Paco León facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paco León
León in 2018
Born	Francisco León Barrios (1974-10-04) 4 October 1974 (age 50) Seville, Spain
Occupation	Actor film director television director screenwriter
Children	1
Family	María León (sister)

Francisco León Barrios (born October 4, 1974), known as Paco León, is a famous Spanish actor, producer, director, and writer. He is also known for his work helping people with health causes.

Paco was born in Seville, Spain. He started his career acting in TV comedies in his home region of Andalusia. Later, he became a filmmaker, directing his first movie, Carmina or Blow Up, in 2012. This film earned him a nomination for a Goya Award for Best New Director. He has also starred in popular TV shows like The House of Flowers and Arde Madrid. He also directed and acted in movies such as Kiki, Love to Love.

Paco León's Career Journey

Paco León began his acting journey in 1999 with comedy TV shows like Mariquilla Ríe Perlas. These shows were on Canal Sur, a TV channel in Andalusia. He also found success acting on stage in plays, starting in 2001.

In 2003, Paco moved to Madrid to grow his career. His first big role there was on a show called Homo Zapping. On this show, he was great at pretending to be famous people, especially women.

Voice Acting and Directing Films

Paco León has also lent his voice to animated movies. He was a voice actor in films like Valiant and Madagascar.

His first movie as a director was Carmina or Blow Up in 2012. This film was a big hit and got him nominated for a Goya Award for Best New Director. What's special is that his own mother and sister starred in the movie! They were also nominated for acting awards.

Paco's third movie as a director was Kiki, Love to Love. He not only directed it but also starred in it. This film also received many award nominations. For his 2014 movie, Carmina and Amen, some people compared his directing style to another famous Spanish director, Pedro Almodóvar. They noted how both directors often feature strong women and their families in their films.

Television Shows and Future Projects

In 2018, Paco León created a TV miniseries called Arde Madrid with Anna R. Costa. This show was filmed in black and white and was about the life of Ava Gardner. Paco also acted in it, playing Gardner's chauffeur.

From 2018 to 2020, he played a character named María José Riquelme in the TV series The House of Flowers. Paco said it was an honor to work with the famous actress Verónica Castro on this show.

Paco León continues to work on new projects. His fourth movie as a director is called Rainbow, which is a new version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story. It was released in 2022. In 2024, it was announced that Paco León will direct and help write a new film called Aída y vuelta. This movie will bring back popular characters from the TV show Aída.

Paco León's Family Life

Paco León's mother is Carmina Barrios, and his sister is María León, who is also an actress. Both his mother and sister have acted in Paco's films, Carmina or Blow Up and Carmina and Amen. In these movies, they played characters based on themselves. Paco and María also played siblings in The House of Flowers.

Paco met the writer Anna Rodríguez Costa in 2006. They have a daughter together, who was born in 2010. Anna also has a son from a previous relationship, Eloi, who is Paco's stepson. Paco and Anna worked together to write the TV series Arde Madrid. They were together for 14 years before they broke up in 2020.

Paco León also cares deeply about helping people with certain health conditions. He has worked with several organizations since 2009. These groups often help the LGBT+ community in Spain and raise money for important health research.

Filmography

Acting Roles

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Short Films

• La grieta by Enrique López de Haro
• Días rojos (2004)
• Con lengua (2006) by Anna R. Costa
• Espagueti western (2007) (Voice)

Television

• Castillos en el aire (1999) on Canal Sur
• Jet Lag (2000)
• Moncloa, digame on Telecinco, FDF
• Homo Zapping on Antena 3 TV (2003–2005)
• 7 vidas on Telecinco (2004, 2005)
• Aída on Telecinco (2005-2014)
• Planeta Finito on La Sexta (2007)
• Ácaros on Cuatro (2007)
• La peste on Movistar+ (2017)
• The House of Flowers on Netflix (2018)
• Arde Madrid (Madrid on Fire), Movistar (2018)
• Blowing Kisses, on Star (2021)
• Drag Race España, on ATRESplayer Premium (2023)

As Director

Film

Short Film

Television

Music Video

Awards and Nominations

Paco León has received many awards and nominations for his work in film and television.

See also

In Spanish: Paco León para niños