Born in Havana, Cuba, Garcia's family fled in exile to Miami Beach, Florida as a result of Fidel Castro's takeover of his homeland at the age of five. As a youth, he performed in community theatre productions and variety shows. Garcia attended Florida International University as a theater major. He performed in regional theater productions in the Miami area before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career in the late 1970s. His first break came as a gang member on the very first episode of the popular TV series Hill Street Blues. His film acting debut came in 1983 in Blue Skies Again, but he really caught the critics attention three years later as a drug dealer in 8 Million Ways to Die. Brian De Palma's The Untouchables brought Andy his major break. From then on he has never looked back.

Garcia's most recent film credits include Lions Gate Films' Confidence and Warner Bros.' Ocean's Eleven. He wrapped, production last fall on the independent feature The Lazarus Child, starring with Angela Bassett and Frances O'Connor, and also completed Modigliani, another independent in which he portrays painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani, which he also produced in association with Philippe. Andy Garcia has established himself as one of today's most talented and versatile actors. Because he has worked so successfully with many of the industry's most respected and celebrated directors, he has become known as a director's actor. He has also established himself as a producer, composer/musician and humanitarian - and as a director in his own right. He formed his own production company, CineSon Productions, in 1991. Garcia starred in the independent films The Unsaid and The Man From Elysian Fields (released by IDP), both of which he also produced. He is currently developing his directorial debut The Lost City, which was written by Guillermo Cabrera Infante:

Garcia received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe nomination for his starring role as the legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval in HBO's 2000 biopic For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story. Garcia was executive producer of the film and also produced the soundtrack and the Emmy-winning score. The film has also received Emmy nominations for Best Made for Television Film or Miniseries and Best Cinematography. The film also won two ALMA Awards as Best Made for Television Movie or Miniseries and as Outstanding Latin Cast in a Made for Television Movie or Miniseries, and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Made for Television Movie or Miniseries category. Garcia has been married to Marivi Lorido Garcia since 1982. The couple lives in Los Angeles with their four children: Dominik, Daniella, Alessandra and Andres.

In addition to numerous other awards, Garcia has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a Star of the Year Award from the National Association of Theater Owners, a PRISM Award, a Harvard University Foundation Award and a Hispanic Heritage Award for the Arts. He is also the recipient of an Oscar de la Hoya Foundation Champion Award, a Father's Day Council Father of the Year Award and an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree from St. John's University.