BY ELENA KELLNER
From Hispanic Magzine, 02-28-94 p. 14
Notoriously private and self-described as "sort of a recluse," Andy Garcia does not like interviews. He does not like to talk about his private life or answer questions about his youth. In fact, his assistant says the only subject he is willing to discuss at this time is the movie he recently directed about Cuban musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez and an upcoming Cachao album. The elusive Garcia is even trekking from Los Angeles to Madrid, Spain, to personally promote the film.
Some have coined Garcia's Garbo-ish reticence toward the press as "the wall." When he accedes to an interview, which usually coincides with the release of one of his movies, the answers can be clipped. For instance, when London's Time Out asked Garcia's age, he replied, "That's my business." When asked how he prepares for a film, his answer has been that it is "a very private process." The New York Times fared no better when a reporter inquired about his family's reaction to his becoming an actor. He replied, "I can't respond to that."
Nonetheless, Garcia's combative stance with the media apparently has not hampered his career. He was voted Male Star of the Year in 1991 by the National Association of Theater Owners/ShoWest for his performance in The Godfather, Part III. That same year, he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his role as Vincent Mancini in The Godfather, Part III, garnering unanimous praise from movie reviewers. Time magazine defined Garcia as "an electric actor [who] swaggers so handsomely that he makes one wish for another sequel." Daily Variety was equally impressed: "Garcia brings much-needed youth and juice to the ballsy Vincent, heir apparent to the Corleone tradition, much as James Caan sparked the first film and Robert De Niro invigorated the second." And the Hollywood Reporter concurred with "charismatic Andy Garcia will become a household name with his stilet-to-sharp performance."
Whether he likes it or not, Garcia is a celebrity. With or without his cooperation, consent, or blessing, facts about him and his family are of interest to his fans.
The youngest of three children, he was born Andres Arturo Garcia-Mendez on April 12, 1956, in Cuba. His mother, Amelie, taught English. His father, Rene Garcia Nunez, was a well-to-do lawyer, fruit grower, and exporter in his native Bejucal, a small town outside Havana.
In an interview in Parade Magazine, Garcia recalled, "My father was affectionately nicknamed 'the mayor' because he was so gregarious and a fine public speaker. My mother was witty too and filled our home with laughter." In 1961, Garcia's mother, 5-year-old Andy, and his sister and brother fled to the United States. His father followed a few months later, and they settled in Miami Beach, Florida.
They had traded an affluent lifestyle for freedom, but thankful to be together, the Garcia clan concentrated on making a new start in their adopted land. His mother worked as a secretary, and his father got a job at a hosiery company. A close-knit Catholic family, they learned English and worked hard. Even Andy pitched in, doing odd jobs after school like gathering soda cans for change and sweeping the warehouse where his father worked. The family prospered, with his father eventually developing a multimillion-dollar wholesale fragrance business. The older Garcia -- who died last March at age 76 -- was also a board member of the Big Five Club, a popular social organization for Cuban exiles, from 1972 to 1981.
While attending Florida International University on a basketball scholarship, Garcia, whose principal concern until then had been sports, was sidelined by mononucleosis. But that wasn't the only bug that hit him. It was during this time that he became interested in acting, which also struck him like a virus."
He trained extensively in classical theater, comedy, and mime, and he worked in improvisational theater productions for four years, appearing regularly at Los Angeles's famed Comedy Store and other local improv clubs. His television debut was a small part as a gang member in the premier episode of Hill Street Blues, followed by small roles in other series, including the bilingual comedy Que Pasa, USA? with Steven Bauer, another Cuban American actor.
Between auditions and acting jobs, Garcia was a dock worker, house mover, and banquet waiter at a swanky Beverly Hills hotel. In 1983, he appeared in Blue Skies Again, soon followed by A Night in Heaven, The Mean Season, and Eight Million Ways to Die. Garcia does not have good memories of his early years in Hollywood. "I was rejected. And in the rudest of ways. I was seven years in Hollywood before I got The Mean Season. I have a lot of horror stories....All the racist kinds of things," Garcia told G.Q. He also recalled"...There was one agent...who said, 'Fix your teeth, change your hair, and lose your accent, and I'll represent you.'" But Garcia was not discouraged. He had learned strong work ethics from his parents, and eventually his dedication and persistence paid off.
His performance as a suave cocaine kingpin in Eight Million Ways to Die brought Garcia to the attention of director Brian De Palma, who first offered him the role of Frank Nitti in his remake of the television classic The Untouchables. Besides fearing that he would be forever typecast as a heavy, Garcia also wanted to work with actor Sean Connery, one of his childhood heroes. So he persuaded De Palma to give him the role of U.S. Treasury agent George Stone. The 1987 movie gave Garcia international recognition.
Immense talent and an electrifying screen presence have enabled Garcia to take on diverse roles and successfully sidestep cultura stereotyping. He vehemently objects to being referred to as a "Hispanic actor." However, the projects that Garcia is personally interested in tout his Cuban roots. Last year, he made his directorial debut in a Spanish-language documentary film about Cuban music legend "Cachao", Lopez. Possible future projects include a movie based on The Lost City by Cuban novelist Guillermo Cabrera Infante, which deals with Havana in the the late 1950s in the last days before the revolution.
Immensely protective of his personal life, Garcia has a reputation for being a solid family man. He and his wife, Marivi, short for Maria Victoria, met in college, where she was a photography major. They married in 1982 in Miami, where she had grown up after her family left Cuba at about the same time as Garcia's family.
The couple avoid the Hollywood limelight, preferring to spend time with their three daughters, ages 10, 5, and 2. Although their home is in Los Angeles, in 1991, they went back to their roots in style, buying a $1.1 million beachfront property in Key Biscayne, Florida, to be near their families and friends.
Although Florida is far away from Tinsel Town, Garcia is only a phone call away from top Hollywood producers and directors. And at this point in his career, Garcia can pick and choose his films carefully, with the ability to draw big bucks at the box office.
Keep tabs on Garcia; some say this is one actor on his way to legendary status.
Elena Kellner is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles.