Famous Spanish Film & Theater Personalities

Penelope Cruz is a Spanish model and actress who has had major success in the American entertainment industry. Also known for her work as a philanthropist, Cruz has been touching the lives of many for the past several years. Apart from donating money to charity, Cruz has also volunteered in India and Uganda. She has also advocated for PETA's anti-fur campaign.

A Spanish-Cuban actress, Ana de Armas worked in Spanish films and television shows before moving to Hollywood. Overcoming the obstacle of not knowing English, she established herself as a solid actress by working in films like Knives Out and Blade Runner 2049. She will play a Bond girl in No Time to Die movie and will portray Marilyn Monroe in the Netflix biopic Blonde.

Spanish actor, Javier Bardem, is an acclaimed artist and has worked in notable films like Skyfall, Love in the Time of Cholera, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Mother and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He has also acted in numerous Spanish movies. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the 2007 film No Country for Old Men.

One of the most popular Spanish-American actors of all time, Antonio Banderas has made a name for himself in Hollywood. Apart from being a successful actor, he is also an accomplished businessman. A perfume industry veteran, Antonio Banderas has been working with the fragrance and beauty company Puig for several years and is the brand's most popular representative.

Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl began his career with the soap Verbotene Liebe. Raised trilingual, he is now fluent in six languages. Hollywood knows him best as Fredrick Zoller from Inglourious Basterds, while he first made waves with the German film Good Bye, Lenin! He later co-owned two bars.

Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, is best known as Talisa Maegyr from the iconic series Game of Thrones. She had started as a Shakespearean theater actor. She has also been seen in series such as The Hour and Taboo, and has been cast in the upcoming Avatar sequels.

Best known to fans as The Professor from the iconic Spanish series La Casa De Papel, or Money Heist, has won several awards for the role. He overcame cancer in his 30s. The father of twins is now a co-owner of the Spanish theater company 300 Pistolas.

Pedro Almodovar is a Spanish screenwriter, filmmaker, and former actor. Regarded as one of the most successful Spanish filmmakers of all time, Almodovar has two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and five British Academy Film Awards under his belt. His films are characterized by complex narratives, irreverent humor, and great music.

Úrsula Corberó is a Spanish actress who achieved international fame after playing Tokyo in the popular heist crime drama TV series, Money Heist. Renowned for her good looks, Corberó has been the face of many brands, such as Maybelline, Tampax, and Calzedonia. Also a philanthropist, Corberó has been part of many awareness campaigns pertaining to breast cancer and climate change.

Spanish actress and ballerina, Maria Pedraza first came to limelight with her role in the Netflix series Money Heist, debuting on screen earlier in the same year with Amar: With You Until the End of the World. Since then she has been appearing in number of productions, including the thriller teen drama series, Elite, concurrently focusing on her ballet.

Alba Flores, the only daughter of Spanish musician Antonio Flores, achieved international fame as Nairobi in the Spanish series La Casa De Papel, or Money Heist. Apart from drama, she is trained in the piano, too. She is also an avid animal lover and has campaigned for PETA.

Spanish-American actress, singer, comedian, and flamenco-guitarist Charo, whose birth year remains a subject of dispute for several years, is known for her seductive deep voice with Spanish accent, unrestrained and exuberant manner, and the catch-phrase cuchi-cuchi. She has released albums like Guitar Passion, featured in films like The Concorde...Airport '79 and guest starred in TV series like The Love Boat.

Elsa Pataky is one of the most famous Spanish models and actresses to make it big in the American film industry. She is best known for playing Officer Elena Neves alongside Dwayne Johnson in The Fast and the Furious film franchise. A polyglot, Elsa Pataky can speak Spanish, English, Romanian, Portuguese, French, and Italian fluently.

Best known for her role in the Netflix series Elite, Madrid Theater Award-winning Spanish actor Ester Expósito is a true-blue feminist who has attended rallies for the cause. She had started attending acting classes as soon as she finished school. She is also a passionate dancer.

Luis Buñuel was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker with a brilliant career spanning almost half a century. He worked in France, Mexico, and Spain and directed films spanning various genres. His filmmaking technique was strongly influenced by mise-en-scène. He was hailed as a leader of avant-garde surrealism and is considered one of the top directors of the 20th century.  

Arón Piper is a German-Spanish actor best known for his portrayal of Ander Muñoz in the Spanish thriller teen drama series, Elite. Apart from being an actor, Piper is also a musician. He joined hands with several other musicians to release a single titled Sigo. In 2020, he released another song titled Rosé.

Born to a French-American mother and a Spanish father, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey had initially worked as a waitress and had even decided to pursue a career in osteopathy. The actor-model later made waves with her roles in The Sea Wall and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Ariadna Gil is a Spanish actress best known for playing Violeta in the 1992 Spanish comedy-drama film, Belle Époque, for which she received the Best Lead Actress award at the prestigious Goya Awards. Although she predominantly acts in Spanish films, Ariadna Gil has also played important roles in films of various other languages, such as English, Catalan, and French.

Federico García Lorca was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theater director. He was a prominent member of the Generation of '27, a group of poets who essentially worked with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. He was homosexual and had a love affair with sculptor Emilio Aladrén. He mysteriously disappeared at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.

Isabel Preysler is a  Filipina socialite and TV host. As a teenager, she participated in beauty pageants and worked as a model. She later started working as a journalist. An elegant woman, she is considered a fashion icon. Her first husband was Julio Iglesias, a Spanish singer.  Enrique Iglesias and Julio Iglesias Jr. are her sons.

Spanish actor Blanca Suárez of Cable Girls fame also earned a Goya Award nomination for the psychological thriller The Skin I Live In. Her debut performance as Julia Medina in the Spanish drama-thriller series The Boarding School earned her initial fame. She was also GQ’s Woman of the Year in 2012.

Spanish actor and model Marc Clotet is the son of famous physician and author Bonaventura Clotet. Best known for his performance in the soap El cor de la Ciutat, he has also been admired for his roles in the films The Sleeping Voice and The Chessplayer.

While fans love his beautiful hazel eyes, Spanish model and actor Jon Kortajarena has also made it to the Forbes list of The World's 10 Most Successful Male Models. Known for projects such as A Single Man and Andron, he has also modeled for brands such as Guess, Armani, and Versace.

Jaime Lorente is a Spanish model and actor best known for playing Denver in the popular Spanish heist crime drama TV series Money Heist. His performance earned him nominations at the 2018 and 2019 Award of the Spanish Actors Union. Apart from acting, Lorente has also published a collection of poems in a book named A propósito de tu boca.

Pedro Alonso is a Spanish actor, artist, and writer. Alonso is best known for his portrayal of Berlin in the popular Spanish heist crime drama TV series Money Heist. His performance earned him the Award of the Spanish Actors Union in 2018. In 2018, GQ Turkey magazine named him International Star of the Year.

Najwa Nimri is a Spanish actress and singer best known for playing a  policewoman inspector in the TV drama series La casa de papel. As a singer, she formed the band Najwajean with Carlos Jean and has also released a few solo albums. In 2020, she hosted a podcast called Vis a vis: Cara B. 

Known as the younger sister of Spanish actor Penélope Cruz, Mónica Cruz is not just an actor but also a trained dancer, specializing in flamenco and ballet. Known for her roles in projects such as The Inquiry and Last Hour, she is now also a mother of a daughter, through artificial insemination.

Mexican singer-songwriter and actress Belinda Peregrín, tagged as "Princess of Latin Pop" by international press is best known for her commercially hit studio albums like Belinda and Utopía and singles like Vivir, which made her the third best-selling female Mexican act. She also had screen success with films like The Cheetah Girls 2 and Mexican telenovelas like Amigos x siempre.   

Nacho Vidal is a Spanish pornographic actor, producer, director, writer, and camera operator. A protégé of popular Italian pornographic actor Rocco Siffredi, Vidal has appeared in more than 1,500 films. Over the course of his career, Vidal has won several awards like XBIZ Awards and Ninfa Awards. In 2012, he was made an inductee of the AVN Hall of Fame.

María Valverde is a Spanish actress who has played important roles in Spanish as well as British films. Valverde didn’t take long to hog the limelight as she won the Goya Award for her debut performance in The Weakness of the Bolshevik , at the age of 16! She is best known for playing Zipporah in the epic film Exodus: Gods and Kings. 

Christina Ochoa is a Spanish actress best known for her portrayal of Grace D'Argento in the American science fiction series, Blood Drive. Ochoa is credited with founding QE Productions, which produced the critically acclaimed short film, Stay with Me. Also a science communicator, Christina Ochoa has been the host of many scientific shows and conferences.

Best known to international audiences for her performance as the transgender character Manila in the iconic hit series La Casa de Papel, or Money Heist, Belén Cuesta is a popular Spanish actor. A fine theater actor, too, she has been part of production such as Sonias and Metamorfosis.

Jordi Mollà is a Spanish actor, writer, filmmaker, and artist. A critically acclaimed actor, Mollà has been thrice nominated for the prestigious Goya Award for Best Actor. His portrayal of Daniel in the 1997 Spanish drama film, The Lucky Star, earned him a Butaca Award. A self-taught painter, Mollà showcased his works at the Carmen de la Guerra in 2002.