Garcia, whose heritage was Chilean, was born on April 28, 1979 (though the birthdates vary source to source) in Omaha, NE to parents Dora and Humberto. His family moved to San Juan Capistrano, CA, when Garcia was three. He competed on the wrestling team at San Clemente High School before graduating and earning a communications degree from UCLA. Although he joined the Beverly Hills Playhouse after graduation, taking his first steps toward acting and/or stand-up comedy as a career path – Garcia was originally interested in working on the other side of the camera.
A 2001 guest spot on “Spin City” (ABC, 1996-2002) was his first significant role. Similar (and smaller) roles in commercials and stage performances followed, before Garcia appeared in an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO, 2000- ), as well as landing a role as a recurring character on “Becker” (CBS, 1998-2004). Although his tenure on “Becker” was a far longer and dependable gig, it was the appearance as a drug dealer on “Curb” that brought Garcia to the attention of the producers of “Lost.” Before being stranded on the island, however, Garcia found time to appear in a bizarre (but typical, given the company’s history) role in a Troma Films movie entitled “Tales from the Crapper” (2004), in which he played a hapless man with a raccoon head.
Garcia’s next role was by far his biggest to date – as part of the large ethnically diverse cast of “Lost.” His portrayal of Hugo “Hurley” Reyes provided much of the comic relief for ABC’s smash hit, endearing him to fans who craved a momentary respite from the show’s intensity. The writers embraced Hurley during the second season, providing him with much greater depth in which a history of mental illness was revealed. He also developed much deeper personal – even, romantic – relationships with other survivors of the crash.