Get ready to roll out the red carpet and welcome the best actors and actresses of Spanish cinema that have revolutionized the big screen! 

It’s true that we cannot compare Spanish cinema with American cinema because we’re clearly a few steps behind. BUT, let me tell you that some of our Spanish actors and actresses have made history in America and in many other parts of the world. 

I’m pretty sure you’ve seen some of their movies or you’ve seen their faces in a few TV series. 

P.S: Also, we asked Spanish people in the streets, “Who is the most attractive Spanish actor?” their answers are in the video at the end of this article. You should definitely watch it!

Are you curious to know who has made it to Hollywood? Or maybe, who has won a Goya or an Ocar? Let the AWARDS show begin!

1. Javier Bardem (1969)

He’s the first actor to win an Oscar (2007) and the first Spanish actor to be nominated for an Academy Award for Before Night Falls (2001), so we couldn’t start this list without mentioning him first.

Some of his best-known films include No Country for Old Men, for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor in the role of the assassin Anton Chigurh. Bardem is one of the actors who has grown the most in his career and has achieved an excellent position among the great Spanish actors in Hollywood. You can also find him in the the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Additionally, he has received other awards, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, five Goya Awards, two European Film Awards, a British Academy Film Award, and two Volpi Cups for Best Actor at Venice Film Festival.

2. Penélope Cruz (1974)

She’s one of Spain’s best-known actresses and most famous people. She has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award. 

She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards.

She’s the first and only Spanish actress to be nominated for and win an Oscar and the first to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! WOW!

We can see her in many Almodovar movies, such as “Volver” (2006), where she was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar, along with her other film Nine (2009). In addition, she also acted in Pain and Glory, “Dolor y Gloria” (2019), and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008), the one that made her win the Oscar. This movie was directed by Woody Allen and she performed along with Javier Bardem, her current husband, since 2010.

This incredible actress achieved international recognition thanks to her roles in films such as All the Pretty Horses (2000), Vanilla Sky (2001), Sahara (2005), Pirates of the Caribbean (2011), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017).

Cruz not only stands out on the big screen but has also modeled in campaigns for some Spanish brands, such as Mango, Ralph Lauren, and L’Oréal. She has also designed a clothing line for Mango with the help of her sister Mónica Cruz. 

She has also participated in volunteer work in Uganda and India, where she worked with Mother Teresa.

3. Antonio Banderas (1960)

He began his career with the famous director Pedro Almodóvar. Banderas is one of the best Spanish actors and is well-known worldwide. I’m sure you have heard of him or seen him on TV or in a movie, or pherhaps in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Did you know he has his own star over there?

He played the lead role in the movie The Mask of Zorro, “La Máscara del Zorro”* (1998). He was also part of other successful movies like The Skin I Live In, “La Piel que habito”, and Original Sin, “Pecado Original” (2001), in which he acted alongside Angelina Jolie.

He’s one of the most successful Spanish actors in our country as in Hollywood and has given voice to some of the characters in movies like Puss in Boots (2011). 

This incredible actor has received several awards, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for the film Pain and Glory (2019), a European Film Award, and a Goya Award for Best Actor. 

He was also nominated for an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards!

4. Carmen Maura (1945)

She’s one of the oldest actresses, having been in cinema since 1969. 

She’s well known for her collaborations with successful Spanish directors such as Pedro Almodovar and Alex de la Iglesia. 

She won several international awards along with very famous actresses such as Isabelle Huppert, Juliette Binoche, and Charlotte Rampling. 

Some of her films and series are “Las brujas de Zugarramurdi”, “Águila Roja”, “Volver” and “Alguien tiene que morir”.

She’s the actress who holds the record of having won 3 Goya Awards for Best Leading Actress in the history of Spanish cinema. 

She also won a Cesar Award in 2013 and a Cannes Film Festival Award in 2006.

5. Santiago Segura (1965)

If we talk about comedy actors, Santiago Segura always comes to mind. 

Film actor, director, screenwriter, and producer became famous for his funny saga “Torrente”, which is very popular and one of the highest blockbuster movies in Spain. 

He also stands out as a dubbing actor and comedy show host. 

In the US, he’s known for his collaborations with Alex de la Iglesia and Guillermo del Toro and as an actor in the Hellboy series, Pacific Rim and Agent Cody Banks.

6. Maribel Verdú (1970)

Her career has developed mainly in Spain, but she has worked with some international directors such as Guillermo del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola and Alfonso Cuarón. 

Her role as a drug addict in the film 27 Hours made her stand out on the big screen. 

She has won two Goya Awards, the National Cinematography Award in Spain and the Ariel Award in Mexico for Best Actress in Pan’s Labyrinth, “El laberinto del fauno” (2006).

7. Francisco Rabal (1926 - 2001)

Everyone in Spain and around the world knows him as “Paco.” He was an actor, director and screenwriter. 

He was the protagonist of the Spanish version of Death of a Salesman, the famous movie based on Arthur Miller’s play. And his great success began when he met one of the great Spanish film directors, Luis Buñuel. 

It was in 1984 when he played a spectacular role in The Holy Innocents, one of the five best Spanish films of all time. 

8. Paz Vega (1976)

This famous Spanish actress, born in Seville, has been living in LA since 2008. She has starred in many European and American movies. She started being well known in the famous Spanish series “Siete Vidas.” But undoubtedly her big breakthrough came with her performance in “Lucía y el Sexo” which led her to win the Goya Award for Best New Actress. She has also received the Chopard Award for Best Actress at the Cannes International Film Festival. 

9. José Coronado (1957)

He’s one of the best actors in Spanish cinema and tv, who won the Goya Award for Best Leading Actor in 2011 with the film *No rest for the Wicked, “No habrá paz para los malvados”.*

On TV, he has acted in several series such as “Periodistas” (1998-2001) and “El Príncipe” (2014).

In addition to acting, he also set up a modeling agency, a travel agency and a restaurant. 

10. Mario Casas (1986)

If you ask the female audience, this young actor is one of the most popular Spanish men.

This Spanish actor and film director won a Goya for Best Leading Actor in “No Mataras” (2020).

It was in 2006 when he started in the film world with Antonio Banderas’s help, but in 2009, he became known on the big screen.  

Surely you have heard of his character in “Los Hombres de Paco”, a series that lasted for years and was very successful in Spain (2007-2010), and in the movie “Tres metros sobre el cielo” (2010). 

His trajectory has gone at an incredible speed and he is currently one of our favorites! 

11. Belén Rueda (1965)

She’s known as one of the best Spanish actress and hostess with a great TV career of more than 30 years. Her career as an actress began with “Mar Adentro” (2004), a film that won her the award for Best New Actress at the XIX edition of the Goya Awards. She later stood out in movies that were very successful such as “El Orfanato” (2007), “Los ojos de Julia” (2010), and “Perfectos desconocidos” (2017).

12. Alfredo Landa (1933 - 2013)

He started as a stuntman and eventually became an actor, his first film being “El Puente de la Paz” (1958).

He’s one of the most recognized old actors, especially in the dramatic genre. 

He won the award for Best Actor in The Holy Innocents along with Paco Rabal at the Cannes Film Festival (1984) and two Goya Awards. 

He retired from his acting career at the X Malaga Film Festival after having participated in numerous films and TV series and having won several awards.

13. José Sacristán (1937)

He’s an amazing film actor and one of the oldest. And he also excelled in other areas such as theater and TV. 

He began his career as an actor in 1965, thanks to the success of “Vida Conyugal Sana” in 1973, where he started to stand out and became one of the most important actors of his time. 

In 2013 he received the Silver Shell for Best Actor at the 60th San Sebastian International Film Festival.

That same year he won a Goya for Best Leading Actor in the film “El Muerto y ser feliz.”

14. Ursula Corberó (1989) 

This Spanish actress and model started from a very young age doing TV series and became known in 2008 as Ruth in the famous Spanish TV series “Fisica o Quimica”. 

Her role in *The Money Heist, “La Casa de Papel”* where she played Tokio, made her one of Spain’s most famous people. It also helped her had a BOOM in her career as an actress and her international recognition, jumping straight into Hollywood. 

15. Concha Velasco (1939)

She’s one of the great icons of Spanish cinema, a dancer, a singer, and a Spanish TV hostess. One of the oldest and most popular, anyone you ask can tell you who she is. She was nominated twice to the Goya Awards. 

In 2018 she announced that “El funeral” would be the last film in her acting career.

16. Jordi Mollá (1968)

Not only has he worked as an actor, but he’s also a director and screenwriter. 

But this famous Spanish actor has not only done this, but he has also written two books! 

He has been nicknamed “The Tom Cruise of Spain,” and in Hollywood, he’s well known for having participated in films such as Knight and Day, Bad Boys II, Riddick, and Blow. 

17. Sara Montiel (1928 - 2013)

Not only did she stand out as an actress, but she was also a famous singer. She started her career in 1940 in Spain with movies like Don Quixote (1947) and Madness for Love (1948). In 1960 she became the most popular and highest-paid Spanish film star. 

Her two musical films, The Last Torch Song (1957) and The Violet Seller (1958) were among the highest blockbuster Spanish-speaking films recognized internationally in the ’50s and ’60s. 

It was thanks to her scenes as an actress that she began her musical career. 

Throughout her professional career, she appeared in almost 50 movies and recorded around 500 songs in 5 different languages.

Actually, the list is endless and I would never stop writing. So I had to make a selection and name them according to the success they’ve had and the number of awards they’ve won. These Spanish movie starts along with others have left a historical footprint in the cinema history.

Which of them do you admire the most? Or, who would you like to meet or have met?