Bardem, Javier << bahr DEHM, hah vee AIR >> (1969-…), is a Spanish motion-picture actor who became a star in both Spanish- and English-language movies. Bardem became the first Spanish actor to win an Academy Award. He won an Oscar as best supporting actor for his performance as a ruthless killer in No Country for Old Men (2007).
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain, on March 1, 1969. He comes from a family of actors who have been making films since the early days of Spanish cinema. Bardem also married an actress—the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz—in 2010. Bardem made his acting debut at the age of 6 in the Spanish television miniseries El Pícaro (1974). As a teenager, he toured with a theater group. He also played rugby on Spain’s national team.
Bardem gained popularity as an actor in the dark comedy Jamón, Jamón (1992). His other notable films include Mouth to Mouth (1995); Live Flesh (1997); Before Night Falls (2000), in which he played the Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas; The Dancer Upstairs and Mondays in the Sun (both 2002); The Sea Inside (2004); Goya’s Ghosts (2006); Love in the Time of Cholera (2007); Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008); and Biutiful and Eat Pray Love (both 2010). Bardem’s later films include Skyfall and To the Wonder (both 2012); The Counselor (2013); The Gunman (2015); and Being the Ricardos (2021), in which he played the Cuban American actor Desi Arnaz.
