Paz Vega – Bio, Movies, TV Shows and Family of The Spanish Actress

Paz Vega, a successful Spanish actress, took the decision to become an actress as a teenager and never changed her mind. Although she has appeared in many television series and films, a number of them stand her out including 7 Vidas and Lucía y el sexo, and Spanglish. While the latter earned her a special honor from Phoenix Film Critics Society, Lucía y el sexo fetched her a Goya Award, Sant Jordi Award, an Ondas Award, and a rofeo Chopard best breakthrough performance at Cannes Festival. The talented lady is also a model and you will learn more about her below.

Early Life

The actress was born on the 2nd of January 1976, in Seville, Andalusia, Spain, and named María Paz Campos Trigo. She took the decision to become an actress at the age of 16. This was after she attended a performance of the play La casa de Bernarda Alba written by Federico García Lorca.

By the time she was done with her basic education at age 16, María enrolled in Centro Andaluz de Teatro stage school where she studied for two years before taking another two years to study journalism. Still keen on going into acting, she moved to Madrid with the hopes of launching her career and adopted the stage name “Paz Vega” from her grandmother.

Movies & TV Shows

Paz Vega debuted on television in the Spanish series Menudo es mi padre, which starred the Spanish singer and actor José Luis Cantero Rada (known professionally as El Fary). She was later cast in the series Más que amigos and Compañeros.

Paz went on to make her film debut in 1999 in Zapping and also played a small role in the movie I Will Survive (Sobreviviré) in the same year, performing alongside Juan Diego Botto and Emma Suárez. The actress eventually gained the recognition she always wanted in 1999 with the role of Laura in the television series 7 Vidas (7 lives) which was billed as a Spanish Friends and turned out to be one of the most loved sitcoms in the country. The series began airing on Telecinco on January 17, 1999, and on 12 April 2006, the last of it was aired, though without Vega.

In the year 2000, Paz played the role of Ariadna in the film Nadie conoce a nadie and also appeared in the short film El chico en la puerta. The following year, she portrayed the character of Angela in Mine Alone and also starred in the drama film Lucía y el sexo (Sex and Lucia) written and directed by Julio Medem and with this, Paz became known to a larger number of audience.

The year 2002 saw her appearing in the films Hable con ella, El otro lado de la cama, and Novo as Amparo, Sonia, and Isabelle respectively. The next year, Paz Vega starred in Carmen, a movie adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s classic romance of the same name. In 2004, she appeared as Estrella Cuevas in Di que sí and also as Flor Moreno in the American romantic comedy-drama film Spanglish, starring opposite Adam Sandler.

In 2006, she featured in Los Borgia, Fade to Black, and 10 Items or Less, co-starring with American actor Morgan Freeman in the latter. Paz went on to play the roles of Santa Teresa de Jesús and Nunik in the 2007 films Theresa: The Body of Christ and The Lark Farm respectively, continuing in 2008 by appearing as a co-star with Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit. Also in 2008, Paz Vega starred alongside Jason Clarke in The Human Contract, directed by Jada Pinkett Smith.

From 2009 through 2015, she appeared in Not Forgotten, The Six Wives of Henry Lefay, Triage, Burning Palms, Angel of Evil, Castro’s Daughter, The Flower of Evil, Cat Run, Mary of Nazareth, I’m So Excited,Grace of Monaco, Não Pare na Pista – A Melhor História de Paulo Coelho, Kill the Messenger, La ignorancia de la sangre, Big Time in Hollywood FL, All Roads Lead to Rome, and Beautiful & Twisted. She also voiced the Andalusian Triplets (Esmeralda, Esperanza and Ernestina) in the 2012 American 3D computer-animated comedy film Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. In 2016, the prolific actress appeared as Renata in the television series The OA and in the year that followed, she played the role of Alma in Acts of Vengeance. 

Family of The Spanish Actress

Daughter of a housewife and a father who was an ex-bullfighter, Paz Vega comes from a Catholic family which according to her, is traditional. She has a younger sister named Sara Vega who is also an actress. Sara is most notable for her roles in the 2014 movie Bienvenidos al Lolita and the 2015 movies Anclados and José Mota presenta.

Paz Vega is married to Orson Salazar, a Venezuelan. They tied the knot in 2002 and have three children to show for their years together. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Orson, five years after their marriage, precisely in May 2007 and in 2009, their second child, a daughter named Ava, arrived. Their third child and second son, Lenon, came following in 2010.

See Also: Abbie Cornish – Biography, Movies And TV Shows, Relationships And Affairs

Quick Facts

• Aside from acting, the mother of three has also appeared on television in the third season of the Spanish TV series, MasterChef Celebrity.
• In addition to her acting career, Paz Vega is also a model. She is signed to the New York City-based modelling agency known as 1/One Management.
• On May 2011, Paz became the face of L’Oreal Spain, replacing Penélope Cruz.