Lost

Background:

An American actor and comedian of Cuban and Chilean heritage, Jorge Garcia first came to the attention of public when he portrayed Hector Lopez, a recurring role on the TV show “Becker” (2003-2004). However, it was his impressive guest turn in HBO's “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in 2004 that led to his star-making role as Hugo “Hurley” Reyes in the ABC hit series “Lost” (2004-present). Delivering outstanding performance, Garcia won an ALMA Award and a SAG Award, as well as collected four Teen Choice nominations and an Imagen nomination. Besides his success on the small screen, Garcia also has acted in a number of independent films and on the stage. His feature credits include “Tomorrow by Midnight” (1999), “Tales from the Crapper” (2004), “The Good Humor Man” (2005), “Little Athens” (2005), “Deck the Halls” (2006) and “Sweetzer” (2007). He has found a moderate success as a stand-up comedian.

Garcia likes singing Rock 'n' Roll, and is famous among friends for his tremendous record collection. He joins Matthew Fox's band 'Lost Souls,' and they perform together at the broadcasting of a new episode of “Lost.” As for his romantic life, the fat actor has been linked to Malia Hansen. They met in 2004, when they rented neighboring cottages on an estate in Oahu, Hawaii.

Baby Face Assassin

Childhood and Family:

In Omaha, Nebraska, on April 28, 1973, Jorge Garcia was born to a Cuban mother and a Chilean father. When he was 3, his family relocated to San Juan Capistrano, California, where Jorge was raised. He attended San Clemente High School and was in the school's wrestling team, from which he earned the nickname Baby Face Assassin. In his senior year, Jorge was named “Triton of the Year” by the faculty, the highest honor awarded to a graduating senior. Upon graduating, Jorge attended UCLA, where he studied communications. After college, he joined the Beverly Hills Playhouse

Jorge is the owner of a dachshund-Chihuahua mix named Nunu.

Becker

Career:

Southern California-raised Jorge Garcia began to consider acting as a profession while a communications student at UCLA, especially after attending a guest lecture by Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman narrated a story about Sir Laurence Olivier depicting the acting bug as a feeling of “Look at me, look at me, look at me!” Shortly thereafter, Garcia tried his hand in acting and stand-up comedy. After earning his degree, he went on to train at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

In 1997, Garcia had his first taste in front of the camera when he landed the role of Monty in the independent film “Raven's Ridge,” starring William Kendall and Dawn Howard. He resurfaced two years later when he played Jay in the drama/thriller “Tomorrow by Midnight” (1999), written and directed by Rolfe Kanefsky. He next have a minor part in 2000's “King of the Open Mic's,” as Meatloag.

After struggling for six years, during which time he supported himself by working at a bookstore and had sporadic parts in commercials, Garcia's luck started to change as he started getting more substantial roles on television. He appeared as Cabbie in an episode of ABC's “Spin City” in 2001, and was cast as Julius in the Peter Falk vehicle “Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife” (2003). He also landed a recurring role on the CBS sitcom “Becker,” where he portrayed Hector Lopez for 13 episodes from 2003 to 2004. However, it was Garcia's appearance as a drug dealer in a 2004 episode of HBO's “Curb Your Enthusiasm” that won the charismatic young actor notice from ABC producers, who at the time were in the initial phases of casting a new series entitled “Lost.” Garcia went on to have an eccentric role as a miserable man with raccoon head in a Troma Films movie called “Tales from the Crapper” (2004), act in the independent film “Happily Even After” (2004), with Jason Behr and Marina Black, and participate in an Oscar-nominated short “Our Time Is UP” (2004), starring Kevin Pollak.

Back to the small screen after his eye-catching turn in “Curb,” Garcia eventually scored a huge breakthrough when he was cast in a role specially created for him, Hugo “Hurley” Reyes, in the mystery/thriller series “Lost” (2004-present). Originally brought by the producers to read for the part of Sawyer, which finally went to Josh Holloway, Garcia proved suitable with his character and won an ALMA in 2006 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Series, in addition to numerous other award nominations, including a 2007 Imagen nomination for Best Supporting Actor-Television and four Teen Choice nominations in the categories of Choice TV Breakout Performance-Male (once) and TV-Choice Sidekick (three times). He also jointly picked up a 2006 Screen Actor Guild for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. The series itself soon became a hit, a success that made Garcia an instant star. Among his costars in the series are Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin and Matthew Fox.

Garcia relocated to Hawaii, where “Lost” was filmed, and went on to chase other projects when he was not filming the series. In 2005, he costarred with Nathan Stevens, Cameron Richardson and Kelsey Grammer for the drama/romance film “The Good Humor Man,” penned and helmed by Tenney Fairchild, and appeared in the indie-drama “Little Athens,” starring John Patrick Amedori and Erica Leerhsen, later that same year. He had a supporting role in the John Whitesell-directed “Deck the Halls” in 2006, a Christmas comedy starring Matthew Broderick, Danny DeVito and Kristin Davis, and in 2007, he signed on to the Wayne Reynolds comedy “Sweetzer.”

On stage, Garcia has dotted his resume with performances in such productions as “The Midnight Zone,” “Romancing Valentino,” “Something Borrowed Something Blue,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Hurlyburly,” among others.

In addition to his successful career as an actor, Garcia also enjoys a moderate success as a stand-up comedian. He has performed at the Laugh Factory and Comedy Store in Los Angeles.

Awards:

• ALMA: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Series, “Lost,” 2006

• Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, “Lost,” 2006