Elena Anaya Gutiérrez (born 17 July 1975) is a Spanish actress. She garnered public recognition in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

for her performance in '' Sex and Lucia'' (2001), which also earned her a nomination to the

Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress The Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress (Spanish: ''Premio Goya a la mejor interpretación femenina de reparto'') is one of the Goya Awards, Spain's principal national film awards. Since its inception, the award has been given to 31 actresses. ...

. She starred in ''

The Skin I Live In ''The Skin I Live In'' () is a 2011 Spanish psychological thriller film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet and Roberto Álamo. It is based on Thierry Jonquet's 1984 n ...

'' (2011), for which she won the

Goya Award for Best Actress The Goya Award for Best Actress (Spanish: ''Premio Goya a la mejor interpretación femenina protagonista'') is one of the Goya Awards, Spain's principal national film awards. Since its inception, the award has been given to 26 actresses. At the 1 ...

. She is also known for her roles as one of

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

's brides in ''

Van Helsing Professor Abraham Van Helsing () is a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel ''Dracula'' written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the P ...

'' (2004), the Spanish tourist in ''

Room in Rome ''Room in Rome'' () is a 2010 Spanish erotic romantic comedy-drama film directed by Julio Medem starring Elena Anaya and Natasha Yarovenko, depicting the emotional and sexual relations of two women throughout a single night in a hotel room in R ...

'' (2010) and

Doctor Poison Doctor Poison is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. A sadistic bioterrorist with a ghoulish face, she first appeared in 1942’s ''Sensation ...

in ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'' (2017).

Early life

Anaya was born in

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

, Spain. She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Elena (Nena), is a housewife who later owned a boarding house in Palencia. Her father, Juan José Anaya Gómez (1934–2011), was an industrial engineer.

Career

Anaya moved to

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

to train as an actress, after which she landed roles in '' África'' and '' Familia''. She first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama '' Sex and Lucia''. She also had a small part the year after in Almodóvar's ''

Talk to Her ''Talk To Her'' () is a 2002 Spanish psychological melodrama film, written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. It stars: Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosário Flores. The film follows two men who f ...

''. Her best-known Hollywood film role was as Aleera, one of

's brides in 2004's ''

''. That same year, Anaya was named as one of European films' Shooting Stars by

European Film Promotion European Film Promotion (EFP) is an organisation with a mission of promoting European films internationally. A network of 38 national film promotion institutes which represent films from their respective territories. Under the EFP flag, the member ...

. In 2006, Anaya appeared in

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...

's music video for his single, "

SexyBack "SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer Justin Timberlake for his second studio album, '' FutureSex/LoveSounds'' (2006). It was released on July 18, 2006, to US mainstream and rhythmic radio stationsRadio single releases . FMQB.com. by ...

After some "quiet" years playing supporting roles in international films such as ''

Savage Grace ''Savage Grace'' is a 2007 drama film directed by Tom Kalin and written by Howard A. Rodman, based on the book ''Savage Grace'' by Natalie Robins and Steven M. L. Aronson. The story is based on the highly dysfunctional relationship between hei ...

'' (2007) and ''

Cairo Time ''Cairo Time'' is a 2009 film by Canadian director Ruba Nadda. It is a romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love interest that catches two people completely off-guard. The film won the award for Best Canadian Film at the Toronto Internation ...

'' (2009), Anaya roared back into prominence with a starring role in 2010's ''

'', and then a return to Almodóvar in 2011's ''

''. In 2017, Anaya appeared as

in the superhero blockbuster film, ''

''.

Personal life

Anaya and director were reportedly in a relationship from 2008 to 2013. In November 2016, it was announced that Anaya was expecting her first child with her partner, Tina Afugu Cordero, a costume designer. In February 2017, Anaya gave birth to their son.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Elena Anaya
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaya, Elena 1975 births Best Actress Goya Award winners Spanish lesbian actresses Living people People from Palencia Spanish film actresses 20th-century Spanish actresses 21st-century Spanish actresses