Javier Encinas Bardem is an Academy Award–winning Spanish actor, internationally recognized for his intense screen presence and transformative performances. Although he appeared in numerous films during his early career in Spain, he gained worldwide recognition with his role opposite Johnny Depp in Before Night Falls. With this performance, Bardem became the first Spanish actor to be nominated for an Academy Award. In 2008, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable portrayal of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men.

Javier Encinas Bardem was born on 1 March 1969 in Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, into a family deeply rooted in Spanish cinema. His mother, Pilar Bardem, was a well-known actress, while his grandparents Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muñoz Sampedro were also prominent film actors. His uncle, Juan Antonio Bardem, was a respected screenwriter and director. Bardem appeared in his first film at the age of six in El Pícaro. Before committing fully to acting, he was also a member of the Spanish National Rugby Team.

During his years in Spain, Bardem’s career gained momentum with films directed by Bigas Luna, including The Ages of Lulu, Jamón Jamón, in which he starred alongside Penelope Cruz, and Huevos de Oro, featuring Benicio Del Toro. These performances established him as a rising star. He later transitioned into more dramatic roles, earning critical acclaim for portraying a drug addict in Días Contados and a police detective in El Detective y la Muerte in 1994.

In 1995, Bardem deliberately stepped away from his charismatic leading-man image in Spain to portray a struggling young actor seeking fame in the comedy film Boca a Boca. This role demonstrated his versatility and willingness to challenge audience expectations.

After appearing in many Spanish productions, Javier Encinas Bardem took his first major step toward international stardom by portraying Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls, directed by Julian Schnabel. This role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and marked the first English-language performance of his career. In 2002, he starred in The Dancer Upstairs, directed by John Malkovich and adapted from the novel by Nicholas Shakespeare.

In 2004, Bardem won the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival for his powerful performance in The Sea Inside. His international reputation continued to grow in 2007 when he starred in the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men and in the adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s novel Love in the Time of Cholera. For his role as Anton Chigurh, Bardem received not only the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor but also honors from the Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild, Critics’ Choice Awards, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Javier Encinas Bardem married actress Penelope Cruz in July 2010. The couple has two children: a son, Leonardo Encinas Cruz (born 2011), and a daughter, Luna Encinas Cruz (born 2013).

Awards:
2010 – 63rd Cannes Film Festival – Best Actor (Biutiful)
2008 – 80th Academy Awards – Best Supporting Actor (No Country for Old Men)
2007 – New York Film Critics Circle Awards – Best Supporting Actor (No Country for Old Men)
2008 – 65th Golden Globe Awards – Best Supporting Actor (No Country for Old Men)

Films and Television:
Producer:
2017 – Escobar
2012 – Sons of the Clouds

Actor:
2017 – Mother!
2017 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Captain Salazar)
2017 – Escobar (Pablo Escobar)
2016 – The Last Face (Miguel León)
2014 – The Gunman
2013 – The Counselor (Reiner)
2012 – Skyfall (Silva)
2010 – Biutiful (Uxbal)
2008 – Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Juan Antonio)
2007 – No Country for Old Men (Anton Chigurh)
2007 – Love in the Time of Cholera (Florentino Ariza)
2006 – Goya’s Ghosts (Father Lorenzo)
2004 – The Sea Inside (Ramón Sampedro)
2004 – Collateral (Felix)
2002 – The Dancer Upstairs (Agustín Rejas)
2002 – Mondays in the Sun (Santa)
2000 – Before Night Falls (Reinaldo Arenas)
1997 – Perdita Durango (Romeo Dolorosa)
1995 – Mouth to Mouth (Víctor Ventura)
1992 – Jamón Jamón (El Chorizo)
1990 – The Ages of Lulu (Jimmy)

Source: Biyografiler.com