Catalina Sandino Moreno

Last updated
Catalina Sandino Moreno
Catalina Sandino Moreno at the 61st Cannes Film Festival, May 2008.jpg
Sandino Moreno at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008
Born (1981-04-19) 19 April 1981 (age 43)
Bogotá, Colombia
Alma mater
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Spouse
David Elwell
(m. 2006)
Children1

Catalina Sandino Moreno (born 19 April 1981) is a Colombian actress. She shared the Silver Bear with Charlize Theron and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her leading role in Maria Full of Grace (2004). Since 2022, she has starred as Tabitha Matthews in the MGM+ television series From . [1]

Contents

Early life

Sandino Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia. She grew up in a middle-class family, her father is a veterinarian and her mother a pathologist. [2] She attended Saint George's School in Bogotá, Colombia. Before becoming an actress, she studied advertising at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá.[ citation needed ]

Career

2004–2010

In 2003, casting calls for Maria Full of Grace were conducted in both New York and Colombia where she was initially noticed for her talent at the acting school in Bogotá. She was then referred to a casting audition where she beat over 900 girls for the lead role. She left the college to begin her first movie project. Starring Sandino Moreno as María Alvarez, a Colombian girl who works in a flower plantation when she was pregnant and then as a drug mule. Sandino Moreno's role in this movie was acclaimed, receiving positive feedback from different websites and film critics. This performance made her the first Colombian, the second South American, and third Hispanic actress nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Also, she won the Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival shared with Charlize Theron and received a nomination to Screen Actors Guild Award.

She said in a 2006 interview that after her Oscar nomination, she didn't receive many scripts that appealed to her. "I didn’t receive much," she explained. "Well, I received roles that were very light. Like the Colombian drug dealer and the sexy Latin girl. Maria had such an impact on me that I didn’t want to do something so light. I wanted to do something with power. Anyone can be a beautiful girl. Any girl can be that. So I didn’t do anything for three years. I was waiting for the right roles." She elaborated that "I feel I have a responsibility, as an actress, as a Colombian immigrant, and just as a person, to show people reality. It would be nice to be an actress who loves action movies, but I’m not that kind of actress. Maybe because my first chance was Maria, and I felt how people reacted. People enjoyed Maria, they were entertained by it, and they learned something. The more real and raw, the more I’m naturally drawn to the character. Though don’t get me wrong, I love Batman and King Kong and all these big movies, too. Who knows, hopefully I’ll be in one of those big special-effects movies one day. But right now, it’s important to show people what’s happening in the world." [3]

In 2005, she moved to New York City to study dramatic arts and for continue with her success career at the moment, and was invited to join AMPAS. In 2006, she played roles in independent film Fast Food Nation with Patricia Arquette, and Paris, je t'aime , where she starred as a young immigrant mother in the segment "Loin du 16e". In 2007, she starred as Hildebranda Sánchez in Love in the Time of Cholera , based in novel of the same name by Gabriel García Márquez, where she appeared alongside Javier Bardem and Fernanda Montenegro.

In 2008, she appeared alongside Benicio del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che , playing the role of Aleida March de Guevara, the second wife of Ernesto "Che" Guevara. This film was acclaimed by the critics. She was at the premiere in 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, she played the role of female Vampire Maria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse , based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer.

2010–present

After a break in her career, in November 2013, she returned in TV roles when it was announced she would play the title role in the forthcoming biopic Castro's Daughter, based on Alina Fernández’s autobiography of the same name. [4] Also she starred in films Roa (2013) and A Most Violent Year (2014) where she appeared with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. On October 20, 2014, it was announced that she would be joining the final season of Falling Skies in a recurring role as Isabella. [5]

In 2016 she starred in the TV series American Gothic as a recurring character, Christina Morales. In the same year, she returned to the world of cinema in Custody , where she appeared alongside Viola Davis. The film was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

In December 2022, Sandino Moreno was announced to join the John Wick spin-off film Ballerina in an unnamed role. [6]

Personal life

Sandino Moreno was one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2005. [7]

Sandino Moreno met motion picture electrician David Elwell while working on Maria Full of Grace. The couple married on 15 April 2006 in a small ceremony held in Cartagena de Indias. [8]

Filmography

Film
YearFilmRoleNotes
2004 Maria Full of Grace María Álvarez Berlin Film Festival Award for Best Actress (Tied with Charlize Theron for Monster )
Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress
Golden India Catalina for Best Actress
Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor
New Promessing Actress OFCS Award Online Film Critics Society Awards
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards New Generation Award
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
Golden Space Needle Award
Seattle International Film Festival Best Actress
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year
Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2006 Journey to the End of the Night Angie
Paris, je t'aime Ana(Segment "Loin du 16e")
Fast Food Nation Sylvia
The Hottest State Sarah
2007 The Heart of the Earth Blanca Bosco
Love in the Time of Cholera Hildebranda Sanchez
2008 Che Part One: The Argentine Aleida March de Guevara
Che Part Two: Guerrilla Aleida March de Guevara
2010La Siguiente EstaciónEvaShort, executive producer
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse MariaUncredited
2012 For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada Adriana
2013 Magic Magic Barbara
Roa María de Roa
A Stranger in Paradise Jules
Medeas Christina
2014 At the Devil's Door Leigh
Swelter Carmen
A Most Violent Year Luisa
2016 Custody Sarah
Incarnate Camilla Marquez
2017The Mystery of Casa MatusitaLucy
2020 The Quarry Celia
2021 Barbarians Eva
2023 Silent Night Saya Godluck [9]
2025 John Wick Presents: Ballerina TBA
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
2013 The Bridge Alma RuizRecurring role
2014 Red Band Society Eva PalaciosRecurring role
2015 East Los High Eddie's MomRecurring role
2015 Falling Skies [5] IsabellaRecurring role (season 5)
2015–2019 The Affair LuisaMain role (seasons 3–4); recurring role (seasons 2 & 5)
2016 American Gothic Christina MoralesRecurring role
2019SurveillanceNatalie Reyes
2019 Room 104 MariaEpisode: "Rogue"
2022 From Tabitha MatthewsMain role

Performer

Awards and nominations

See also

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References

  1. "The 77th Academy Awards (2005) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. "Catalina Sandino Moreno. Biography, news, photos and videos". Hello . 8 October 2009.
  3. Thomas, Christopher (2006). "Blood & Roses". V Magazine . Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  4. "'Castro's Daughter' Will be Catalina Sandino Moreno". Variety.com . 23 November 2013.
  5. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (October 20, 2014). "Catalina Sandino Moreno Joins 'Falling Skies' On TNT". Deadline. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 7, 2022). "Ana De Armas 'John Wick' Spinoff 'Ballerina' Adds Catalina Sandino Moreno". Deadline. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  7. "PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful People". People . 2005-04-27. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  8. "Se casó Catalina Sandino, actriz de "María llena eres de gracia"" [Catalina Sandino, actress of "Maria Full of Grace", married]. Caracol Radio (in Spanish). 2006-04-17. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
  9. Galuppo, Mia (April 4, 2022). "Kid Cudi Joins John Woo Action Thriller Silent Night". The Hollywood Reporter . PMRC. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.