Home   >   Movie Stars   >   G   >   Andy Garcia

Andy Garcia

Andy Garcia is a multi-faceted artist who has been honored for his work as an actor, producer, director and composer/musician.

In 2005, Garcia made his feature film directorial debut with The Lost City, a project he had been developing for 17 years. He also starred with Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray in the film, which was produced in association with Garcia's production company, CineSon Productions. In addition, Garcia composed the original score for the film and also produced the soundtrack, which features several legends from the Cuban music world. For The Lost City, Garcia earned Best Director and Best Film Awards at the 2006 Imagen Awards. He also just received a Best Director Award nomination at the 2007 ALMA Awards.

Earlier this year, Garcia starred in Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces, with Ben Affleck, Jeremy Piven and Ray Liotta, and he stars in the independent drama The Air I Breathe, which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. His recent film credits also include the title role in the biographical drama Modigliani, which he also executive produced, and Philip Kaufman's thriller Twisted, with Ashley Judd and Samuel L. Jackson. In addition, Garcia joined the all-star ensemble cast of Steven Soderbergh's hit remake of the Rat Pack comedy Ocean's Eleven, and reunited with the director and the cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, in the sequel Ocean's Twelve.

Garcia previously garnered Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather: Part III. He later received an Emmy Award nomination and his second Golden Globe Award nomination for his portrayal of legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO's 2000 biopic For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story. As the executive producer of the telefilm, Garcia also earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Made for Television Movie. The film was also Golden Globe-nominated for Best Miniseries or Made for Television Movie. In addition, Garcia produced the movie's soundtrack and the Emmy-winning score, featuring the music of Arturo Sandoval. The film won two ALMA Awards as Best Made for TV Movie or Miniseries and as Outstanding Latin Cast in a Made for TV Movie or Miniseries.

In 1991, Garcia formed his own production company, CineSon Productions. Under the CineSon banner, he made his directorial debut with the documentary concert film "Cachao...Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos (Like His Rhythm There Is No Other)," about the legendary co-creator of the Mambo, Israel López Cachao.

On the music side, Garcia produced and performed on Volumes I and II of Cachao --- Master Sessions (Crescent Moon/Sony), the first a 1994 Grammy Award winner, and the latter a 1995 Grammy Award nominee. The CD Cachao -- Cuba Linda (EMI Latin), produced by Garcia's CineSon record label, was nominated for a 2001 Grammy and a 2000 Latin Grammy Award. Garcia won both Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards for his latest collaboration with Israel Lopez Cachao, ¡Ahora Sí! (Univision), their fourth record on the CineSon label, released in 2004. Additionally, Garcia composed four songs for the soundtrack of the film Steal Big, Steal Little, in which he also starred; and wrote, produced and performed several songs for the soundtrack of Just The Ticket, a film he starred in and produced.

Born in Havana, Garcia was only five when his family fled to Florida after Fidel Castro's takeover of his homeland. He began acting in regional theatre before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. Garcia first gained attention in Hal Ashby's 8 Million Ways to Die, and includes among his other films Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, Ridley Scott's Black Rain, Mike Figgis' Internal Affairs, Kenneth Branagh's Dead Again, Stephen Frears' Hero, Luis Mandoki's When A Man Loves A Woman, Gary Fleder's Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Sidney Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan and Barbet Schroeder's Desperate Measures.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2007.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Andy Garcia Facts

Birth NameAndres Arturo Garcia-Menendez
OccupationActor, Director, Producer
BirthdayApril 12, 1956 (67)
SignAries
BirthplaceHavana, Cuba
Height5' 11" (1m80)  How tall is Andy Garcia compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Passengers
Untouchables
Max Steel
Ocean's Thirteen
Man From Elysian Fields
The Godfather Collection
Ocean's Eleven
Classical Baby: The Music Show
Continue » Find more details on the Andy Garcia Movies page