Javier Bardem

Javier Bardem got married to Penelope Cruz in the year 2010 after having dated for three years. They have a son and a daughter.

Javier Angel Encinas Bardem was born on 1 March 1969 in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Canary Islands of Spain, to Jose Carlos Encinas Doussinague and Pilar Bardem. His father was a businessman while his mother is an actress.

Bardem grew up among those associated with films due to his family’s association with the Spanish film industry for many generations and in spite of having an interest in acting, he wanted to become a painter. He was only six years old when he appeared in his first film. The film was titled ‘El Picaro’.

Bardem studied at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios in order to get trained as a painter. In fact, he did start off as a painter but did not find the sort of success that he aspired for and when he struggled with his finances he took up stray acting jobs. In 1989, he appeared on the TV show ‘The Day Ahead’ on Spanish television and decided to give up on painting as a career.

When Bardem was 20 years old he appeared in his first film titled ‘The Ages of Lulu’ and his performance in the film led to him being cast in the film ‘Jamon Jamon’ that released in 1993. ‘Jamon Jamon’ was a major success and Bardem became a known face internationally. In the same year, he also starred in the film ‘Golden Balls’.

Bardem’s work in Spanish cinema was noticed by filmmakers from the English speaking world but he had to turn down roles because his English was not up to the mark and after taking English lessons he starred in the film ‘Perdita Durango’ in 1998. However, in the years following that following he continued to work in Spanish films.

Javier Bardem’s first foray into big budget productions was with the film ‘Before Night Falls’ that released in the year 2000 and his performance was praised by critics and fellow actors alike. It led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor as well and proved to be the big break of his career. Two years later he starred in the film ‘The Dancer Upstairs’ in which he played the role of a detective.

Javier Bardem’s next project was the Spanish film ‘Mar Adentro’ in 2004. The film was distributed in the United States under the title ‘The Sea Inside’ and the actor’s role as a euthanasia activist brought him plenty of plaudits. The same year Bardem was also cast in the role of a gangster in the film ‘Collateral’.

The year 2007 was one of the highlights of Javier Bardem’s career as he starred in the films ‘No Country for Old Men’ by Coen Brothers and ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’. Bardem’s portrayal of the assassin Anton Chigurh in ‘No Country for Old Men’ was widely appreciated and his work gave him worldwide recognition. The character has been regarded by many as among the most iconic villains in Hollywood history.

Javier Bardem has delivered exemplary performances in a wide variety of roles throughout his career as one of the leading actors of his generation but his role in the 2007 film ‘No Country for Old Men’ is without doubt his most important work. He received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for that role.