Andrés García
For other uses, see Andrés García (disambiguation)Andrés García (born
May 25,
1941 in
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic) is a
Mexican actor who is known throughout
Latin America and among
Hispanics in the
United States.
Born to
Spanish parents, Garcia lived briefly in the Dominican Republic and moved to Mexico in his childhood, where he became a
naturalized citizen. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, García became a sex symbol in Mexico and the rest of Latin America, participating in movies,
Spanish soap operas and
photo-operas (magazine features showing photos of actors who create a story—a popular phenomenon across Latin America during the 1970s).
In 1977, García tried his hand at
Hollywood films, acting in
Cyclone, alongside
Heather Thomas.
Cyclone, however, flopped at the box office.
In 1984 García participated in
Tú o nadie, with
Lucía Mendez and
Salvador Pineda.
Tú o nadie became a major hit, and helped García to receive many international offers. He accepted an offer to go to
Puerto Rico in 1986, where he acted in
WAPA-TV's
Escándalo, with
Iris Chacon and
Charytin.
Escándalo, however, also flopped and the number of episodes recorded for that soap opera was cut in half by the television channel.
García is known for his portrayals of tough men, what some call the "typical Mexican
macho". In real life, he allegedly enjoys living that way too. He has been involved in many controversies, scandals and gossip. In 1995, he was diagnosed with
prostate cancer, and he travelled to
Atlanta, Georgia, to seek treatment. He was declared cured of the cancer, and he began to promote a herbal product based on
Cat's Claw. He continues to maintain that this product cured him. He has also admitted to having an inflatable penile prosthesis implanted (
La Bombita), and he has defended his son,
Andrés García Jr., from allegations of
homosexuality that
Lupita D'Alessio, a famous singer, had made. In addition to that, he has hired security guards to follow him closely, worried about the recent streak of
famous kidnappings in Mexico.
In 2001, García built a mansion that resembles a castle.
In September 2003, he made one of his several appearances on
Cristina, the Spanish-language talk show hosted by
Cristina Saralegui, to defend entertainers against
paparazzi. He also made a few comments of a controversial nature during that show.
In October 2003, Andrés García invited a fellow actor to his mansion for a "shoot-out". The García mansion was surrounded by television cameras, crews and police. However, the other actor refused the offer, after which García invited him to take one of two hot dogs he served. One of the hot dogs was supposedly poisoned. As it was, the actors called off the
shoot-out and shook hands afterwards, causing many to believe that the entire drama was a publicity stunt.
In July 2005, Garcia declared on United States Hispanic television that he believes in
reincarnation. He also said that he thinks he was
Simon Bolivar during a previous life, and that if he had been a woman before, he probably was a
prostitute.
García has participated in over fifty different projects, including film, theater, soap opera and photo-opera work.
García has also been involved romantically, and remains friends, with model
Carmen Campuzano.
Later on in 2005, García participated in a
reality show, named "
El Principe Azul", ("Blue Prince"), a show which was geared towards finding his other son,
Leonardo, a woman "fitted" to marry him. García began to flirt with the young women on the show, however, going as far as having an on camera kiss with one of the contestants, making his son grow frustrated and, eventually, leave the show. Two previously unknown men were then cast to participate in the show and try to conquer one of the ladies involved in it.
