He was born on April 12, 1956, in Havana, Cuba, to Amelie Menéndez, a
teacher of English, and René García Núñez, an attorney and avocado farmer.
His family was relatively affluent. However, when he was two years old,
Fidel Castro came to power, and the family fled to Miami Beach. Forced to work
menial jobs for a while, the family started a fragrance company that was
eventually worth more than a million dollars. He attended Natilus Junior High
School and later at Miami Beach Senior High School. Andy was a popular student
in school, a good basketball player and good-looking. He dreamed of playing
professional baseball. In his senior year, though, he contracted mononucleosis
and hepatitis, and unable to play sports, he turned his attention to acting.
Soon, he was headed out to Hollywood. His first break came as a gang member on the very first episode of the popular TV series "Hill Street Blues" (1981). His credits include 8 Million Ways to Die (1986), The Untouchables (1987), Black Rain (1989), with Richard Gere in Internal Affairs (1990), The Godfather: Part III (1990). His performance in this last film earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and secured him international stardom and a place in cinematic history. Now a leading man, he starred in such films as Jennifer 8 (1992), Hero (1992), When a Man Loves a Woman (1994), Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995), Night Falls on Manhattan (1996), Desperate Measures (1998), Ocean's Eleven (2001), and his portrayal of renowned Cuban trumpet player Arturo Sandoval in "For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story" (2000).
[Mr. García will accept his 2015 HOLA Award via video.]
The 2015 HOLA Awards will be on Monday, October 12, 2015 at the Battery Gardens, in Battery Park at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, in New York City.
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