María Isabel Verdú Rollán, better known as Maribel Verdú is a Spanish actress. She played Luisa in Alfonso Cuarón's 2001 film Y tu mamá también and Mercedes in Guillermo del Toro's 2006 filmPan's Labyrinth. She has also appeared in Lovers, Belle Époque, The Blind Sunflowers and Blancanieves.
Early life
Verdú was born in Madrid, Spain. She began acting at 13, appearing in various commercials. She left school at the age of 15 so she could fully devote herself to her acting career. Verdú has appeared in more than 60 movies since 1984, the majority of them in Spanish. She has also been in numerous TV shows.
Career
Her first experience was as a model in spots and fashion magazines by known commercial firms. Her first television opportunity was given to her at the age of 13 by Vicente Aranda in The Crime of Captain Sánchez. 27 Hours, by Montxo Armendáriz, about a girl who is a drug addict, was one of the most powerful experiences in her life up to that point. After this film other more important films started coming her way, including La Estanquera de Vallecas by Eloy de la Iglesia and El Año de las Luces by Fernando Trueba. Later Verdú said that her role in Amantes marked a turning point in her screen career and has brought about a maturity as a performer. Thereafter she worked with such directors as José Luis Garci in Canción de Cuna; Bigas Luna in Huevos de Oro; again with Trueba in the Oscar-nominated Belle Époque; Emilio Martínez-Lázaro in Carreteras Secundarias; Carlos Saura en Goya en Burdeos; and Gonzalo Suárez in El Portero and Oviedo Express. On the international stage, her career hit a highpoint when she starred in Y Tu Mamá También by Alfonso Cuarón, followed by Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro. Verdú was subsequently invited to be a part of the Academy in Hollywood. Maribel starred in a music video named Lola Soledad by 16-time Latin Grammy Awards winner Alejandro Sanz in 2010. She made her theater debut in 1986 starring as the character of Julieta and has since then combined theater with cinema. She has also intertwined the two in television shows such as Turno de Oficio and Segunda Enseñanza.
Awards
Verdú has been nominated for the Goya Award on eleven occasions, becoming the most nominated actress in the history of these awards. Her first nomination came with the film Amantes by Vicente Aranda, eventually losing to Sílvia Munt for her role in Alas de Mariposa. Her second nomination came for The Celestine by Gerardo Vera but lost again to Mari Carrillo for Más Alla del Jardín. In La Buena Estrella by Ricardo Franco she achieved her third nomination, ultimately losing to Cecilia Roth in Martín Hache. In 2006 she received her fourth nomination with Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro, losing yet again to Penélope Cruz. Finally, on her fifth nomination, she won the Goya Award for Seven Billiard Tables by Gracia Querejeta. The sixth nomination came in 2008 for The Blind Sunflowers by José Luis Cuerda. The following year she would be nominated again for the film Tetro by Francis Ford Coppola. In 2011, she would be nominated as a supporting actress for De tu ventana a la mía, by Paula Ortiz. In 2013 she was nominated and got her second Goya for Blancanieves from Pablo Berger. In 2014, she gets a new nomination, in this case as a supporting actress, for 15 años y un día from Gracia Querejeta losing to Terele Pavez for Las brujas de Zugarramurdi. She received her eleventh Goya nomination for Abracadabra, another film by Pablo Berger. Apart from her Goya Award, Verdú possesses two Ondas Awards and two Silver Frame awards as Best Television Actress for the series Canguros and as Best Actress for 'Los Girasoles Ciegos'. Maribel Verdú is also the only Spanish actress to win the Ariel Award in Mexico as Best Actress for Pan's Labyrinth. Her film career has also been rewarded with the Gold Medal of the Spanish Film Academy and with the Spain National Cinematography Award, becoming the sixth actress to achieve it after Carmen Maura, Rafaela Aparicio, Maria Luisa Ponte, Marisa Paredes and Mercedes Sampietro. Verdú has also been close to awards in category A film festivals, such as the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1991 Verdú's casting partner, Victoria Abril, raised the Silver Bear for Best Actress in Amantes. In 2007, in the San Sebastián International Film Festival another casting partner of Verdú, Blanca Portillo, took the award for Best Actress in Seven Billiard Tables. In 2006, at the Gijón International Film Festival, she received the Nacho Martinez award. She will receive the Premi Máquina del Temps at 2019 Sitges Film Festival along Javier Botet.
