Julio Oscar Mechoso was born in Cuba and like so many of us, came to Miami as a child when his family fled communism and the tyranny of the Castro dictatorship. A veteran actor who appeared on television and the big screen, Mechoso was a source of pride for Cuban Americans in Miami and all over the world.
It is always sad to see one of our own pass on, especially when they entertained us for so long and gave our community so much to be proud of.
Que en paz descanses, Julio.
‘I have lost the truest of friends’: Andy Garcia posts touching tribute after Little Miss Sunshine actor Julio Oscar Mechoso dies at 62 from heart attack
Julio Oscar Mechoso died at the age of 62 from a heart attack on Saturday while at his home.
The actor was best known for appearing in TV shows like Miami Vice and Law & Order as well as movies such as 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine with Steve Carell and 2016’s Rules Don’t Apply with Warren Beatty.
His friend Andy Garcia posted a touching tribute to Facebook over the weekend: ‘A sudden loss is always unjust, but in the case of Julio Oscar Mechoso, my friend, my soul mate it is greater than that, as I have lost the truest of friends.’
He added: ‘Julio is a unique and extraordinary artist. He shared with us his deepest, most personal soul, always readily available for us to see.
‘His emotional range as an actor is unequaled.
‘His dedication to research and psychology was something to witness and admire.’
Garcia also said: ‘His charisma was uncanny.
‘Ever since we met in college he captivated me with his work, whether in his imitation of George C. Scott as Patton, or his soulful rendition of Randall in Slow Dance on a Killing Ground.’
The two worked together on the 2000 movie For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.
Julio was Cuban-American and grew up in Miami. He began acting in the late 1970s when he was still in his twenties.
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