Paz Vega was born on January 2, 1976, in Seville, the Spanish town famous
for Carmen and singing barbers. The slender and athletic Paz first dreamed
of being a sports star and later took interest in politics. At age 15, all
it took was a day at the theater to cement her ambitions; a performance of
La Casa de Bernarda Alba set her sights on acting for good.
At 16, Paz left school and patiently waited for the prestigious Centro Andaluz
de Teatro acting school to accept her. After two years at the acting school
and another two studying journalism, Paz moved to Madrid, where she sought
fame. She changed her name to Paz Vega (her grandmother's last name) and worked
in bars while auditioning for every acting job she could.
Paz's first big jobs came on TV, where she appeared in three episodes of
the Spanish series Menudo es mi padre, and in two other series, Mas que amigos
and Companeros. In 1999, Paz got her first major movie role in Zapping, in
which she played a hot sex-loving vixen who snagged another woman's husband.
That same year, she had a minor part in Sobrevivire (I Will Survive), which
got people noticing her.
Paz then returned to television with the career-making role of Laura in the
series, 7 vidas. It was this role that endeared her to all of Spain. Filmmaker
Mateo Gil liked Paz so much that he gave her a major part in his movie Nadie
conoce a nadie (Nobody Knows Anybody, 1999). As she juggled TV and movies,
she quickly learned the inner workings of the film industry.
Movie director Julio Medem saw her potential and asked Vega to leave her
TV role to dedicate herself to his new project. His film would be provocative,
steamy and sensual, so he needed just the right actress. In 2001, Lucia y
el sexo (Sex and Lucia) hit theaters. It told the story, in graphic and lurid
detail, of an innocent girl who slowly discovers her sexuality. Paz appeared
nude, acting with her whole body in a gush of sensuality.
Sex and Lucia became an international hit and won Paz a Goya, Spain's biggest
movie award, for Best New Actress.
With the success of Sex and Lucia, Vega was courted by the biggest names
in the film industry. Spain's most important director, Pedro Almodovar, gave
her a part in his award-winning film Hable con ella (Talk to Her, 2002). Soon
after, she was seen in the musical romantic comedy, El otro lado de la cama
(The Other Side of the Bed, 2002).
After two more movies, including a rendition of Carmen in 2003, Paz started
being coveted abroad. James L. Brooks, of The Simpsons and As Good as It Gets,
signed her for his new directing project, a comedy called Spanglish, with
Adam Sandler andTea Leoni. This movie will no
doubt raise her profile in the U.S. and she will hopefully be seen in more
American movies. After Spanglish, Paz can be seen in 2005's Un angel en la
oscuridad in the pipeline.
Paz Vega currently lives in Madrid, Spian with husband Orson Salazar.
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