Bardem, Javier

Bardem, Javier
▪ 2009
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem 
born March 1, 1969, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

 In 2008 charismatic and versatile Spanish actor Javier Bardem, long admired and much honoured in his home country, won his first Academy Award, for best supporting actor, for his chilling performance as a sociopathic killer in No Country for Old Men (2007). The violent and bleak film—based on the best seller by Cormac McCarthy and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen—followed assassin Anton Chigurh as he hunted a down-on-his-luck welder who had stolen a suitcase of drug money. Carrying an air gun, Chigurh cut a bloody path across Texas as he relentlessly chased his target. Later in the year, Bardem was again on the hunt as he portrayed a lusty painter pursuing women in Woody Allen's comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

      Bardem, who was born into a family of actors and filmmakers, appeared in his first professional role at age five. After briefly studying painting in Madrid, he concentrated on an acting career. In 1992 he received much attention—especially from women—for Jamón, jamón, in which he played an underwear model hired to romance a factory worker. Three years later he proved he was more than a sex symbol by winning a Goya Award for best supporting actor for his performance as a drug addict in Días contados (1994; Running Out of Time). In Boca a boca (1995; Mouth to Mouth), he garnered laughs and another Goya Award as an aspiring actor who falls in love with a customer while working for a telephone sex company. Bardem later appeared as a wheelchair-bound policeman in Pedro Almodóvar's Carne trémula (1997; Live Flesh).

      Although a major star in Spain, Bardem remained relatively unknown to international audiences until 2000, when he starred as Reinaldo Arenas in the biopic Before Night Falls, his first English-language film. Bardem immersed himself in the role—losing 30 pounds and downplaying his rugged good looks—to play Arenas, a homosexual Cuban writer who was imprisoned by the Fidel Castro regime in the 1970s. Bardem became the first Spaniard to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actor. Although inundated with Hollywood offers, he sought out more challenging roles. In 2002 he starred in both the thriller The Dancer Upstairs, the directorial debut of actor John Malkovich, and the drama Los lunes al sol (Mondays in the Sun), as a laid-off shipyard worker; the role earned him another Goya. For his moving performance as quadriplegic Ramón Sampedro in Mar adentro (2004; The Sea Inside), Bardem collected his fourth Goya.

Amy Tikkanen

* * *

▪ Spanish actor
in full  Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem 
born March 1, 1969, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain

      charismatic and versatile Spanish actor who first came to prominence in the 1990s.

      Bardem, who was born into a family of actors and filmmakers, appeared in his first professional role at age five. After briefly studying painting in Madrid, he concentrated on an acting career. In 1992 he received much attention—especially from women—for his work in Jamón, jamón, in which he played an underwear model hired to romance a factory worker. Three years later he proved he was more than a sex symbol by winning a Goya Award (Spain's national film award) for best supporting actor, for his performance as a drug addict in Días contados (1994; Running Out of Time). In Boca a boca (1995; Mouth to Mouth) he garnered laughs and another Goya Award as an aspiring actor who falls in love with a customer while working for a telephone sex company. Bardem later appeared as a wheelchair-bound policeman in Pedro Almodóvar's Carne trémula (1997; Live Flesh).

      Although a major star in Spain, Bardem remained relatively unknown to international audiences until 2000, when he starred as Reinaldo Arenas (Arenas, Reinaldo), the subject of the screen biography Before Night Falls, which was Bardem's first English-language film. Bardem immersed himself in the role—losing 30 pounds and downplaying his rugged good looks to portray Arenas, a homosexual Cuban writer who was imprisoned by the Fidel Castro (Castro, Fidel) regime in the 1970s. Bardem became the first Spaniard to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actor. Although inundated with Hollywood offers, he selectively sought challenging roles. In 2002 he starred in both the thriller The Dancer Upstairs, the directorial debut of actor John Malkovich, and the drama Los lunes al sol (Mondays in the Sun); his portrayal of a laid-off shipyard worker in the latter earned him another Goya. For his moving performance as quadriplegic Ramón Sampedro in Mar adentro (2004; The Sea Inside), Bardem collected his fourth Goya.

 In 2008 Bardem won his first Academy Award, for best supporting actor for his chilling performance as a sociopathic killer in No Country for Old Men (2007). The violent and bleak film—based on the best seller by Cormac McCarthy (McCarthy, Cormac) and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen (Coen brothers)—followed assassin Anton Chigurh (Bardem) as he hunted a down-on-his-luck welder who had stolen a suitcase of drug money. Carrying an air gun, Chigurh cut a bloody path across Texas as he relentlessly chased his target. Later in the year, Bardem was again on the hunt as he portrayed a lusty painter pursuing women in Woody Allen (Allen, Woody)'s comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).

Amy Tikkanen
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

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  • Bardem, Javier — (1969 )    During his first 10 years as a film actor, Bardem s body was displayed fetishistically, almost obsessively, by film directors, who used him to convey quintessential Spanish fleshly masculinity. Instances of this from his early films… …   Guide to cinema

  • Bardem, Javier — (1969 )    During his first 10 years as a film actor, Bardem s body was displayed fetishistically, almost obsessively, by film directors, who used him to convey quintessential Spanish fleshly masculinity. Instances of this from his early films… …   Historical dictionary of Spanish cinema

  • Bardem, Javier Encinas Bardem, llamado Javier — ► (n. 1969),</DATA1> actor español. Películas: Jamón, jamón (1992), Huevos de oro (1993), Días contados (1994), Antes que anochezca (2000), Los lunes al sol (2002) y Mar adentro (2004) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Javier Bardem — en el Berlin Film Festival 2007. Nombre real Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem Nacimiento 1 de marzo de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bardem — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Bardem es un apellido de origen catalán. Remite a los miembros de una familia de actores y directores españoles, entre los que destacan los siguientes: Rafael Bardem Solé (1889 1972) Actor de cine español. Juan… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bardem — Bardem, Javier Encinas Bardem, llamado Javier Bardem, Juan Antonio …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Javier Bardem — au Festival de Cannes 2010. Données clés Nom de naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Javier Bardem — bei der Oscarverleihung 2011 Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (* 1. März 1969 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spanien) ist ein spanischer Schauspieler, der zahlreiche Auszeichnungen gewonnen hat, darunter einen Oscar für die Rolle des psychopathischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bardem — ist der Name folgender Personen: Carlos Bardem (* 1963), spanischer Schauspieler und Schriftsteller Javier Bardem (* 1969), spanischer Schauspieler Juan Antonio Bardem (1922–2002), spanischer Regisseur Miguel Bardem (* 1964), spanischer Regisseur …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bardem — is a Spanish surname that can refer to:People: *Javier Bardem, Spanish actor *Pilar Bardem, Spanish actor *Rafael Bardem, Spanish actor *Juan Antonio Bardem, Spanish screen writer and film director *Mónica Bardem, Spanish actor *Carlos Bardem,… …   Wikipedia

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