Angela Garcia Combs is a multifaceted American writer and director, born to a Southern Catholic Mexican-Irish family in New York. Her father, Charles Combs Jr., was a talented jazz musician and scientist, while her mother, Carmen Garcia, was a homemaker and an artist who worked with found objects. She is the fourth of five children and spent her early childhood in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she developed a strong sense of identity.
When Angela was just 8 years old, her father moved the family to California to work on classified weapons systems for the Government. Unfortunately, this move led to her parents' divorce, and her mother remarried to Alan Thoemmes, a Russian immigrant who worked various jobs to support the family, including as a College English Professor. However, this marriage too ended in divorce after six years, and Angela became an emancipated minor at the age of 16. She finished high school, worked as a waitress at Marie Callender's, and supported her siblings through this challenging period.
Angela's personal life took a significant turn when she married and divorced early, becoming a single mother of three by the age of 28. Despite the challenges, she raised her children in Los Angeles while pursuing higher education and a career in the arts.
Angela's academic journey took her to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where she studied theatre and film with a concentration in women's studies. She graduated Magna cum Laude in 1997 and went on to option her first screenplay, "A Better Mother," to Carlton America. She also optioned another screenplay, "Random Acts," to Henry Jaglom of Rainbow Films and secured a deal to direct with RKO.
Angela's feature film, "Nothing Special" (2010),received international distribution, critical acclaim, and 12 festival awards, including the Best Feature award at the Toronto-based international film festival dedicated to films directed by women. The film was also curated by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for their "Permanent Core Collection" and starred the late Karen Black in her last starring role.
Today, Angela's oldest son, Asher Huey, is a labor organizer and progressive activist in Washington, DC. Her daughter, Julia Garcia Combs, is an actress and artist living in Los Angeles. Her youngest son, Caleb Huey, is a musician living in Nashville, TN. Angela lives in Hollywood with her husband, Richard Wilson.
