Demián Bichir Nájera (; born 1 August 1963) is a Mexican actor. After starring in telenovelas, he began to appear in Hollywood films. He was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...

for his role in '' A Better Life''.

Early life

Bichir was born in

Torreón Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Coahuila. The city's population is 720,848 inhabitants, making it the second largest city in the state of Coahuila. Also Torreón is par ...

. His parents are actors Alejandro Bichir and Maricruz Nájera. His brothers, Odiseo and

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologn ...

, are also actors. His paternal family is of Lebanese origin. He worked at the National Theater Company, Shakespeare and Dostoyevsky, and the Mexican Association of Theater Critics. He attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.

Career

Bichir played

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...

in '' Che''. He starred in the television series, including '' The Bridge'' and '' Grand Hotel''. His directorial debut film ''A Circus Story & A Love Song'' premiered at the

Morelia International Film Festival The Morelia International Film Festival (''Spanish'': ''Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia''; FICM) was founded in 2003 in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, México. It is an annual event that takes place during the second week of October. ...

. Other films including '' A Better Life'', '' Alien: Covenant'', '' Chaos Walking'', ''

The Hateful Eight ''The Hateful Eight'' is a 2015 American western thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce De ...

'', '' The Nun'', and '' Without Blood''.

Personal life

He is an

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

Ambassador of Immigration Rights. His second wife, Stefanie Sherk, died in a swimming pool on 12 April 2019. Bichir has a daughter, Gala.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards

Notes

References

External links

*
Radio interview
with Demián Bichir on ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosl ...

'' discussing ''The Bridge'' (38 mins, 2013) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bichir, Demian 1963 births 20th-century Mexican male actors 21st-century Mexican male actors Living people Male actors from Mexico City Mexican emigrants to the United States Mexican male child actors Mexican male film actors Mexican male stage actors Mexican male telenovela actors Mexican people of Lebanese descent People from Torreón Naturalized citizens of the United States People with multiple citizenship