Javier Bardem is a Spanish actor who has appeared in movies that have been released both in the United States and abroad. He is also a winner of an Academy Award for his role in No Country for Old Men.
Early life
The Spanish actor Javier Bardem has a long line of relatives who are involved in the movie industry. His uncle, Juan Antonio Bardem, is a director, and his mother, Pilar, is an actress.
Bardem was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. His father, Jose Carlos, died of leukemia in 1995, and his mother, Pilar, moved to Spain. He attended an art school in Madrid, where he studied painting. But after realizing he wasn’t going to be a successful painter, he decided to switch to acting.
Javier’s earliest role was in the film Cheat when he was only six years old. During the filming, he met Christina Pales, who was teaching him English. Later on, the pair got married.
After his marriage, he started his acting career, and he was offered a job by John Malkovich. However, because of his poor English, he turned it down. Nevertheless, he continued to work in Spanish films.
He began to receive invitations to play in provocative movies. During his time in Hollywood, he was noticed by some of the best filmmakers. In addition, he won the Best Supporting Actor Award from the Spanish Actors Union and two Goya Awards. Moreover, he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
Before Night Falls was a major breakthrough for Javier. His portrayal of a Cuban homosexual poet was a hit. It was released in 2000. As a result, he was nominated for the Oscar and won the Best Actor award from the Cannes Film Festival.
Another big break came when he was approached by Al Pacino. He was also offered a role in the American TV series The West Wing.
Javier has won several accolades in his career, including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe, and the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor award. For his role in Before Night Falls, he was also nominated for an Oscar.
Bardem continues to pursue his acting career, and has acted in films like The Dancer Upstairs, The Sea Inside, and The Counselor. Among his other film credits are Collateral (2004), Skyfall (2012), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
Acting career
Javier Bardem is an award-winning actor, known for his roles in films like The Dancer Upstairs, Before Night Falls and No Country for Old Men. He is a member of the Bardem family of actors, which has worked on numerous films since the earliest days of Spanish cinema.
Born on the Canary Islands, Javier was raised by his mother Pilar, who is an actress. After a short stint at the Madrid School of Arts and Crafts, he took acting lessons.
He was spotted by Hollywood filmmakers, and began working on Spanish films. His first big break came when he starred as a persecuted Cuban writer in Before Night Falls (2000). Later that year, he won the Goya Award for his role.
Bardem’s career has taken him around the world. In addition to his acting roles, he has appeared on television shows. Among other things, he has appeared in Dune, a science fiction drama based on Frank Herbert’s novel, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
His breakthrough was in 2000, when he starred in Before Night Falls, a film that was adapted from a book by John Irving. The role was a big one, and he was nominated for an Oscar.
He continued to play Spanish-language roles. His performances as a paralyzed police officer in Carne tremula and as a quadriplegic writer in Mar adentro earned him his fourth Goya. A biopic of Desi Arnaz, Being the Ricardos, was released in 2006.
In 2007, Javier Bardem won his first Academy Award for his supporting role in No Country for Old Men, a film based on a Cormac McCarthy novel. The film also won the best director prize for Joel and Ethan Coen. Afterward, he became the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Following that, he starred in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological horror film, Mother! (2017). And in 2018, he starred in Asghar Farhadi’s mystery drama Everybody Knows.
Despite his success in Hollywood, Javier has remained a staunch supporter of human rights. His work in Before Night Falls and Mar adentro brought up debates about euthanasia in Spain.
Nominated for three Academy Awards
Javier Bardem is an award-winning Spanish actor. He has won four major awards, including an Oscar. He also holds the distinction of being the first Spanish-born actor to win an Oscar for a supporting role. Previously, he had been nominated for two additional Academy Awards.
In 2007, Bardem became the first Spaniard to win an Academy Award for a supporting role when he won the Oscar for No Country for Old Men. A year later, he received his fourth nomination, this time for the Aaron Sorkin film Being the Ricardos.
He has been nominated for the BAFTA Awards, as well, earning a place on the BAFTA’s long list of nominees for best leading actor. His most recent performances include being a vengeful terrorist in Skyfall and a cancer-stricken father in Biutiful.
The Oscars will be held in Los Angeles on March 27, and both Bardem and Penelope Cruz will be attending. Their nominations in the acting categories will make them the sixth married couple to be nominated in the same year. Other past married nominees include Alfred Lunt, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rex Harrison.
Bardem and Cruz were married in 2010 and are parents to son Leo. They have previously starred together in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Loving Pablo, and The Roads Not Taken. After their divorce in 2011, they remained friends.
Javier Bardem has a number of other awards and accolades. He has been nominated for several other awards, including the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actor. Additionally, he won the Academy Award for his performance in the Woody Allen comedy Vicky Christina Barcelona. Currently, he is nominated for the prestigious Best Lead Actor category at the Oscars. He is also up for the Cesar Award for his performance in the Spanish film Loving Pablo.
Bardem’s career was launched when he was five years old. He was initially shy about playing a role that required guns. But his passion for the role of Arnaz made him chase the part. Later, he turned down an offer from John Malkovich due to his poor English. However, he was able to work around the problem with the help of an acting coach.
Family tree
Javier Bardem is a Spanish actor. He is the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award. After his performance in No Country for Old Men (2007), he was recognized as a promising star. His work has garnered numerous awards and nominations, including the BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards. Known for his roles in blockbusters, Javier Bardem has also made appearances in several films in foreign languages. In addition to acting, he owns two restaurants in Madrid.
Javier Bardem was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, on March 1, 1969. He was raised in Madrid by his mother, Pilar. As a child, Javier played rugby and studied painting, but he resisted following his family’s career path. However, at age six, he was cast in the Spanish film El Picaro.
After a few years, Javier decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and attended an art college. He worked as an extra on the film set, and also took odd jobs to help him pay for the school. At age 20, he was offered a speaking role in the film Las Edades De Lulu. But he rejected the offer because of his poor English.
A few years later, Javier Bardem won the Venice Film Festival’s Best Actor award for his performance in Before Night Falls. Afterward, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 2007 film. The film, which was about the Spanish-Cuban poet Pablo Escobar, also starred Penelope Cruz. It was based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel of the same name.
Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have reunited on the set of Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). They have two children together. During their time on the set, they rediscovered their love for each other.
Javier Bardem has received various awards, including the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor award for Biutiful (2010). He has been nominated for three additional Academy Awards. Eventually, he and Penelope Cruz married.
Since then, he has starred in various films, such as the James Bond film Skyfall (2012), the science fiction drama Dune (2020) and the horror film mother! (2017).