
Andy García
Born:
1956-04-12,
Bejucal Habana,
Cuba
Education:
Miami Beach Senior High School
Ethnicity:
Hispanic
Death Date:
1969-12-31
Addition Websites

Andy García

Andrés Arturo García Menéndez, professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, and When a Man Loves a Woman. More recently, he has starred in Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, and The Lost City.

García was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Vincent Mancini in The Godfather Part III.

García was born Andrés Arturo García Menéndez in Havana, Cuba, with a dead conjoined twin on his left shoulder, which was later surgically removed. 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. García has an older brother, René. When García 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, 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 García 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.