Carmen Maura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carmen Maura
Maura in 2019
Born	María del Carmen García Maura (1945-09-15) 15 September 1945 (age 79) Madrid, Spain
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1969–present

María del Carmen García Maura (born 15 September 1945) is a famous Spanish actress. She has been acting for over 50 years! She has starred in many well-known films. Some of these include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, ¡Ay Carmela!, and Volver.

Carmen Maura has won many important awards. She has won the Goya Award for Best Actress three times. This is a record for any actress! She also won a César Award in 2013 and a special award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

Early Life and Education

Carmen Maura was born in Madrid, Spain. Her parents were Salvador García Santa-Cruz and Carmen Maura Arenzana. Her family has a long history in Spain. One of her great-grandfathers was a Count. Another great-grandfather was the artist Bartolome Maura Montaner. He was the brother of Antonio Maura, who was a prime minister of Spain five times.

Carmen studied philosophy and literature in Paris, France. She went to the École des Beaux-Arts, which is a famous art school. From 1964 to 1970, she was married to a lawyer named Francisco Forteza. They have two children together, Carmen and Pablo.

A Star is Born: Her Acting Career

Carmen Maura started her career as a cabaret singer. Cabaret is a type of entertainment with singing and dancing.

Her first film role was in 1970 in The Man in Hiding. She then got a big role in the 1977 film Tigres de papel. While she has played serious roles, Carmen is often known for her funny characters. You can see her comedic talent in films like Sal gorda (1984) and Sé infiel y no mires con quién (1985).

Working with Pedro Almodóvar

Carmen Maura worked with the famous director Pedro Almodóvar on his very first film, Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón, in 1980. They worked together on many films in the 1980s. Their last film together during that time was Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988). For this movie, she won the "Felix" award for best actress at the European Film Awards.

After Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, they did not work together for over ten years. But they reunited in 2006 for the film Volver. The title 'Volver' means 'Return' in Spanish. It was a special return for Carmen to Almodóvar's movies. The group of female actresses in Volver won a special award for Best Actress at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Carmen Maura also appeared in the film 800 Bullets. In this movie, she played the mother of the main character, a young boy.

Breaking Boundaries and Winning Awards

Carmen Maura is seen as a role model for many people. She played a transgender character in Almodóvar's film Law of Desire. This showed her as a strong woman who is not afraid to take on challenging roles.

She has won more Goya Awards for Best Leading Actress than any other actress in Spanish film history. In 2007, she received the "Locarno Excellence Award" for her entire career in movies.

Carmen Maura has worked with many important directors from around the world. These include Pedro Almodóvar, Francis Ford Coppola, and Carlos Saura.

Film and TV Appearances

Carmen Maura has acted in many films and television shows. Here are some of them:

Films

Television Shows

Awards and Special Recognitions

Carmen Maura has received many awards for her acting.

Cannes Film Festival

César Award

European Film Awards

Goya Awards

Other Awards

• Locarno Excellence Award (2007)
• San Sebastián International Film Festival - Best Actress for Common Wealth (2000)
• Fotogramas de Plata - Best Movie Actress for La comunidad (2000)
• Fotogramas de Plata - Best TV Actress for A las once en casa (1999)
• Fotogramas de Plata - Best Movie Actress for ¡Ay Carmela! (1990)
• Fotogramas de Plata - Best Movie Actress for Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988)
• Fotogramas de Plata - Best Movie Actress for ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (1984)
• Fotogramas de Plata - Best Performance in a Television series for Esta noche (1981)

Honours

• She was made a Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France in 1996. This is a special award for people who have done great things in art and literature.
• She received the Dame Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise in Spain in 2015. This is a very high honor in Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Carmen Maura para niños