Paz Vega

Paz Vega ([paθˈβeɣa]; born 2 January 1976) is a Spanish actress. Her film credits include Sex and Lucia (2001), Spanglish (2004), 10 Items or Less (2006), All Roads Lead to Rome (2015), Acts of Vengeance (2017) and Rambo: Last Blood (2019). Sheplayed the role of Catalina Creel in the 2019 remake of the 1986 telenovela Cuna de lobos.

Vega was born in Seville, Spain, in 1976 to a housewife mother and a father who was a former bullfighter. Vega's younger sister has performed as a flamenco dancer. Vega has described her family as "traditional" and Catholic. She took her stage name from her grandmother. Vega decided to become an actress after attending a performance of Federico García Lorca's play, La casa de Bernarda Alba, when she was 16.

After completing compulsory education at 16, Vega was accepted at the Centro Andaluz de Teatro stage school. She studied there for two years and took another two years studying journalism. She next moved to Madrid to seek her future.

Vega made her television debut in the Spanish TV series, Menudo es mi padre, which starred rumba singer El Fary. She appeared in two other series in 1997—Más que amigos and teen drama Compañeros.

In 1999 she made her film debut in Zapping. The same year she also had a minor role in the David Menkes movie I Will Survive (Sobreviviré), alongside Emma Suárez, Juan Diego Botto and a cameo by Boy George.

Vega found success in 1999's TV series 7 Vidas. The series was billed as a Spanish Friends and became one of the country's best-loved domestic sitcoms. Vega played Laura, a perky Andalusian girl who had come to stay with David, who had recently come out of a coma. The series was broadcast on Telecinco and finished on 12 April 2006, albeit without Vega.

In 2001, she starred in Julio Médem's film Sex and Lucia, which brought her to the attention of a larger audience. She appeared in the 2004 James L. Brooks American film Spanglish opposite Adam Sandler. In 2006, she co-starred with American actor Morgan Freeman in the independent film 10 Items or Less, directed by Brad Silberling. In 2008, she co-starred with Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit. In 2011, Vega had a role in Michele Placido's film Vallanzasca –The Angels of Evil.

Vega also works as a model; she is signed to 1/One Management in New York City. On May 2011, Vega replaced Penélope Cruz as the face for L'Oreal Spain.

In 2018, she participated in the third season of the reality cooking show MasterChef Celebrity.

In 2019, Vega appears in Televisa to portray the lead character Catalina Creel in the mini-series Cuna de Lobos, based on the 1986 original telenovela of the same title. The same year, she portrayed an independent Mexican reporter in Rambo: Last Blood.

Vega and her Venezuelan husband, Orson Salazar, had their first child, a son in 2 May 2007. Her second child, a daughter, was born in July 2009. Their third child, another son, was born in August 2010.

Premios Goya

• 2001, Best actress in a leading role, Sólo mía, NOMINATION
• 2001, Best breakthrough actress performance, Lucía y el sexo, WON

Premios Unión de Actores

• 2001, Unión de Actores Award best actress|Best actress in a leading role, Sólo mía, NOMINATION
• 2001, Premio Unión de Actores best breakthrough actress performance|Best breakthrough actress performance, Lucía y el sexo, NOMINATION

Anexo

Fotogramas de Plata|Fotogramas de Plata

• 2003, Best actress, Carmen, NOMINATION
• 2002, Best actress, El otro lado de la cama, NOMINATION
• 2001, Best actress, Lucía y el sexo and Sólo mía, NOMINATION

European Awards

• 2003, Viewers award best actress, Carmen, Nomination

Cannes Festival

• 2001, Trofeo Chopard best breakthrough performance, Lucía y el sexo, WON

Imagen Foundation

• 2004, Best actress, Spanglish, WON

Phoenix Film Critics Society

• 2004, Best breakthrough performance, Spanglish, WON

Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos

• 2001, Best actress, Sólo mía, WON

Sant Jordi Awards

• 2001, Best Spanish Act, Lucía y el sexo and Sólo mía, WON

Ondas Award

• 2001, Best actress, Lucía y el sexo, WON