Javier Bardem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Javier Bardem
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Bardem at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018
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Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem
1 March 1969 Las Palmas, Spain
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1974–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
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| Awards | Full list |
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem (born March 1, 1969) is a famous actor from Spain. He has worked in movies for over thirty years. During this time, he has won many important awards. These include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards and seven Goya Awards. He received a Cannes Film Festival Award and two Volpi Cups as well. He was even nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Javier Bardem is the son of actress Pilar Bardem. He first became well-known for his roles in Spanish films. Some of these movies include Jamón jamón (1992), Boca a boca (1995), and Mar adentro (2004). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for playing Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls (2000). He also received nominations for his roles in Biutiful (2010) and Being the Ricardos (2021). His role as the scary villain Anton Chigurh in the film No Country for Old Men (2007) won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Bardem has also starred in many different kinds of films. These include romantic dramas like Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). He also appeared in big action movies like the James Bond film Skyfall (2012). Other major films include Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) and the science fiction movies Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024). He played King Triton in Disney's live-action movie The Little Mermaid (2023). On television, he played José Menendez in the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (2024). This role earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
Bardem married actress Penélope Cruz in 2010. They have two children together. In January 2018, Bardem became an ambassador for Greenpeace. He helps protect Antarctica.
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Early Life and Family
Javier Bardem was born on March 1, 1969, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. His mother, Pilar Bardem, was a famous actress. His father, José Carlos Encinas Doussinague, came from a family of cattle ranchers. His parents separated when Javier was very young. His mother raised him and his older siblings, Carlos and Mónica, by herself. Both of his siblings also became actors.
Javier comes from a long line of filmmakers and actors. His grandparents, Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, were actors. His uncle, Juan Antonio Bardem, was a director and screenwriter. Javier grew up spending time in theaters and on movie sets.
As a child, Javier played rugby for the junior Spanish National Team. Even though his family was full of actors, he first wanted to be a painter. He studied painting for four years in Madrid. He took acting jobs to earn money while painting. Eventually, he decided he was not a good painter and focused on acting instead.
Acting Career
Early Roles in the 1990s
Bardem first gained attention in a small role in the movie The Ages of Lulu when he was 21. He appeared in this film with his mother. The director of Lulu, Bigas Luna, was impressed by him. He gave Javier the main male role in his next film, Jamón Jamón (1992). In this movie, Bardem played a character who wanted to be an underwear model and a bullfighter. This film, which also starred his future wife Penélope Cruz, became very popular around the world.
In 1997, Javier got his first role in an English-speaking movie. This was in Perdita Durango, where he played a bank robber.
Becoming a Star (2000-2011)
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After acting in many films in Spain, Javier became known worldwide. This happened after he starred in Before Night Falls in 2000. In this movie, he played the Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas. For this role, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He was the first Spanish actor to receive this nomination.
In 2004, Bardem won the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival. This was for his role in Mar Adentro (released as The Sea Inside in the U.S.). In this film, he played Ramón Sampedro, a man who was paralyzed and fought for the right to end his own life. He also made his Hollywood debut in the film Collateral.
In 2007, Bardem starred in the Coen brothers' film No Country for Old Men. He played a very scary villain named Anton Chigurh. For this role, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was the first Spanish actor to win this award. He also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for this role. His character, Anton Chigurh, was named one of the most memorable villains in movie history.
Javier Bardem also starred with Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). He received another Golden Globe Award nomination for this film.
Continued Success (2012-Present)
In 2010, he won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in Biutiful. The director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, wrote the film especially for Bardem. He received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for this performance. He also won his fifth Goya Award for Best Actor for Biutiful.
In 2012, Bardem played the villain Raoul Silva in the James Bond film Skyfall. This was a very popular role.
Javier Bardem received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 8, 2012. This is a great honor for actors. He also used his fame to help others. His movie Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony (2012) showed the struggles of the Sahrawi people living in refugee camps. He spoke out about the need to help them.
In 2017, Bardem played the main bad guy, Armando Salazar, in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. In 2018, he appeared again with his wife Penélope Cruz in the film Everybody Knows.
In 2021, Bardem played Stilgar in the science fiction movie Dune. He also starred as Julio Blanco in The Good Boss, a film where he played a factory boss. This role earned him another Goya Award for Best Actor. Also in 2021, he played Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos, alongside Nicole Kidman. For this role, he received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his fourth overall Academy Award nomination.
In 2022, Bardem appeared in the film Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. In 2023, he played King Triton in Disney's live-action movie The Little Mermaid. In 2024, Bardem returned as Stilgar in Dune: Part Two. He also worked with Brad Pitt in the film F1. In September 2024, he received the Donostia Award for his career at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival. That same month, he starred as Jose Menendez in Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
Personal Life
Marriage and Family
In 2007, Bardem started dating Penélope Cruz, who was his co-star in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. They kept their relationship private. The couple got married in July 2010 in The Bahamas. They have two children: a son named Leo, born in 2011, and a daughter named Luna, born in 2013.
Bardem has said that acting with his wife is easy. He feels they play their roles and then return to their real lives, which he finds more interesting.
Interests and Beliefs
Javier Bardem's first language is Spanish, and he also speaks English very well. He enjoys heavy metal music. He even says that the band AC/DC helped him learn English. He is also a fan of Pearl Jam. Bardem does not drive cars unless it is for a movie role. He calls himself a "worker" or "entertainer" rather than just an actor.
Bardem was raised as a Catholic, but he is now agnostic. He has shown his support for gay marriage in Spain. He believes that science and belief should work together. He has also said that he dislikes violence because of a past experience.
In 2025, Bardem shared that he is a fan of the Spanish football club Atlético Madrid.
Activism and Causes
Javier Bardem cares deeply about the Sahrawi people. He has spoken out to help them and produced a documentary film called Sons of the Clouds about their lives in refugee camps. In May 2011, he worked with John Prendergast to raise awareness about problems in the Congo.
In November 2019, Bardem gave a speech at a climate march in Madrid. He later apologized for some strong words he used during his speech.
During the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Bardem and Cruz signed a letter about the situation. In September 2024, Bardem spoke about the military actions in the Gaza Strip. He criticized the "unconditional support" for Israel from some countries. In May 2025, Bardem signed another letter criticizing the film industry's quiet response to the conflict. In June 2025, he spoke on a TV show about the situation in Gaza.
Awards and Recognitions
Javier Bardem has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for these roles:
- 73rd Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Actor for Before Night Falls (2000)
- 80th Academy Awards: Won Best Supporting Actor for No Country for Old Men (2008)
- 83rd Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Actor for Biutiful (2010)
- 94th Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Actor for Being the Ricardos (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Javier Bardem para niños
- List of Spanish Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of European Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with more than one Academy Award nomination in the acting categories
- List of Golden Globe winners
- List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars
