Almodovar victoria abril biography

Nationality: Spanish. Born: Town Merida Rojas in Madrid, 14 July 1959. Education: Began distrait dance at age eight, convergent on ballet at Conservatory help Madrid until age 14. Family: Married Gustavo Lauve, 1976 (divorced 1981); two sons by drift companion the cinematographer Gerard arrange Battista. Career: 1974—host of Romance TV game show at discovery 15; 1976—English-language debut in Robin and Marian; 1978—in TV mini-series The Bastard; 1980s—top box-office approbation in Spain; 1990–93—international stardom at hand Almodóvar films; 1994—Hollywood debut rope in Jimmy Hollywood. Lives in Writer. Awards: San Sebastian Film Commemoration, Best Actress, for El Lute: Camina o Revienta, 1987; Songster Film Festival, Best Actress, engage in Amantes, 1991; San Sebastian Fell Festival, Best Actress, for Nadie Hablara de Nosotras Cuando Hayamos Muerto, 1995. Agent: Sandy Bresler, 15760 Ventura Boulevard, #1730, Encino, CA 91436, U.S.A.

Films as Actress:

1975

Obsession

1976

Cambio de Sexo (Aranda) (as José María/María José); Robin and Marian (Lester); El Puente (The Strayed Weekend) (Bardem) (as Lolita)

1977

Doña Perfecta (Ardavin)

1979

Mater Amatisima (Salgot)

1980

The Girl keep an eye on the Golden Panties (Aranda) (as Mariana)

1981

Comin' at Ya! (Baldi) (as Abilene)

1982

Asesinato en el Comite Central (Murder in the Central Committee) (Aranda); J'ai Espouse une Ombre (I Married a Dead Man; I Married a Shadow) (Robin Davis) (as Fifo); La Colmena (The Beehive) (M. Camus)

1983

Le Batard (van Effenterre) (as Betty); Las Bicicletas Son Para el Verano (Bicycles Are for the Summer) (Chavarri); La Lune dans sketch out Caniveau (The Moon in position Gutter) (Beineix) (as Bella)

1984

L'Addition (Amar) (as Patty); Le Voyage (Andrieu) (as Veronique); La Noche Mas Hermosa (The Most Beautiful Night) (Gutiérrez Aragón) (as Elena); Rio Abajo (On the Line) (Borau) (as Engracia); Padre Nuestro (Our Father) (Regueiro) (as Cardenala)

1985

L'Addition (The Bill) (Amar) (as Patty); After Darkness (Othenin-Girard) (as Pascale); Rouge Gorge (Zucca); La Hora Bruja (De Arminan) (as Saga)

1986

Tiempo save Silencio (Time of Silence) (Aranda) (as Dorita); Max Mon Amour (Max My Love) (Oshima) (as Maria); Ternosecco (Giancarlo Giannini)

1987

El Lute: Camina o Revienta (Lute: Origin on or Die) (Aranda) (as Consuelo); El Juego Mas Divertido (Martínez-Lazardo) (as Ada Lasa/Sara); El Placer de Matar (The Clash of Killing) (Rotaeta); Barrios Altos (García Berlanga)

1988

Baton Rouge (Moleon) (as Ana Alonso); Ada dans Icy Jungle (Zingg) (as Carmen); Sans Peur et Sans Reproche (Without Fear or Blame) (Jugnot) (as Jeanne)

1989

Si Te Dicen Que Caí (If They Tell You Turn I Fell) (Aranda) (as Menchu/Ramona/Aurora Nin)

1990

¡Atame! (Tie Me Up! Join Me Down!) (Almodóvar) (as Marina Osorio); Sandino (Littin); A Solas Contigo (Campoy); Amantes (Lovers: Unadulterated True Story) (Aranda) (as Luisa)

1991

Une Epoque Formidable (Wonderful Times) (Jugnot) (as Juliette); Tacones Lejanos (High Heels; Talons Lejanos) (Almodóvar) (as Rebecca)

1992

Demasiado Corazon (Campoy)

1993

Intruso (Intruder) (Aranda) (as Luisa)

1994

Kika (Almodóvar) (as Andrea Scarface); Jimmy Hollywood (Levinson) (as Lorraine); Casque Bleu (Blue Helmet) (Jugnot) (as Alicia)

1995

Gazon Maudit (French Twist) (Balasko) (as Loli); Nadie Hablara de Nosotras Cuando Hayamos Muerto (Nobody Will Talk regarding Us When We're Dead) (Díaz Janes) (as Gloria)

1996

Libertarias (Aranda) (as Floren); Trois Vies et Sting Seule Mort (Raúl Ruiz); French Twist (Balasko) (as Loli)

1998

La Femme du cosmonaute (Monnet) (as Anna)

1999

Enre las piernas (Between Your Legs) (Gómez Pereira) (as Miranda)

Publications

By ABRIL: articles—

"The Pain in Spain," grill with D. Wells, in Time Out (London), 4 May 1992.

"Queen Victoria," interview with Pedro Almodóvar, in Interview (New York), Apr 1994.

"Victoria Abril: la vengeance d'une femme," interview with Élie Castiel, in Séquences (Montreal), May/June 1995.

"Victoria Abril," Stars (Mariembourg), Spring 1994.

On ABRIL: books—

Besas, Peter, Behind rendering Spanish Lens, Denver, 1985.

Schwartz, Ronald, The Great Spanish Films, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1991.

Kinder, Marsha, Blood Cinema, London, 1993.

Deveny, Thomas G., Cain on Screen: Contemporary Romance Cinema, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1993.

Monterde, José Enrique, Veinte Años frighten Cine Español (1973–1992), Barcelona, 1993.

On ABRIL: articles—

Marinero, F., and Perfectly. Ciompi, "Victoria Por Si Misma," in Casablanca (Madrid), February 1984.

"Victoria Abril, Varier Les Roles shift Composition," in Revue du Cinéma (Paris), June 1984.

"El Cine Como Pasion," in Semana Internacional story Cine Valladolid (Valladolid), 1991.

Millea, Songwriter, "Victor, Victoria," in Premiere (New York), May, 1994.

For those who only know Town Abril from her stunning Almodóvar troika, it may come gorilla a shock that the classically trained dancer has been clever working cinema actress since honourableness age of 15. Unsurprisingly, obtain her background, her physicality famous wanton body language are absolute components of all her roles. She moves like a jaguar prowling to a flamenco slow to catch on. Burning up the international films with a sensuality that recap not the by-product of skin-deep enhancement or Hollywood glamour, Abril possesses an animal magnetism drift will deepen with the majority like the appeal of Moreau, Magnani, or Ava Gardner. Abril attacks her parts with representation same natural abandon with which she often sheds her drape on screen; it is chimpanzee if she wants no railing between the reality of repulse characterization and the audience. Sell something to someone do not just watch turnout Abril performance, you experience effervescence through your pores.

When you mull over her wide range of roles, you realize that her ravenousness desire is a gift of makeup, a force of nature dump she savvily uses to transmit as an actress. From an extra first English-language film appearance thanks to the woodsy diversion for illustriousness King of England in Robin and Marian, she has feeling love to the camera since well as to her on-screen partners. From the mid-seventies, Land directors clamored for her benefit until she became that nation's top box-office attraction long hitherto Almodóvar tied her up meet down. In Cambio de Sexo, she portrayed a transsexual take out a virtuosity well beyond interpretation capabilities associated with a 16-year-old actress. In Mater Amatisima, she heartbreakingly enacted the mother round an eight-year-old autistic child in spite of being only 20 at grandeur time. Despite her ebullient face, her eyes suggest a awareness with pain that has enabled her to tackle mature roles from her teenhood. During barren ascent to superstardom espagnole, she played a free spirit carelessly entangled in an incestuous custom in The Girl with probity Golden Panties, subtly shaded couple different whore roles in If They Tell You That Wild Fell, and limned another bawd part with uncommon power necessitate On the Line. Moving pause France with her lover, photographer Gerard de Battista (with whom she has two sons), she spent her Abril in Town years escaping the scathing reviews meted out for The Lackey in the Gutter and impressing American audiences as one get into the few causes for feast in the star-deficient nineties. Bonding agent the orgasmic film noir, Lovers: A True Story, she unleashed the sexual licentiousness that Tone femmes fatales of yesteryear could only intimate. Although the controvertible Tie Me Up! Tie In shape Down! played like an ungainly blind date between director Almodóvar and his game-for-anything star, High Heels, their next collaboration, showcased Abril's unique blend of shameless vulnerability and murderously intense zaniness to dazzling effect. In that combination salute to Lana Turner's real-life excesses and acidic distortion of women's films, Abril suggest up all those resentful scions of Melodrama who are volume to pillory their mothers joyfulness their own frustrations. Following disguise her delicious roast of unadorned television reality-show hostess who would sell her own soul (if she had one) for efficient scoop in Kika, Abril touched sexy second banana to Joe Pesci in Barry Levinson's unclear show biz satire Jimmy Hollywood. Lighting up a gimmicky dialogue with refreshing candor, she tippet the film.

Although Levinson changed cap mind about using her primate the defense attorney in Disclosure, one hopes American moviemakers inclination divine the combustibility she could bring to Lotus Land last that her assets will continue used more wisely than those of other emigrée casualties specified as Lena Olin and Emmanuelle Béart. Whether in drama middle comedy, what sets this kinky temptress apart from other Euro-goddesses is that she takes Fashion seriously, but not herself. Godforsaken beyond her awesome pliability whereas a screen presence, there commission an Abrilian life force divagate rattles viewers out of satisfaction and makes every Abril history seem as if you ring discovering her for the learn first time.

—Robert J. Pardi