Catalina Sandino Moreno facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Catalina Sandino Moreno
Sandino Moreno in 2022
Born	(1981-04-19) 19 April 1981 (age 44) Bogotá, Colombia
Alma mater	Pontifical Xavierian University Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	David Elwell ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	1

Catalina Sandino Moreno (born on April 19, 1981) is a talented actress from Colombia. She is best known for her amazing performance in the movie Maria Full of Grace (2004). For this role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, which is a very big honor in movies. She also won the Silver Bear award for Best Actress at a major film festival, sharing it with Charlize Theron.

Catalina has acted in many other movies and TV shows. Some of her well-known works include Fast Food Nation (2006), Love in the Time of Cholera (2007), Che (2008), and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). More recently, she has appeared in TV series like From (2022) and movies like Silent Night (2023).

Early Life and Education

Catalina Sandino Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on April 19, 1981. She grew up in a regular family; her father was a veterinarian, and her mother was a pathologist.

She went to Saint George's School in Bogotá, where classes were taught in English. Before she decided to become an actress, Catalina studied advertising.

Acting Career

Starting Out: 2004–2010

In 2004, Catalina Sandino Moreno got her first big role in the movie Maria Full of Grace. She was chosen from about 800 other girls who auditioned for the main part of María Alvarez. In the film, María is a young Colombian girl who works on a flower farm and later becomes involved in carrying illegal items for money.

Catalina's performance in this movie was highly praised. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress at the 77th Academy Awards. She also won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival. She shared this award with Charlize Theron, who won for her role in the movie Monster.

After her Oscar nomination, Catalina took some time to choose her next roles carefully. She wanted to pick parts that felt real and important. She believed it was her job as an actress to show people what was happening in the world.

In 2005, Catalina moved to New York City to study acting more. She was also invited to join the AMPAS, the group that gives out the Oscars. In 2006, she acted in the independent film Fast Food Nation and a movie called Paris, je t'aime. In Paris, je t'aime, she played Ana, a young immigrant mother.

In 2007, she starred as Hildebranda Sánchez in Love in the Time of Cholera. This movie was based on a famous book by Gabriel García Márquez. In 2008, she appeared in Steven Soderbergh's movie Che, playing Aleida March de Guevara, the second wife of Che Guevara. She also attended the movie's premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, she played a female vampire named Maria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, which was based on the popular books by Stephenie Meyer.

Sandino Moreno at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in 2008

Recent Work: 2010–Present

After a short break, Catalina continued her acting career. In 2013, she was set to play the main role in a movie called Castro's Daughter, based on a true story, but the film was not made. She did star in the movie Roa (2013) and appeared with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain in A Most Violent Year (2014). In 2014, she joined the TV series Falling Skies for its final season, playing a character named Isabella.

In 2016, Catalina Sandino Moreno was a recurring character, Christina Morales, in the TV series American Gothic. That same year, she returned to movies in Custody (2016), where she acted alongside Viola Davis. This film was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In December 2022, it was announced that Catalina would join the John Wick spin-off movie Ballerina as Lena Macarro. In 2023, she played Saya Godluck in the action thriller Silent Night, directed by John Woo.

Personal Life

In 2005, People magazine named Catalina Sandino Moreno one of its "50 Most Beautiful Women."

Catalina met David Elwell, who works as a motion picture electrician, while they were both working on the movie Maria Full of Grace. The couple got married on April 15, 2006, in a small ceremony in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. They have one child.

Film and Television Roles

Here are some of the movies and TV shows Catalina Sandino Moreno has been in:

Music Performance

• "Que Linda Manita" – 2006 (from the Paris, je t'aime Soundtrack)

See also

In Spanish: Catalina Sandino para niños

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations