Paz Vega

2.1. Childhood and Family

Paz Vega was born María de la Paz Campos Trigo in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, on January 2, 1976. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father was a former bullfighter. Vega also has a younger sister who is a flamenco dancer. She has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic. She adopted her professional surname, 'Vega', from her grandmother, honoring her family heritage.

2.2. Education and Early Influences

Vega's path to acting began at the age of 15 when she was deeply moved by a performance of Federico García Lorca's play, Bernarda Alba's House (La casa de Bernarda Alba^Spanish). This experience solidified her ambition to become an actress. After completing her compulsory education at 16, she enrolled in the prestigious Andalusian Theater Center (Centro Andaluz de Teatro^Spanish) stage school, where she trained for two years. Following her theater studies, she spent another two years studying journalism. After completing her education in Seville, she relocated to Madrid to further her career prospects in the entertainment industry.

3.1. Television Career

Vega began her acting career on Spanish television. Her debut was in the series My Father Is So Nice (Menudo es mi padre^Spanish), where she appeared as Olga alongside rumba singer El Fary. In 1997, she also featured in two other series, More Than Friends (Más que amigos^Spanish) as Olga and Companions (Compañeros^Spanish) as Luz. In 1999, she appeared in the television film Shelly Fisher as Seidy Bender.

Her significant breakthrough came in 1999 with the television series 7 Lives (7 vidas^Spanish), which was often compared to the American sitcom Friends. This show became one of Spain's most beloved domestic sitcoms. Vega played the character of Laura Arteagabeitia, a cheerful Andalusian woman who moves in with David, a character recently out of a coma. She starred in 60 episodes of the series, which was broadcast on Telecinco and concluded in 2006, though Vega had departed from the show before its finale.

In later years, Vega continued to appear in various television productions. In 2008, she played Rocío Janer in four episodes of Lex. In 2012, she played Mary Magdalene in the television film Mary of Nazareth and appeared as Namuna in the miniseries One Thousand and One Nights: Aladdin and Sherazade, which consisted of three parts. In 2015, she was Narcy in the television film Beautiful & Twisted and Isabella Delgado in four episodes of Big Time in Hollywood, FL. She took on a main role as Luisa Salinas in The Brotherhood (La Hermandad^Spanish) from 2016 to 2017, appearing in 25 episodes across two seasons. From 2016 to 2019, she also held a main role as Renata in seven episodes across two seasons of The OA, a Netflix series. In 2017, she was part of the cast of Forgive me, sir (Perdóname, señor^Spanish), appearing in eight episodes as Lucía Medina. In 2018, she participated as herself in the third season of the reality cooking show MasterChef Celebrity, finishing as a runner-up after 11 episodes. She also had roles in Fugitive (Fugitiva^Spanish) as Magda and The Continental as Belice in five episodes that year, and appeared as herself in the episode "Starting Point" of Paquita Salas. In 2019, Vega portrayed the lead character Catalina Creel de Larios in the miniseries Cradle Of Wolves (Cuna de lobos^Spanish), a remake of the 1986 telenovela. She appeared as Carmelita's mother in the episode "LAUREL, (Symb. glory)" of The House of Flowers in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, she was a contestant as Catrina, winning the first season after eight episodes, and later an investigator as herself in nine episodes of the second season on Mask Singer: Guess Who Sings (Mask Singer: Adivina quién canta^Spanish). Her most recent television role was as Ava Mercer in the 2023 Netflix series Kaleidoscope.

3.2. Film Career

Vega's film career began in 1999 with her debut as Elvira in Zapping. The same year, she also had a minor role in David Menkes' I Will Survive (Sobreviviré^Spanish), co-starring with Emma Suárez and Juan Diego Botto, and appeared as Ariadna in Nobody Knows Anybody. In 1998, she starred as María in the short film Perdón, perdón, and in 2000, as the boy in El chico en la puerta, another short film.

Her international breakthrough came with Julio Médem's 2001 film Sex and Lucia (Lucía y el sexo^Spanish), which garnered her significant attention and critical acclaim. In 2002, she appeared as Amparo in Pedro Almodóvar's Academy Award-winning film Talk to Her (Hable con ella^Spanish), which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. She also starred as Ángela in Mine Alone (Sólo mía^Spanish) in 2001 and as Sonia in The Other Side of the Bed (El otro lado de la cama^Spanish) in 2002, followed by her role as Isabelle in Novo. In 2003, she took on the titular role in the film Carmen. In 2004, she also starred as Estrella Cuevas in Di que sí.

Vega gained prominent exposure to American audiences with her role as Flor opposite Adam Sandler in James L. Brooks' 2004 American film Spanglish. In 2006, she co-starred as Scarlet with Morgan Freeman in the independent film 10 Items or Less, directed by Brad Silberling. That same year, she also appeared as Caterina Sforza in The Borgia (Los Borgia^Spanish) and as Lea Padovani in Fade to Black. In 2007, she starred as Nunik in The Lark Farm (La masseria delle allodole^Italian) and as Santa Teresa in Theresa: The Body of Christ (Teresa, el cuerpo de Cristo^Spanish).

In 2008, Vega co-starred as Michael in The Human Contract and as Plaster of Paris with Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit. Her film roles continued in 2009 with Amaya in Not Forgotten, Verónica in The Six Wives of Henry Lefay, and Elena Morales in Triage. In 2010, she appeared as Blanca Juárez in Burning Palms, Antonella D'Agostino in Angel of Evil (Vallanzasca - Gli angeli del male^Italian), and in Castro's Daughter. Subsequent roles include Catalina Rona in Cat Run (2011), a voice role as Esmeralda, Esperanza and Ernestina in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), and Alba in I'm So Excited! (Los amantes pasajeros^Spanish) in 2013, as well as Marta in Demon Inside. In 2011, she also appeared in The Flower of Evil. In 2012, she was in Emperor.

In 2014, Vega portrayed Maria Callas in Grace of Monaco, Luiza in Paulo Coelho's Best Story, Coral Baca in Kill the Messenger, and Consuelo in The Ignorance of Blood (La ignorancia de la sangre^Spanish). She also appeared in The Jesuit. In 2015, she was Giulia Carni in All Roads Lead to Rome. Her later film credits include Loles in Tales of an Immoral Couple (La vida inmoral de la pareja ideal^Spanish) in 2016, Alma in Acts of Vengeance in 2017, and Daria in The Bra (Vom Lokführer, der die Liebe suchte...^German) in 2018. In 2019, she starred as Pili in Oh, my mother! (¡Ay, mi madre!^Spanish) and co-starred with Sylvester Stallone as Carmen Delgado, an independent Mexican reporter, in Rambo: Last Blood. Recent films include Adrianna in Chasing Wonders (2020), Sarah in American Night (2021), Berta in The House of Snails (La casa del caracol^Spanish) (2021), Claudia in Wetland (El lodo^Spanish) (2021), Ana in 13 Minutes (2021), Nadia in There Are No Saints (2022), Clara in Full Train 2 (A todo tren 2^Spanish) (2022), and Adela in I Can't Live Without You (2024). In 2020, she also starred in A Fall from Grace.

3.3. Modeling and Other Media Appearances

In addition to her acting career, Vega has also worked as a professional model. She is signed with 1/One Management in New York City. In May 2011, she succeeded Penélope Cruz as the face of L'Oréal Spain, a significant role in the beauty industry. Her appearances in reality television, such as MasterChef Celebrity and Mask Singer: Guess Who Sings, have further broadened her public profile. In 2009, she also provided a voice role in the video game Wanted: Weapons of Fate.

3.4. Directorial Debut

In 2023, Paz Vega announced her transition into filmmaking as a director. Her debut feature film, titled Rita, began filming in Cannes. Set in 1980s Seville, Vega described the film as a "costumbrista^Spanish" (customary/traditional) and nostalgic story. The film premiered at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival and earned her a nomination for the Goya Award for Best New Director. She also served as a writer and executive producer for the film.

4.1. Marriage and Children

Paz Vega is married to Venezuelan businessman Orson Salazar. They met during a vacation on a Spanish island and married in 2002. The couple has three children. Their first child, a son, was born in May 2003. Their second child, a daughter, was born in July 2005. Their third child, another son, was born in August 2006.

5.1. Major Awards and Nominations

Vega has been recognized by prestigious Spanish and international film organizations. In 2001, she received the Ondas Awards for Best Actress for her role in Sex and Lucia. The same year, she received the Trophée Chopard for Best Breakthrough Performance at the Cannes Film Festival for Sex and Lucia. The following year, at the 16th Goya Awards, she won the Goya Award for Best New Actress for Sex and Lucia and was also nominated for Best Actress for Mine Alone. In 2002, she was honored with the Sant Jordi Awards for Best Spanish Actress for her combined work in Sex and Lucia and Mine Alone. The Fotogramas de Plata also recognized her as Best Film Actress in 2002 for Sex and Lucia.

Her international work also garnered attention. For her role in Spanglish, she won the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance in 2004 and an Imagen Award for Best Actress in 2005. She was nominated for the Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actress at the 17th European Film Awards in 2004 for Carmen. In 2020, she received a nomination for Best Actress in an International Production at the 29th Actors and Actresses Union Awards for her work in The OA. More recently, in 2021, she won Best Actress at the Berlanga Awards for Wetland and Best Actress at the 1st Carmen Awards in 2022 for The House of Snails. In 2024, she was nominated for Best Actress in an International Production at the 32nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards for Kaleidoscope. Her directorial debut, Rita, earned her nominations for Best New Director at the 4th Carmen Awards and the 39th Goya Awards in 2025.

5.2. Critical Reception

Paz Vega's performances have generally been well-received by critics, particularly her early work that led to her breakthrough. Her roles in films like Sex and Lucia and Spanglish were widely praised for their emotional depth and her ability to portray complex characters. Her transition to Hollywood and her work in both Spanish and international productions have solidified her reputation as a versatile actress. However, like many actors, some of her performances have faced mixed reviews. Notably, in 2015, she received the Premios YoGa (a Spanish equivalent to the Razzie Awards) for Worst Actress for her roles in three films that year, indicating some critical disapproval for specific projects. Despite this, her overall career trajectory and numerous awards highlight a sustained positive critical reception for a significant portion of her work.