Javier Bardem is a Spanish actor and producer who made his acting debut as a child in an episode of the Spanish television series El Pícaro (1974). Bardem made his feature film debut with a minor role in the 1990 Spanish erotic film The Ages of Lulu. The film's director, Bigas Luna, was impressed by Bardem, giving him his first leading role in the romantic-comedy Jamón jamón (1992), alongside future wife Penélope Cruz. In 1993, Bardem starred in another Luna film, Golden Balls, and in the Vicente Aranda-directed The Bilingual Lover. The following year he appeared in Días contados and The Detective and Death (both in 1994). For both films, he was nominated at the San Sebastián International Film Festival Award for Best Actor.
His first leading role in an English-language film was as the jailed Cuban dissident Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls (2000), for which he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2002, he appeared in the John Malkovich-directed The Dancer Upstairs and the Fernando León de Aranoa-directed Mondays in the Sun. In 2004, he briefly appeared alongside Tom Cruise in the Michael Mann-directed Collateral. He won a second Volpi Cup for Best Actor in 2004, for portraying euthanasia activist Ramón Sampedro in The Sea Inside. His next role was as psychopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers' film No Country for Old Men (2007), for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar. Bardem next appeared in the 2008 Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. He then starred in Biutiful (2010), garnering Bardem the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor.
In 2012, Bardem narrated the Spanish documentary Sons of the Clouds, which he also producer. The film received a Goya Award for Best Documentary. That year, he also portrayed the Bond villain Raoul Silva in Skyfall (2012), which earned him a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor. The following year, he starred in the Ridley Scott-directed The Counselor (2013). Bardem then collaborated with Sean Penn on The Gunman (2015) and The Last Face (2016). In 2017, he played the Armando Salazar in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and starred in Mother!. He was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for both performances. That year, he also portrayed Pablo Escobar in Loving Pablo opposite his wife Cruz. Bardem portrayed Stilgar in Dune (2021), his first science fiction film since Autómata (2014). That same year, Bardem portrayed Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos and his performance earned him another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
Film
YearTitleRoleNotes1990Jimmy1991High HeelsRegidor de TV1992Amo tu cama ricaAntonio Jamón jamónRaúl1993HuidosRafaelGolden BallsAlso credited as singer on the film's soundtrackShoeshiner1994Días contadosLisardo1995Boca a bocaAlso credited as singer on the film's soundtrack1996Not Love, Just FrenzyUncredited1997Love Can Seriously Damage Your HealthCamilleroAirbagLive FleshDavidPerdita Durango1998Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the LawSultán1999Between Your LegsJavierSecond SkinDiegoAlbertoAlso executive producer2000Before Night Falls2001Don't Tempt Me2002Mondays in the SunSanta2004CollateralFelix Reyes-Torrena2006Goya's Ghosts2007Love in the Time of CholeraNo Country for Old Men2008Vicky Cristina Barcelona2010BiutifulUxbalEat Pray LoveFelipe2012Sons of the CloudsNarrator Voice; also producerSkyfallTo the Wonder2013ReinerScorpion in LoveSolís2014AutómataBlue Robot Voice2015Felix Marti20162017Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No TalesMother!HimLoving PabloAlso producer2018Documentary short; also producerEverybody KnowsPaco2019SanctuaryHimselfAlso producer2020Leo2021DuneStilgarBlancoBeing the Ricardos2022Lyle, Lyle, CrocodileHector P. Valenti2023King Triton2024Dune: Part TwoStilgarSpellboundKing SolonVoice 2025F1Rubén Cervantes2026Iron Maiden: Burning AmbitionHimselfDocumentaryThe BelovedEsteban MartínezBunkerMiguel Moreno Stilgar Post-production TBAFilming (voice)
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes1974Acting debut1986Segunda enseñanzaPabloRecurring role1991El C.I.D.VinceEpisode: "Thursday's Child"2018Asesinato en el Hormiguero ExpressHimselfTelevision special2020Home Movie: The Princess BrideInigo MontoyaEpisode: "Chapter Ten: To the Pain!"2024Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez StoryJosé MenendezMain role; also executive producer2025Conan O'Brien Must GoHimselfEpisode: "Spain"2026Cape FearMax CadyMiniseries; also executive producer
See also List of awards and nominations received by Javier Bardem
References
External links
Javier Bardem at the Rotten Tomatoes