Gael García Bernal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gael García Bernal
Bernal at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1978-11-30) 30 November 1978 (age 46) Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Education	National Autonomous University of Mexico Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (BA) European Graduate School
Occupation	Actor filmmaker
Years active	1989–present
Children	3
Parents	José Ángel García (father) Patricia Bernal (mother)
Relatives	Darío Yazbek Bernal (half-brother)

Gael García Bernal is a famous actor and filmmaker from Mexico, born on November 30, 1978. He is well-known for his roles in many movies, including Amores perros (2000), Y tu mamá también (2001), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004), and Coco (2017), where he voiced the character Héctor.

On television, he played a music conductor named Rodrigo De Souza in the series Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018). He also starred in the Disney+ special Werewolf by Night (2022).

Gael was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his role as a young Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries in 2005. In 2016, he won a Golden Globe Award for his work in Mozart in the Jungle. He and his friend, actor Diego Luna, started a film production company called Canana Films in Mexico City. In 2016, Time magazine included him in their list of the 100 most influential people.

Early Life and Education

Gael García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. His mother, Patricia Bernal, is an actress and former model, and his father, José Ángel García, is an actor and director. Gael started acting when he was just one year old. He spent most of his teenage years starring in Mexican TV shows called telenovelas. He and his frequent co-star Diego Luna have been friends since they were kids in Mexico City.

When Gael was fourteen, he helped indigenous people in Mexico learn to read. He often worked with the Huichol people. At fifteen, he took part in peaceful protests to support the Zapatista uprising in 1994.

He began studying philosophy at UNAM, Mexico's national university. However, during a long student strike, he decided to travel around Europe. Later, he moved to London and became the first Mexican student accepted into the Central School of Speech and Drama. Gael also studied at the European Graduate School.

His Acting Journey

After Gael's success in TV shows, Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu offered him a role in his first feature film, Amores perros (2000). This movie received great reviews and was nominated for an Academy Award.

His next big role was in Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu mamá también (2001). This film became very popular in the United States and helped Gael become known internationally. He then played Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara in the 2002 TV miniseries Fidel. He also starred as Father Amaro in the Mexican hit movie El crimen del Padre Amaro (2002).

Gael played Che Guevara again in The Motorcycle Diaries (2004). This movie was based on a journal Che Guevara wrote about his travels across South America when he was 23. The film broke box office records and earned Gael a BAFTA nomination in 2005.

He has worked with famous directors like Pedro Almodóvar and Walter Salles. He also took on roles in English-language films, such as The Science of Sleep and The King.

Directing and Other Projects

Gael García Bernal directed his first feature film, Déficit, which came out in 2007. He also starred in the 2008 film Blindness, which was based on a book about a society where everyone suddenly becomes blind. He teamed up with Diego Luna again in Rudo y Cursi, directed by Carlos Cuarón.

Gael and Diego Luna own their film company, Canana Films. They have produced documentaries about important social issues. In 2010, Gael co-directed four short films with Marc Siver for Amnesty International. These films, called "Los Invisibles," were about migrants traveling through Mexico. He directed, interviewed people, and narrated these films.

In 2014, Gael was a judge at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. He also began starring in the Amazon Studios TV series Mozart in the Jungle, playing Rodrigo de Souza. His performance was highly praised, and he won a Golden Globe Award for it in 2016.

In 2017, he voiced Héctor, a fun character in the Pixar animated movie Coco.

Gael also started The Ambulante Documentary Film Festival. This festival helps bring documentary films to places where they are not usually shown. For his work, he received the Washington Office on Latin America's Human Rights Award in 2011.

In 2021, Gael starred in the thriller Old. In November 2021, he was cast in the Disney+ special Werewolf by Night by Marvel Studios. In 2024, he starred with his friend Diego Luna in the Hulu miniseries La Máquina.

Personal Life

Gael García Bernal and Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi met while working on a movie in 2001. They had a son in 2009 and a daughter in 2011. He spends his time living between Buenos Aires and Mexico City.

Since 2019, he has been in a relationship with Mexican journalist Fernanda Aragonés. They had a child together in 2021.

Film and Television Roles

Film

Television

Awards and Recognition

Gael García Bernal at the Guadalajara Film Festival

Gael García Bernal has received many awards and nominations for his acting and directing.

• Golden Globe Award: He won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2016 for Mozart in the Jungle. He was also nominated for the same award in 2017.
• BAFTA Awards: He was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2005 for The Motorcycle Diaries.
• Cannes Film Festival: He won the Chopard Trophy in 2003, which recognizes young acting talent.
• Ariel Award: He won Best Actor in 2001 for Amores Perros.

Images for kids

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  Bernal at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival

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  Gael García Bernal at the Guadalajara Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Gael García Bernal para niños