Javier Bardem has been nominated in the BAFTAs for Best Actor for his role in Biutiful, out on the 28th. He's come a long way from his beginnings in his native Spain, but he was born into a family of actors and filmmakers who have been around since the early days of Spanish cinema and made his film debut at the age of six. It wasn't until 2000 that Bardem broke into the Hollywood scene, after nine years of Spanish acting work. He had been approached before but didn't feel ready, and didn't have enough of a grasp of the English language. In his first Hollywood movie, he played Reinaldo Arenas, a Cuban poet, novelist and playwright who rebelled against the Cuban government. Bardem didn't go easy on this first English-speaking role, he spent eight hours a day with his English teacher and lost 30 pounds for it. It paid off and Javier Bardem was nominated for an Oscar and was the first Spaniard to ever receive a nomination. After this, Bardem turned down roles in Minority Report and Basic Instinct 2 before taking a minor role in Collateral. It wasn't until No Country For Old Men that Javier Bardem really cemented his place in Hollywood. Joel and Ethan Coen's western managed to bag the Best Director and Best Picture Oscars, with Bardem also taking the Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Anton Chigurh, a seemingly emotionless hitman hired to recover stolen money. Since then, Bardem has appeared most notably in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona opposite Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz. In his personal life, he is currently married to Penelope Cruz after they got married in July 2010. They tend to keep a low profile though. You can look out for him in Glee in 2011 as he appears as a rock star. He no more films in 2011 due but in 2012 you can see him in Terrence Malick's untitled sixth feature film and he'll also be appearing alongside an unbelievable cast including Brad Pitt, Sam Rockwell and Mark Ruffalo in Cogan's Trade about an enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game. He may not feature heavily in the biggest films, but his quality never goes unnoticed. FemaleFirst - James Butlin
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