Jorge Garcia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jorge Garcia
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Garcia at the March 2012 WonderCon
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| Born | April 28, 1973 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Rebecca Birdsall
(m. 2019) |
Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first became famous for playing Hector Lopez on the TV show Becker. He is best known for his role as Hugo "Hurley" Reyes in the popular television series Lost, which was on TV from 2004 to 2010.
Garcia has also starred in other TV shows, including the Fox series Alcatraz and Hawaii Five-0. He also had a role on the ABC show Once Upon a Time. You can also see him in the Netflix movie The Ridiculous 6. He currently stars in the comedy series Bookie.
A fun fact about Garcia is that his face is on the cover of the 2010 album Hurley by the band Weezer. The album was named after his character from Lost.
Contents
Early Life and School
Jorge Garcia was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Dora Mesa, was a professor from Cuba, and his father, Humberto Garcia, was a doctor from Chile. He grew up in San Juan Capistrano, California, and went to San Clemente High School.
In high school, Garcia was on the wrestling team, where his friends gave him the nickname "Baby-Faced Killer." When he was a senior, the teachers at his school chose him as the "Triton of the Year." This was the biggest award a graduating student could receive.
After high school, Garcia went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He graduated in 1995 with a degree in communication studies. He also took acting classes at the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school to improve his skills.
Acting Career
Getting Started
Before he became a famous actor, Garcia worked at a Borders bookstore for six years. During this time, he went to many auditions for acting jobs. He appeared in a few commercials, including one for Jack in the Box. He said that this commercial was the first time people started to recognize him on the street.
Breakthrough with Lost
Garcia's big break came with the TV show Lost. The producers of the show saw him in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm just one night before they started casting. They liked him so much that they created the character of Hugo "Hurley" Reyes just for him. Garcia was the very first actor to be cast for the show.
While Lost was on the air, Garcia wrote a blog about the show called Dispatches from the Island. He also had a weekly podcast where he talked about the show's final season.
Roles After Lost
After Lost ended in 2010, Garcia continued to act in many TV shows and movies. In 2012, he starred as Dr. Diego Soto, an expert on the famous prison, in the show Alcatraz. He also played Anton the Giant in a few episodes of Once Upon a Time.
From 2013 to 2020, Garcia was a main character on the show Hawaii Five-0. He played Jerry Ortega, a smart and funny conspiracy theorist who helps the Five-0 team.
In 2022, Garcia was a contestant on the TV show The Masked Singer. He performed as a character called "Cyclops" and was part of Team Bad.
Other Projects
Besides acting, Garcia has been involved in other fun projects. He appeared on the cover of the Weezer album Hurley because the band members were big fans of Lost. He even sang with the band at some of their concerts in 2010.
Garcia also started a podcast in 2016 called Kaiju Podcast. In the podcast, he and his co-host, Ralph Apel, talk about kaiju, which are giant monster movies like Godzilla.
Selected Film and TV Roles
Garcia has appeared in many movies and television shows. Here are some of his most well-known roles.
Film
- Deck the Halls (2006) - as Wallace
- The Wedding Ringer (2015) - as Lurch / Garvey
- The Ridiculous 6 (2015) - as Herm
- Rock Dog (2016) - as the voice of Germur
- The Wrong Missy (2020) - as Guy on Plane
- Nobody Knows I'm Here (2020) - as Memo
- The Munsters (2022) - as Floop
Television
- Becker (2003–2004) - as Hector Lopez
- Lost (2004–2010) - as Hugo "Hurley" Reyes
- How I Met Your Mother (2010, 2014) - as Steve (The Blitz)
- Alcatraz (2012) - as Dr. Diego Soto
- Once Upon a Time (2012–2013) - as Anton the Giant
- Hawaii Five-0 (2013–2020) - as Jerry Ortega
- The Masked Singer (2022) - as himself/Cyclops
- Bookie (2023) - as Hector
See also
In Spanish: Jorge Garcia (actor) para niños
