Elena Anaya
Anaya in 2018
Born
Elena Anaya Gutiérrez

(1975-07-17) 17 July 1975 (age 48)
Palencia, Spain
OccupationActress
Years active1995–present
PartnerTina Afugu Cordero
Children1

Elena Anaya Gutiérrez (born 17 July 1975) is a Spanish actress.

She garnered public recognition in Spain for her performance in Sex and Lucia (2001),[1] which also earned her a nomination to the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress. She starred in The Skin I Live In (2011), for which she won the Goya Award for Best Actress.[2][3] She is also known for her roles as one of Dracula's brides in Van Helsing (2004), the Spanish tourist in Room in Rome (2010) and Doctor Poison in Wonder Woman (2017).

Early life

Anaya was born in Palencia, Spain.[2] She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Elena (Nena), is a housewife who later owned a boarding house in Palencia. Her father, Juan José Anaya Gómez (1934–2011), was an industrial engineer.[4]

Career

Anaya moved to Cádiz to train as an actress, after which she landed roles in África and Familia.[5]

She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Sex and Lucía.[6] She also had a small part the year after in Almodóvar's Talk to Her.[7]

Her best-known Hollywood film role was as Aleera, one of Dracula's brides in 2004's Van Helsing. That same year, Anaya was named as one of European films' Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion.

In 2006, Anaya appeared in Justin Timberlake's music video for his single, "SexyBack".[8]

Anaya at the 2010 Malaga Film Festival

After some "quiet" years playing supporting roles in international films such as Savage Grace (2007) and Cairo Time (2009), Anaya roared back into prominence with a starring role in 2010's Room in Rome, and then a return to Almodóvar in 2011's The Skin I Live In.

In 2017, Anaya appeared as Doctor Poison in the superhero blockbuster film, Wonder Woman.[9]

Personal life

Anaya and director Beatriz Sanchís [es] were reportedly in a relationship from 2008 to 2013.[10][11][12][13]

In November 2016, it was announced that Anaya was expecting her first child with her partner, Tina Afugu Cordero, a costume designer.[14][15][16] In February 2017, Anaya gave birth to their son.[17]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1996 África África [18]
1997 Familia Luna [19]
1998 Grandes ocasiones Susy [20]
Lágrimas negras (Black Tears) Alicia [21]
Finisterre, donde termina el mundo Laura [22]
1999 Las huellas borradas (Fading Memories) Rosa [23]
2000 El árbol del penitente Sonsoles
El invierno de las anjanas (The Winter of the Fairies) Adelaida [24]
2001 Lucía y el sexo (Sex and Lucia) Belén [25]
Sin noticias de Dios (Don't Tempt Me) Pili
2002 La habitación azul (The Blue Room) Ana [26]
Hable con ella (Talk to Her) Ángela [27]
Rencor (Rencor) Esther [28]
2003 Dos tipos duros (Two Tough Guys) Tatiana
2004 Van Helsing Aleera [29]
Ana y Manuel Ana
2005 Fragile Helen Perez
Dead Fish Mimi
2006 Alatriste Angélica de Alquézar [30]
Stage Kiss Natalia
2007 Savage Grace Blanca
Miguel & William Leonor
In the Land of Women Sofia Buñuel
2008 Sólo quiero caminar Ana [31]
Mesrine: L'Instinct De Mort Sofia
2009 Hierro María [32]
Cairo Time Kathryn
2010 Habitación en Roma (Room in Rome) Alba [33]
Point Blank Nadia Pierret
2011 La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In) Vera Cruz [34]
2012 Hijos de las nubes, la última colonia (Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony) Narrator
2013 Pensé que iba a haber fiesta Ana
2014 Todos están muertos (They Are All Dead) Lupe [35]
2015 Lejos del mar Marina
La memoria del agua (The Memory of Water) Amanda [36]
Swung Alice
2016 The Infiltrator Gloria Alcaino [37]
Zipi y Zape y la isla del capitán (Zip & Zap and the Captain's Island) Miss Pam
2017 La cordillera (The Summit) Claudia Klein [38]
Wonder Woman Isabel Maru / Doctor Poison [39]
2020 Rifkin's Festival Jo Rojas [40]
2022 Jaula (The Chalk Line) Paula [41]
2023 Fatum Comisaria Costa [42]

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Group Film Result
2001 Goya Awards Best Supporting Actress Lucía y el sexo Nominated
Spanish Actors Union Film: Supporting Performance Won
2005 Barcelona Film Awards Best Actress Fragile Nominated
2009 Sitges Film Festival Best Actress Hierro Won
2010 Goya Awards Best Actress Room in Rome Nominated
2011 The Skin I Live In Won
2014 Todos están muertos Nominated
2015 Premios Platino Best Actress La memoria del agua Nominated

References

  1. ^ Pazos, Pablo (28 January 2015). "Elena Anaya, engañosa fragilidad". La Verdad. Grupo Vocento.
  2. ^ a b Lewis, Tim (14 August 2011). "Elena Anaya: Almodóvar's new leading lady". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Lista de ganadores de los premios Goya 2012". ABC.es. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Despiden en la intimidad al padre de Elena Anaya, fallecido ayer en Palencia" [Father of Elena Anaya died yesterday in Palencia]. ABC.es. Spain. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  5. ^ Sánchez, Mayka (5 May 2004). "Elena Anaya: de África a Hollywood". Metrópoli – via El Mundo.
  6. ^ Chang, Kee (14 October 2011). "New York Film Festival Exclusive: Elena Anaya". Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  7. ^ Koenig, Gillian (14 October 2011). "Elena Anaya on Almodóvar's 'The Skin I Live In'". Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Justin Timberlake Featuring Timbaland - Making Of SexyBack". 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  9. ^ Emily Casalena (20 September 2016). "Wonder Woman: Elena Anaya Confirms She's Playing a Villain". Screen Rant. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  10. ^ Parrado, A. (31 August 2011). "Elena Anaya y Beatriz Sanchís, una relación consolidada a lo largo de los años". Retrieved 1 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Elena Anaya y Beatriz Sanchís, fin a cinco años de amor" [Elena Anaya and Beatriz Sanchis end five years of love]. 1 September 2013. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  12. ^ "El desnudo de Elena Anaya". August 25, 2011. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  13. ^ "Elena Anaya confirma los rumores sobre su homosexualidad besando a su novia en la playa" [Elena Anaya confirms the rumors about her homosexuality, kissing her girlfriend on the beach]. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  14. ^ "En ¡HOLA!, la actriz Elena Anaya sorprende presumiendo de embarazo". 9 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Elena Anaya, embarazada de su primer hijo a los 41 años". 9 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Jon Kortajarena desvela el secreto de Elena Anaya: el sexo de su bebé". 16 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Elena Anaya y su novia, Tina Afugu Cordero, ya son mamás". 9 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  18. ^ Benavent, Francisco María (2000). Cine español de los 90. Diccionario de películas, directores y temático. Bilbao: Ediciones Mensajero. p. 49. ISBN 84-271-2326-4.
  19. ^ Benavent 2000, p. 256.
  20. ^ Benavent 2000, p. 278.
  21. ^ Benavent 2000, p. 326.
  22. ^ Benavent 2000, p. 201.
  23. ^ Benavent 2000, p. 301.
  24. ^ Santaolalla, Isabel (2005). Los "otros": etnicidad y "raza" en el cine español contemporáneo. Prensa Universitarias de Zaragoza. p. 237. ISBN 9788477337539.
  25. ^ Stone, Rob (2007). Spanish and Latin American Filmmakers: Julio Medem. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-7190-7200-0.
  26. ^ García Tsao, Leonardo (4 May 2002). "Pueblo chico, tedio grande". La Jornada.
  27. ^ Cueva, Laura de la (2014). "Hable con ella (P. Almodóvar, 2002)". Enfermeras en el cine. La profesión en imágenes. Barcelona: Publicacions i Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona. p. 179. ISBN 978-84-475-3869-0.
  28. ^ Méndez-Leite, Fernando (29 May 2008). "Rencor". Fotogramas.
  29. ^ Scott, A. O. (7 May 2004). "Film Review; Full Moon, Romance And a Demon Rustler". The New York Times.
  30. ^ López López, Yolanda (2017). El Siglo de Oro en el cine y la ficción televisiva: dirección artística, referentes culturales y reconstrucción histórica. Madrid: Asociación Cultural y Científica Iberoamericana. p. 399. ISBN 978-84-16549-70-2.
  31. ^ Costa, Jordi (9 October 2008). "Solo quiero caminar". Fotogramas.
  32. ^ "Gabe Ibáñez debuta con "Hierro", un thriller psicológico con madre coraje". Heraldo de Aragón. 2 October 2019.
  33. ^ González, Clarissa (2011). "Visibilidad y diversidad lésbica en el cine español. Cuatro películas de la última década". Icono14. 9 (3): 232. doi:10.7195/ri14.v9i3.110. ISSN 1697-8293.
  34. ^ "Elena Anaya, mejor actriz por 'La piel que habito'". Heraldo de Aragón. 20 February 2012.
  35. ^ Holland, Jonathan (15 June 2014). "'They Are All Dead' ('Todos estan muertos'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022.
  36. ^ "'La memoria del agua' explora el amor tras la pérdida de un hijo". Córdoba. Prensa Ibérica. 31 July 2016.
  37. ^ "Fotos exclusivas de la película "The Infiltrator" con Bryan Cranston, John Leguizamo y más". Telemundo. 8 June 2016.
  38. ^ Valdez, María (2022). "Helada, congelada, golpeada: mujer y política en La cordillera (2017), de Santiago Mitre" (PDF). Centro de Estudios en Diseño y Comunicación. Buenos Aires: Universidad de Palermo: 197. ISSN 1668-0227.
  39. ^ McMillan, Graeme (2 June 2017). "'Wonder Woman': What You Need to Know About Its Mystery Villain". The Hollywood Reporter.
  40. ^ Lemus, Yean (4 January 2022). ""Cuando yo leía el personaje de Mort, veía un vivo reflejo de Woody Allen": Elena Anaya habla sobre "Rifkin's Festival: un romance equivocado"". Infobae.
  41. ^ "Tráiler de 'Jaula', el filme protagonizado por Elena Anaya y producido por Álex de la Iglesia". Cinemanía. 4 August 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
  42. ^ "Así es 'Fatum': atraco a una casa de apuestas con Luis Tosar, Álex García, Arón Piper y Elena Anaya". rtve.es. 1 February 2023.

External links

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