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 on September 15, 1945) is a very famous Spanish actress. She has been acting for over 50 years! Carmen Maura has starred in many popular movies. Some of her well-known films include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, ¡Ay Carmela!, Common Wealth, and Volver. She has won many important awards for her acting. She holds the record for the most Goya Awards for Best Actress. She also won a Cesar Award in 2012 and a special award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

Early Life and Education

Carmen García Maura was born in Madrid, Spain. Her birthday is September 15, 1945. Her family had some interesting connections. Her great-grandfather was a count. Her great-uncle was a famous artist named Bartolomé Maura y Montaner. He was also the brother of a well-known statesman, Antonio Maura.

Carmen Maura studied philosophy and literature. She went to a special art school in Paris, France. It was called the École des Beaux-Arts. From 1964 to 1970, she was married to Francisco Forteza. They had two children, Carmen and Pablo. Later, she had a long relationship with Antonio Moreno Rubio. This relationship ended in 1995. She faced a difficult financial situation around that time.

Acting Career Highlights

Carmen Maura started her career as a singer in cabaret shows. Her first movie role was in 1970. It was a film called The Man in Hiding. She then got a bigger role in the 1977 movie Tigres de papel. Carmen Maura is great at both serious and funny roles. She is especially known for her comedic acting. You can see her funny side in movies 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. This movie was called Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón and came out in 1980. They worked together on five more movies during the 1980s. Their last film together in that period was Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988). Carmen Maura won the "Felix" award for best actress for this role. This award is now known as the European Film Award.

After Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, they did not work together for a long time. But they reunited in 2006 for the movie Volver. The word 'Volver' means 'Return' in Spanish. This title hinted at Carmen Maura's return to working with Almodóvar. The female actors in "Volver" won a special award together. They received the Best Actress prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Other Notable Roles

Carmen Maura has played many interesting characters. In the movie 800 Bullets, she played the mother of the main character, a boy named Kevin Severson. She is also seen as a gay icon by many. This is because of her role in Almodóvar's film Law of Desire. In this movie, she played a character who challenges traditional ideas. This role helped show her as a strong woman who is not afraid to break boundaries.

Carmen Maura has worked with many other important directors. These include Francis Ford Coppola, Carlos Saura, and Álex de la Iglesia. 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". This award honored her entire career in movies.

Awards and Recognitions

Carmen Maura has received many awards for her amazing acting.

Cannes Film Festival

• In 2006, she won the Best Actress award for her role in Volver.

César Award

• In 2012, she won the Best Supporting Actress award for The Women on the 6th Floor. She was also nominated in 1996 for Happiness Is in the Field.

European Film Awards

• She won the Best Actress award twice: in 1988 for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and in 1990 for ¡Ay Carmela!.
• In 2018, she received the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. This award celebrates her long and successful career.

Goya Awards

• Carmen Maura has won the Best Actress award three times: in 1989 for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, in 1991 for ¡Ay Carmela!, and in 2001 for Common Wealth.
• She also won the Best Supporting Actress award in 2007 for Volver.
• She was nominated for Best Actress in 1994 for Shadows in a Conflict and in 2000 for Lisbon.

Locarno Festival

• In 2007, she received the Locarno Excellence Award.

San Sebastián International Film Festival

• In 2000, she won the Best Actress award for Common Wealth.

Silver Condor Awards

• In 2004, she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award for Valentín.

Fotogramas de Plata

This is another important Spanish award.

• Won: Best Movie Actress for La comunidad (2000).
• Won: Best TV Actress for A las once en casa (1998).
• Won: Best Movie Actress for ¡Ay Carmela! (1990).
• Won: Best Movie Actress for Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988).
• Won: Best Movie Actress for ¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto? (1984).
• Won: Best Performance in a Television series for Esta noche (1981).
• She was also nominated many other times for her work in movies and TV.

Honours

• In 1996, France made her a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
• In 2015, Spain gave her a very high honor. She became a Dame Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise.

Images for kids

• 

  Maura in 2019

See also

In Spanish: Carmen Maura para niños