Elena Anaya Gutiérrez (born 17 July 1975) is a Spanish actress. She garnered public recognition in Spain for her performance in ''

Sex and Lucia ''Sex and Lucia'' ( es, Lucía y el sexo, links=no) is a 2001 Spanish drama film written and directed by Julio Medem, and starring Paz Vega and Tristán Ulloa, alongside Najwa Nimri, Daniel Freire, Javier Cámara, Silvia Llanos and Elena Ana ...

'' (2001), which also earned her a nomination to the

Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

. She starred in ''

The Skin I Live In ''The Skin I Live In'' ( es, link=no, La piel que habito) is a 2011 Spanish science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet and Roberto Ál ...

'' (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 1s ...

. She is also known for her roles as one of Dracula's brides in ''

Van Helsing A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across ...

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

Room in Rome ''Room in Rome'' ( es, Habitación en Roma, links=no) 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 throughou ...

'' (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 superheroine Wonder Woman. A sadistic bioterrorist with a ghoulish face, she first appeared in 1942’s ''Sensat ...

in ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' (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 o ...

, 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 and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

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 Lucía ''Sex and Lucia'' ( es, Lucía y el sexo, links=no) is a 2001 Spanish drama film written and directed by Julio Medem, and starring Paz Vega and Tristán Ulloa, alongside Najwa Nimri, Daniel Freire, Javier Cámara, Silvia Llanos and Elena Anay ...

''. She also had a small part the year after in Almodóvar's ''

Talk to Her ''Talk to Her'' ( es, Hable con ella) is a 2002 Spanish drama written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, and starring Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Geraldine Chaplin, and Rosario Flores. The film follows two men who form an ...

''. Her best-known Hollywood film role was as Aleera, one of Dracula'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 international promotion organisation and a unique network of 38 national film promotion institutes who represent films and talent from their respective territories. Under the EFP flag, the members team up on in ...

. In 2006, Anaya appeared in Justin Timberlake's music video for his single, "

SexyBack "SexyBack" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter 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 . FMQ ...

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 heires ...

'' (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

In August 2011, Spanish tabloid magazine ''Cuore'' published photographs of Anaya kissing director Beatriz Sanchís at a

naturist beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to u ...

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

. They 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

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Elena Anaya
at AllMovie
Elena Anaya
at

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