Adam Garcia is an Australian stage, television, and film actor who is best known for lead roles in musicals such as Saturday Night Fever and Kiss Me, Kate.[1][2] He is also a trained tap dancer and singer.[3] Garcia has been nominated twice at the Laurence Olivier Awards in 1999[4] and 2013.[5]

Adam Garcia
Garcia in 2015
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • dancer
Years active1991–present
Known forSaturday Night Fever
Notable workSaturday Night Fever
Wicked
Coyote Ugly
Spouse
Nathalia Chubin
(m. 2015)
Children2

Early life

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Garcia is the son of Jean Balharry and Fabio Garcia. His mother is Australian, and his father is from Colombia. Garcia's mother is a retired physiotherapist.[6] Garcia attended Knox Grammar School where he completed his high school education.[6] He also received formal tap dance training at Capital Dance Studio in Sydney, Australia.[7] Garcia attended Sydney University, but did not complete his education as he left the university to take the role of Slide in the production of the musical Hot Shoe Shuffle, which toured Australia for two years before transferring to London, England.[8]

Career

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Garcia began his film career in 1997, playing the role of Jones in Brian Gilbert's Wilde. Garcia played Tony Manero in the stage version of Saturday Night Fever, which premiered on 5 May 1998 at the London Palladium, and closed on 26 February 2000.[9] He was nominated for his work in the play at the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical category in 1999, but lost to the cast of Kat and the Kings.[10] Garcia also reached number 15 in the UK Singles Chart in 1998, with his cover version of the Bee Gees song "Night Fever", taken from the film version of Saturday Night Fever (1977).[11] In 2000, he played a major role in his second feature-film, Coyote Ugly.[12] Later that year, Garcia also appeared in Dein Perry's Bootmen, playing the lead role.[13]

In 2003, he voiced the title character in the film Kangaroo Jack but was not credited for that role.

In 2004, he also played alongside Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, as the character Stu Wolff, a drunk rock star, who is part of the band Sidarthur and is, in Lola's words, "a greater poet than Shakespeare".[14] Between 2006 and 2007, Garcia played the character of Fiyero in the original West End production of Wicked alongside Idina Menzel, Kerry Ellis and Helen Dallimore.[15] He previously played the same role during the show's early Broadway theatre workshops in 2000. Garcia appeared in two ITV dramas, Britannia High and Mr Eleven, in 2008.[16]

In January 2010, Garcia appeared with Ashley Banjo and Kimberly Wyatt as a judge on the British reality show Got to Dance. He was a judge in the four seasons of the competition, from 2010 to 2012 and then again in 2014.[17]

In 2011, Garcia co-starred with Mischa Barton in The Hen Do, but the film never left the cutting room floor.[18]

In 2012, he appeared in Cole Porter's musical Kiss Me, Kate at the Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Stephen Mear. Garcia was nominated for his role at the 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards in the category Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.[19][20]

 
Garcia in 2012

Garcia appeared in Threesome, a 2011 British television sitcom which began airing on 17 October 2011 on Comedy Central.[21] Garcia became the fourth judge during the thirteenth season of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.

In 2016, Garcia began an Australian national tour production of Singin' in the Rain as Don Lockwood, but was injured onstage in Melbourne, ending his run. Later that year he played Father Damian Karras in the UK premiere of The Exorcist opening at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in October 2016 and transferring to the Phoenix Theatre in the West End in October 2017. He also filmed on location for Murder on the Orient Express.

In 2018, Garcia was cast in Dance Boss, an Australian reality television dance competition on the Seven Network presented by Dannii Minogue. He judged the competition alongside singer and dancer Timomatic and actress and performer Sharni Vinson.[22] Later that year he played the Artilleryman in the 40th-anniversary tour of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, to critical acclaim.

In 2019, he filmed Death on the Nile, and in December starred in a pantomime in Ipswich, England, as Prince Charming.[23]

In 2021, Garcia played the father of a dead girl (Victoria Justice) who comes back to make things right in the teen movie Afterlife of the Party directed by Stephen Herek.[24]

In 2022, Garcia appeared in the second UK series of The Masked Dancer. He finished in second place for the series as the character "Onomatopoeia".[25]

In 2024, Garcia will be playing Caractacus Potts in a new UK and Ireland tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Personal life

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On 26 March 2015, Garcia married his long-time girlfriend, Nathalia Chubin, in London.[26] Chubin previously worked as a senior marketing executive for PlayStation.[27] The couple have a daughter and a son together.[26]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 Wilde Jones
2000 Coyote Ugly Kevin O'Donnell
Bootmen Sean
2001 Riding in Cars with Boys Jason D'Onofrio
2002 The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest Andy
2003 Kangaroo Jack Kangaroo Jack Voice-over
Uncredited
2004 Love's Brother Gino Donnini
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen Stu Wolff
Fascination Scott Doherty
2005 Riot at the Rite Vaslav Nijinsky
Standing Still Michael
2010 Every Emotion Costs Wade
2014 Nativity 3: Dude, Where's My Donkey? Bradley Finch Leading role
2017 Murder on the Orient Express Italian Fan (photographer)
2021 Afterlife of the Party Howie
2022 Death on the Nile Syd (photographer)

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2004 Agatha Christie's Marple Raymond Starr Episode: "The Body in the Library"
2005 Doctor Who Alex Episode: "The Christmas Invasion"
2008 Britannia High Stefan 5 episodes
2009 Hawthorne Nick Mancini 4 episodes
The Flight of the Conchords Obnoxious Australian Episode: "The Tough Brets"
Mister Eleven Alex 2 episodes
2009-2012 Got to Dance Adam García 38 episodes
2010 Bookaboo Adam García Episode: "Wolf's Magnificent Master Plan"
Heston's Titanic Feast Adam García Television special
House (TV series) Theodore Phillip Taylor Episode: "The Choice"
2011 Threesome Dave 3 episodes
2013 Camp Todd 10 episodes
2013-2014 Dancing with the Stars Adam García 15 episodes
2014 Perception Dr. Asper Episode: "Eternity"
The Code Perry Benson 6 episodes
2016 Bruce's Hall of Fame with Alexander Armstrong Adam García Television film
Performer (with Kimberly Wyatt)
2017 Genius Moe Berg Episode: "Einstein: Chapter Nine"
2018 Dance Boss Adam García 6 episodes
2019 Agatha Raisin George Felliet Episode: "The Deadly Dance"
2022 The Serpent Queen Sebastio 3 episodes
The Masked Dancer Adam García / Onomatopoeia 6 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome
1999 Laurence Olivier Awards Best Actor in a Musical Saturday Night Fever Nominated
2013 Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Kiss Me, Kate Nominated

References

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  1. ^ West, The Reviews Hub-North (24 January 2019). "Saturday Night Fever - Palace Theatre, Manchester". Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Vic Theatre starring Adam Garcia and Hannah Waddingham". London theatre tickets. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Stage and screen star Adam Garcia puts Poole dancers through their paces". Bournemouth Echo. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Olivier Winners 1999". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Olivier Winners 2013". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b Money, Lawrence (2 May 2016). "From Coyote Ugly to the UK's Got to Dance, Adam Garcia takes a Gene Kelly turn". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Adam Garcia's Got to Tap!". Dance Informa Magazine. 31 July 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  8. ^ Mediaweek (30 April 2018). "Seven announces the judges for new reality series Dance Boss Australia". Mediaweek. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Saturday Night Fever at New Wimbledon Theatre - Review". 31 August 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  10. ^ Gans, Andrew (26 April 2006). "Adam Garcia to Join Idina Menzel for London Wicked". Playbill. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Movie Star Adam Garcia Is Heading To CC". 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  12. ^ Lovell, Lucy (28 February 2018). "Coyote Ugly's Adam Garcia is coming to Manchester bar's launch party". men. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  13. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Bootmen Movie Review & Film Summary (2000) - Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  14. ^ "Why Hollywood and West End actor Adam Garcia was in Scunthorpe". Grimsby Live. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019 – via www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk.
  15. ^ "Adam Garcia cast in Wicked". London Theatre Guide. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Adam Garcia". www.birmingham-rep.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Tap dancers will love this masterclass in Heathfield with stage and screen star Adam Garcia". www.eastbourneherald.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  18. ^ Spy, Theatre. "Adam Garcia and Mischa Barton in new comedy The Hen Do". Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  19. ^ Woolman, Natalie (15 February 2012). "Adam Garcia cast in Chichester's Kiss Me, Kate - News". Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Adam Garcia cast in Nunn's Kiss Me Kate at Chichester - WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  21. ^ SensaCine (4 August 2015). "¿Qué ha sido de las protagonistas de 'El Bar Coyote'?: Adam Garcia". SensaCine.com. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Adam Garcia". tv.7plus.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Meet the stars of Cinderella Adam Garcia and Hannah Spearritt". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  24. ^ "'AFTERLIFE OF THE PARTY' Review: Don't Tell Mom The Party Girl's Dead". FreshFiction.tv. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  25. ^ Sansome, Jessica (23 October 2022). "Masked Dancer fans share complaint as Scissors unmasked as Glee's Heather Morris". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  26. ^ a b "'Coyote Ugly' Turns 20: What Happened to Australian Hottie Adam Garcia? | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Adam Garcia". Tumar (in Russian). 27 August 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
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