ANDY GARCIA has been honored for his work as an actor, director, and both film and music producer.
Born in Havana, Mr. Garcia was only 5 ½ years old when his family fled to Florida in 1961, a couple of years after Fidel Castro's takeover of Cuba. He began acting in regional theater before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. He first gained industry attention in Hal Ashby's 8 Million Ways to Die, opposite Jeff Bridges. He then starred in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables, which was a worldwide success.
He appeared in Ramón Menéndez's Stand and Deliver, alongside Academy Award nominee Edward James Olmos; Ridley Scott's Black Rain; and Mike Figgis' Internal Affairs. Cast by Francis Ford Coppola opposite Al Pacino in The Godfather Part III, Mr. Garcia earned Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his portrayal of Vincent Mancini. Among his many films since have been Kenneth Branagh's Dead Again; 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; George Hickenlooper's The Man from Elysian Fields, which he produced, opposite Mick Jagger and James Coburn; Steven Soderbergh's trilogy of Ocean's capers, with George Clooney and company; Mick Davis' Modigliani, which he executive-produced, as the celebrated artist Amedeo Modigliani; and in voiceover, Carlos Saldanha's Rio 2.
He made his feature film directorial debut with the 2006 feature The Lost City, a project he had been developing for 17 years. It was produced in association with his production company, CineSon Productions, which was formed in 1991. Mr. Garcia composed the original score for The Lost City and also produced the soundtrack, which featured several legends from the Cuban music world. The Lost City earned Best Director and Best Film honors at the Imagen Awards, as well as a Best Director nomination at the Alma Awards. CineSon's City Island, written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, won the Audience Award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival and then became a sleeper hit in its theatrical release. He produced the movie and starred in it alongside his daughter Dominik Garcia-Lorido, who was named Best Supporting Actress at the Imagen Awards; Mr. Garcia was nominated for Imagen and Satellite Awards. He recently reteamed with Mr. De Felitta and starred in Rob the Mob, which he executive-produced.
The CineSon production is the romantic comedy At Middleton, pairing him with Vera Farmiga; they were named Best Actor and Best Actress at the Boston Film Festival. Co-starring Taissa Farmiga and Spencer Lofranco, the film was produced by Mr. Garcia and co-written by Glenn German and director Adam Rodgers.
He earned Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his portrayal of legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO's 2000 biopic For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story; as executive producer, he also received Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for Outstanding Made for Television Movie. In addition, he produced the movie's soundtrack and its Emmy Award-winning score by Mr. Sandoval.
Under the CineSon banner, he directed the documentary concert film Cachao...ComoSu Ritmo No Hay Dos [Like His Rhythm There Is No Other], about the legendary co-creator of the Mambo, Israel López "Cachao." He produced another Cachao documentary, Cachao Uno Mas, which played at the 2009 Miami Film Festival.
Concentrating further on the music itself, he produced – and performed on – Volumes I and II of Cachao –Master Sessions, the first a 1994 Grammy Award winner, and the latter a 1995 Grammy Award nominee. The CD Cachao – Cuba Linda produced by the CineSon record label, was nominated for a 2001 Grammy Award and a 2000 Latin Grammy Award. Mr. Garcia won both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards for his latest collaboration with Israel López "Cachao," ¡Ahora Sí!, their fourth record on the CineSon label, released in 2004. The CD/DVD also includes a one-hour behind the scenes documentary that he directed entitled CACHAO, Ahora Si! A Look Inside the Legend.
Among Mr. Garcia's many honors, he was recognized as an Outstanding American by Choice, an award that is presented by the U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services. In 2012, the Guadalajara International Film Festival awarded him the prestigious Guadalajara IBEROAMERICANO Award for his distinguished career in the film industry, as well as for his outstanding achievement in the defense and promotion of the Latino Culture and values in his films.
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