Gael García Bernal
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| Gael García Bernal | |
|---|---|
 Bernal at the London Film Festival |
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| Born | November 30, 1978 Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico |
Gael García Bernal (IPA: /ga'el gaɾ'sia beɾ'nal/; born November 30, 1978) is a Mexican actor and director.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
García Bernal was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the son of Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and José Angel García, an actor and director.[1] His stepfather is Sergio Yazbek, whom his mother married when García Bernal was young.[2] He started acting at just a year old and spent most of his teen years starring in telenovelas. When he was fourteen, he taught literacy to indigenous peoples in Mexico, often with the Huichol Indians.[3] In his later teens he took part in peaceful demonstrations during the Chiapas uprising of 1994.[4]
[edit] Career
García Bernal was becoming a soap opera heartthrob, but at age 19, he left Mexico's television world to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, becoming the first person from Mexico to be accepted in the program. Subsequently, García Bernal starred in some of Mexico's most celebrated recent films, beginning with Amores Perros (2000), then 2001's Y tu mamá también, and El crimen del Padre Amaro (2002). He has also done some theatre work, including a 2005 production of Bodas de Sangre, by Federico García Lorca, in the Almeida Theatre in London. His debut as a working-class dreamer in the Oscar-nominated Amores Perros, however, was what first grabbed Hollywood's attention.
García Bernal also portrayed Argentine-born physician turned Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara twice, first in the 2002 TV miniseries Fidel and then, better known, in 2004's The Motorcycle Diaries, an adaptation of a journal a 23-year-old Guevara wrote about his travels across South America. García Bernal worked for acclaimed directors including Pedro Almodóvar, Walter Salles, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Michel Gondry, among others. He recently took on roles in English language films, including the Gondry-directed The Science of Sleep, the Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed Babel, and The King, for which he earned rave reviews.[5] He has been nominated for a BAFTA in 2005 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for The Motorcycle Diaries and, in 2006, was nominated for the Orange Rising Star award which acknowledges new talents in the acting industry.
García Bernal also directed his first feature film, Déficit, which was released in 2007.[6][7]
García Bernal is also featured on the 2007 Devendra Banhart album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, contributing vocals on the first track entitled "Cristobal"
[edit] Personal life
García Bernal's parents participated in an annual clown competition which inspired Bernal as a young child to become the actor he is today.
García Bernal is "culturally Catholic" and "spiritually agnostic".[8] He speaks fluent Spanish and English; and Portuguese, French and Italian to some degree. García Bernal studied at the Edron Academy in Mexico City. He plays football in the Adecmac soccer league in Mexico City.
He dated actress Natalie Portman from 2003 to 2004, and again in 2007.
[edit] Roles in Academy Award Nominated Films
Gael Garcia Bernal has been in five Oscar-nominated films:
- Amores Perros - (Best Foreign Language Film, Mexico)
- El Crimen de Padre Amaro - (Best Foreign Language Film, Mexico)
- Y Tu Mamá También - (Best Original Screenplay)
- The Motorcycle Diaries - (Best Song, Best Adapted Screenplay)
- Babel - (Best Picture, Best Director, Best S. Actress, Best S. Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Score)
[edit] Quotes
- "The talent survives and remains while the beauty is diluted."[9]
- "Changes occur that way. Suddenly the bricks fall into place in some sort of chaotic serenity." [10]
- "I'm an actor. I don't need to abide by any ethnicity."[11]
- "I was very involved. I helped with sending food, writing and reading about the situation, and demonstrating about it on the marches. It was great. I was young, and it was fun. And I've got to say, I met my first girlfriend – my first real girlfriend - there as well. It was a great place to meet girls!"- Gael on the Chiapas uprising[4]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Amores perros | Octavio | Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film |
| 2001 | Sin Noticias de Dios | Davenport | Goya nominations for Best Film and Best Supporting Actor |
| Vidas privadas | Gustavo 'Gana' Bertolini | ||
| Y tu mamá también | Julio Zapata | Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay | |
| 2002 | I'm with Lucy | Gabriel | |
| Fidel | Ernesto "Che" Guevara | ||
| El Crimen del Padre Amaro | Padre Amaro | Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film | |
| 2003 | Dreaming of Julia | Ricky | Released as Cuban Blood in the US |
| Dot the I | Kit Winter | Deauville winner for Audience Award | |
| 2004 | Bad Education | Ángel/Juan/Zahara | Goya nomination for Best Film |
| The Motorcycle Diaries | Ernesto "Che" Guevara de la Serna | Oscar winner for Best Song, nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay | |
| 2005 | The King | Elvis | |
| 2006 | Babel | Santiago | Oscar winner for Best Score, 7 total nominations including Best Picture |
| The Science of Sleep | Stéphane | ||
| 2007 | Déficit | Director | Also producing the movie |
| El Pasado | Rímini | ||
| 2008 | Blindness | King of Ward 3 | awaiting release |
| Rudo y Cursi | Toto | post-production | |
| Mammoth | Tom | post-production | |
| 2009 | The Limits of Control | TBA | filming |
[edit] References
- ^ Gael Garcia Bernal: he plays everybody's favorite revolutionary onscreen, but he's not just playacting | Interview | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ Binoche, Juliette (November 2004). Gael Garcia Bernal: he plays everybody's favorite revolutionary onscreen, but he's not just playacting. Interview. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Gael Garcia Bernal. Then It Must Be True (July 2004). Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ a b Calhoun, Dave (2006-04-25). Gael García Bernal interview. Time Out London. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Louie, Rebecca (2006-05-26). Gael Garcia Bernal breaks barriers and tackles tough issues. New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2006-06-14.
- ^ Miranda, Carolina A. (2007-03-02). Q&A with Gael Garcia Bernal.
- ^ (2007-05-09) Gael García Bernal on Directing. URL accessed on 2007-08-14.
- ^ INTERVIEW: Padre, Padre: Mexico's Native Son Gael Garcia Bernal Stars in the Controversial "The Crime of Father Amaro"
- ^ G-Guys - Gael Garcia Bernal. Glamour (UK). Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Sharp, Richard (2003). New Latin Revolution (Interviews - Gael Garcia Bernal). Chicago Film. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Hornik, Susan (October-November 2004). Gael: taking the reins of his career. Latino Leaders: The National Magazine of the Successful American Latino. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
[edit] External links
- Gael García Bernal Fan (fansite)
- Gael García Bernal at the Internet Movie Database
