Maribel Verdú

A Spanish actress who entered the entertainment industry starting as a 13-year-old model, Maribel Verdu took her first step into show business in crime and drama mini-series. Her foremost break into cinema was playing a young drug addict on the award-winning drama "27 Horas"; the film garnered much attention and she began receiving leads in comedies and dramas throughout the 1980s. The turning point in her career became apparent when she was cast as a jealous wife in the film noir "Lovers," and was praised widely for her performance. By 1992, she became a widely sought-after actress and was cast opposite Penélope Cruz in the Oscar-winning romantic comedy "The Age of Beauty." She went back to television and was cast as the lead on a sitcom about single women, "Canguros." International audiences finally watched Verdu on screen as sultry Luisa Cortés in the critically-acclaimed coming-of-age film "Y tu mamá también." Arriving at blockbuster success was effortless when Verdu landed the role of a housemaid in 2006's fantasy film "Pan's Labyrinth." This helped open up doors for her to work in Francis Ford Coppola's drama "Tetro," alongside Vincent Gallo. Verdu's expansive film experience and repertoire has helped her to repeatedly land lead roles in numerous spanish dramas.