Spanish actors and actresses of this era were shot in the leading film projects in Europe and Hollywood, some of them received world fame, which for a long time went for many years. The audience will remember the vivid roles of Antonio Bandera, Penelope Cruz and not only.
Victoria Abril.
The real name is Victoria Merida Rojas. Born in Madrid on July 4, 1959. Since 8 years Victoria has been engaged in ballet. From the age of 15 she led children's entertainment shows on television. Abril began acting in the cinema from the mid-1970s. The first film was the movie "Obscuration" (1976). In 1977, she was invited to the role of transsexual in the film Vicente Aranda "Sex change". In the future, Abril appeared in eleven films of this director, many of whom received awards at international film festivals.
The Spanish actresses envied her charm, it seemed that the camera adored her. In 1982, Abril moved to France, however, she continued shooting with Spanish directors. In 1984, the film "The Most Beautiful Night" was produced by film director M. Gutierrez Aragon, and in 1985 "The Sorcerous Hour" by Jaime de Armignan. In 1990, Abril was nominated for the Goya Award for one of the main roles in the film Almodovar "Tie Me!", In which Victoria played in a pair with Antonio Banderas. Later, she played a role in two more films by Pedro Almodovar - "High Heels" and "Kika". In addition to working in film, the actress takes part in television series and plays on the stage. Most of the films with Abril are filmed in Europe, but in 1994 she, along with Christian Slater, played in the movie "Jimmy Hollywood" directed by Barry Levinson.
Antonio Banderas.
Full name is José Antonio Domínguez Banderas. He was born in the city of Malaga, in Andalusia, on August 10, 1960. Since childhood, Antonio's dream was to become a football player. But, having got to the musical "Hair" at the age of 14, he was very impressed with the unique spectacle, and decided to enter the acting school. Banderas's debut took place in 1982 - with the film Pedro Almodovar "Labyrinth of Passion." Subsequently, Antonio starred in many Spanish directors, but it was participation in the tapes of Almodovar that helped the actor to grow significantly in his professional career.
In the early 90's, Banderas decided to achieve recognition outside of Spanish cinema and start a career in Hollywood. The Spanish actors at that time were a phenomenon rare beyond the ocean. The first such step was the role in the Oscar-winning "Philadelphia" lover character Tom Hanks. Then followed the "Interview with the Vampire" starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, the role in the film Quentin Tarantino's Four Rooms. The main role in the film by Robert Rodriguez "Desperate" brought Banderas long-awaited world popularity. In the future, the successful "Evita", with Madonna in the title role, and "Mask of Zorro" with Catherine Zeta-Jones only confirmed the acting skills of the actor. On the set of the film by Spanish director Fernando Trueb "Two are too" (1995) arose a romance between Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith. For her sake, the actor divorced his first wife - Ana Lesa, and Griffith broke up with actor Don Johnson. After a while the lovers got married, and in 1996 they had a daughter, Stella.
Penelope Cruz.
Full name is Penelope Cruz Sanchez. Born in Madrid on April 28, 1974. Since early years, Penelope began to get involved in dancing, from the age of nine she was seriously engaged in classical ballet, later became interested in jazz, Spanish dances, and attended various dance courses. Her first roles in TV series and television films Penelope received at the age of sixteen. However, only a few years after the release of the film "The Age of Beauty", which won many awards, including "Oscar" as the best foreign film, the actress was noticed.
In 1997, Cruz was invited to a small role in the film "Living Flesh" by the famous Spanish director Pedro Almadovar. After, in 1998, two films with Penelope participated in the American film distribution: "The Country of Hills and Valleys" and "The Man with the Rain in Boots". In 1999, another successful joint work of Cruz and Almadovar followed. The painting "All About My Mother", where Penelope played one of the main roles, received the "Oscar" as the best foreign film. Spanish actresses once again proved their worth in the world film industry. After that, the road to Hollywood was opened. Penélope starred with Johnny Depp in the films Cocaine and Pirates of the Caribbean 4, with Nicolas Cage in Captain Corelli's Choice, Salma Hayek in the film Bandits, and Charlize Theron in The Head in the Clouds.
On the set of the film "Vanilla Sky" Penelope had an affair with Tom Cruise, then lasted three years. And in 2008, Cruz took part in the filming of Woody Allen's "Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona", starting to work on one set with Spanish actor Javier Bardem. In 2010, Penelope and Javier were married, and in 2011 a happy couple had a son.
Javier Bardem.
Full name is Javier Angel Ensigns Bardem. Born in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Spain, March 1, 1969. Due to the fact that almost all of Bardem's family was acting, he simply could not help but associate his life with the cinema. His acting debut occurred when he was only four years old, with participation in the television series "The Dodger". However, until he became a professional actor, Javier tried several other professions.
He managed to be a member of the National Rugby Team of Spain, and even studied painting at an art school. But family roots took their toll. In general, the type of Javier assumed the exploitation of the role of a brutal man, such typical "macho". The expressive names of many of his early films speak for themselves. To get rid of this obsessive role, in 2000 Bardem went on a risky step. And not lost. For the role in the film "Until the Night Comes", where he played the Cuban writer-homosexual Reinaldo Arenas, Bardem received the prize of the Venice Film Festival. This helped Javier finally get more serious roles, where he could reveal his creativity. In 2005, he was invited to play the role of a paralyzed man in Alejandro Amenabar's drama "The Sea Inside," and in 2008 Bardem played a supporting role in the adaptation of the Coen brothers of the novel Cormac McCarthy to the Old Man. Both of these roles brought him the long-awaited "Oscars" in their nominations. He is married since 2010 to Penelope Cruz, who in 2011 gave birth to his son Leo Enquinas.