Luis López Tosar (born 13 October 1971) is a Spanish actor and musician from Galicia. He is one of the most recognizable and versatile actors in Spain, best known for performances in films such as ''

Cell 211 ''Cell 211'' ( es, Celda 211, links=no) is a 2009 Spanish-French prison film directed by Daniel Monzón, starring Luis Tosar and Alberto Ammann alongside Antonio Resines, Manuel Morón, Carlos Bardem, Fernando Soto (Spanish actor), Fernando Soto, ...

'', ''

Take My Eyes ''Take My Eyes'' ( es, Te doy mis ojos, links=no, translation, I Give You My Eyes) is a 2003 Spanish romantic drama film directed by Icíar Bollaín, starring Laia Marull and Luis Tosar. Critically acclaimed for its unclichéd treatment of domestic ...

'', '' Sleep Tight'', ''

Even the Rain ''Even the Rain'' ( es, También la lluvia, links=no) is a 2010 drama film directed by Icíar Bollaín and written by Paul Laverty. The plot concerns Mexican director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal), Spanish executive producer Costa (Luis Tosar) ...

'', and ''

Mondays in the Sun ''Mondays in the Sun'' ( es, Los lunes al sol, links=no) is a 2002 drama film directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, starring Javier Bardem, Luis Tosar and José Ángel Egido. The film depicts the degrading effects of unemployment on a group of me ...

''. He has a music group called "Di Elas".

Early life and career

Tosar was born on 13 October 1971 in

Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...

, even if he usually prefers to identify with the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of (in the municipality of

Cospeito Cospeito is a municipality of the Province of Lugo in Galicia. It is situated on the plain of Terra Chá. The population in 2007 was 5,349 according to the townhall register (5,609 in 2003). Etymology It is still not clarified as to where the ...

, also in the

province of Lugo Lugo is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ourense, Pontevedra, and A Coruña, the principality of Asturias, the State of León, and in the nor ...

), where he actually spent his childhood and teenage years. He began his career playing theater and shorts, but he became famous in Galicia by his performance in 1998 TV Series '' Mareas Vivas'' (

Televisión de Galicia Televisión de Galicia (; "Television of Galicia"; abbreviated as TVG), commonly known as A Galega ("The Galician ne), is a Spanish free-to-air television channel owned and operated by Televisión de Galicia S.A., the television subsidiary of ...

). Critically acclaimed for his supporting role in the unemployment drama ''Mondays in the Sun'', abusive husband in ''Take My Eyes'', an executive producer in ''Even the Rain'', and doorman in ''Sleep Tight'', his most acclaimed performance has to be from his 2009 hit ''Cell 211'' which stars Tosar as Malamadre, a prisoner that instigates a riot and befriends an undercover prison guard in the process. His only major role in an American film was

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...

's '' Miami Vice (2006)'', starring

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The I ...

and

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...

. Besides that he has appeared in other English films ''

The Limits of Control ''The Limits of Control'' is a 2009 American film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Isaach de Bankolé as a solitary assassin, carrying out a job in Spain. Filming began in February 2008, and took place on location in Madrid, Seville a ...

'' and '' Mr. Nice''. In 2012 he dubbed

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

for the videogame ''

Assassin's Creed III ''Assassin's Creed III'' is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth major installment in the ''Assassin's Creed'' series ...

''. On 17 November 2018 he received a star in ''

Almeria Walk of Fame Almeria Walk of Fame (Paseo de la fama de Almería in Spanish) is the filmmaking Walk of Fame located in Almeria, Spain, similar to Hollywood Walk of Fame. Celebrities The celebrities who have their own star are: * Eduardo Fajardo received ...

'' for the films ''

El Niño El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date L ...

'' (2014) and '' Toro'' (2016).

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

Tosar won the Málaga Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2011

Málaga Spanish Film Festival Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

'' Celda 211 (Cell 211) (2009)''

*2010 Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain **Best Actor (Mejor Actor) *2010 Fotogramas de Plata **Best Movie Actor (Mejor Actor de Cine) *2010 Premios ACE **Cinema - Best Actor *2010 Seattle International Film Festival **Best Actor

'' Te doy mis ojos (Take My Eyes) (2003)''

*2005 Cartagena Film Festival **Best Actor (Mejor Actor) *2004 Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain **Best Actor (Mejor Actor) for: Take My Eyes (2003) and The Weakness of the Bolshevik (2003) *2004 Copenhagen International Film Festival **Best Actor *2004 Fotogramas de Plata **Best Movie Actor (Mejor Actor de Cine) *2003 San Sebastián International Film Festival **Best Actor *2004 Seattle International Film Festival **Best Actor *2004 Spanish Actors Union **Lead Performance, Male (Protagonista Cine - Categoría Masculina) *2004 Turia Awards **Best Actor

'' Los lunes al sol (Mondays in the Sun) (2002)''

*2003 Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain **Best Supporting Actor (Mejor Actor Secundario) *2003

Sant Jordi Awards The Sant Jordi Awards ( ca, Premis Sant Jordi, links=no; es, Premios Sant Jordi, links=no) are film prizes awarded annually by the Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language ...

**Best Spanish Actor (Mejor Actor Español)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tosar, Luis 1971 births Living people People from Lugo Male actors from Galicia (Spain) Spanish male film actors Best Supporting Actor Goya Award winners 21st-century Spanish male actors Spanish male television actors