Name: Javier Bardem
Date of Birth: 1 March 1969 Javier Bardem was born in 1969 in the Canary Islands.
Bardem is part of one of Spain’s largest cinematic dynasties: his grandparents, their siblings, his mother, his brother and sister are all actors; his uncle was the world-renowned director Juan Antonio Bardem (Death of a Cyclist, Welcome Mister Marshall); and he also has various cousins involved in the film industry, including his cousin Miguel (director of Swindled and The Ugliest Woman in the World). Javier Bardem first came to public attention in 1992 in the film (dir. Bigas Luna), which also marked the debuts of and . He worked with Bigas Luna again the following year in ; the combination of these two films initially led to him being typecast as the Spanish macho. He overcame this typecasting via a range of roles (in films such as (dir. Alex de la Iglesia) and (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)), which showcased the extent of his talent, leading him to be nicknamed ‘the Spanish Brando’. ... He moved into English language films with the combination of (dir. Julian Schnabel), which saw him become the first Spanish actor to be nominated for an Oscar, and Dancer Upstairs (dir. John Malkovich). More recently he has worked with the likes of Milos Forman (Goya’s Ghosts) and the Coen Brothers () but has also continued to work in Spain in films such as (dir. Fernando Leon de Aranoa) and (dir. Alejandro Amenábar) –both of which saw him win the Goya for Best Actor. In 2008 he became the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar (for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ) and he dedicated the award to his mother, his grandparents, and all those Spanish actors who have brought dignity and pride to their profession. Read more Javier Bardem movies (actor)User Comments |
