Javier Bardem

Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (born March 1, 1969) is a Spanish actor. Born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria[?], Canary Islands, he is the latest in a long line of a family which has been making movies since the earliest days of Spanish movie making. His film debut was at the age of 6, and he appeared in several television series before turning to painting and, eventually, athletics. He was a member of the Spanish national rugby team.

In 1992 he appeared in Jamón, jamón[?], an international hit movie. But his role in that film as a sexy stud made him afraid that he would be typecast, and he deliberately decided to avoid such roles later. He became well-known outside of Spain when he starred in Before Night Falls in 2000, as homosexual Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas[?]. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role, the first Spaniard to be so honored.