Paloma Baeza (born 1 May 1975) is a British actress and director of English and Mexican heritage. Her 2017 film ''Poles Apart'' won the BAFTA for best animated short film in 2018.

Biography

Baeza was born in London and spent her childhood in Mexico. Her Mexican father and her British mother were musicians who met in the UK. In 1975, when Baeza was five months old, her parents married in London and they went to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. They divorced nine years later. She returned to the UK with her mother in 1985, when she was nine. She began taking acting classes and appeared very early in the London theatres and British television productions. She studied English and Performing Arts at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

. Baeza has acted in a number of films and television programmes, including the 1998 film ''

Far from the Madding Crowd ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and his first major literary success. It originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in '' Cornhill Magazine'', where it gained a wide readership. The novel is set ...

'' playing the leading role of Bathsheba Everdene, and the 2008 BBC production '' The Passion'' as

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

. She has also performed on stage, including ''Navy Pier'' in 2000 and ''The Flight Into Egypt'' in 1996. Baeza directed a short feature film ''Watchmen'' in 2001, which she wrote with actor

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short an ...

, who also starred. She directed the TV film ''The Window'' in 2006. Baeza decided to study animation at the

National Film and Television School The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by ''The Hollywood Rep ...

. For her graduation project, she made the stop-motion short film "Poles Apart", which won the BAFTA award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018. In 2018, she began directing a CG/live-action film, ''The Toymaker's Secret'', written by her husband Alex Garland. She is also working on a project on the life of

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

Personal life

Baeza is married to screenwriter, novelist, and film director

Alex Garland Alexander Medawar Garland (born 26 May 1970) is an English writer and filmmaker. He rose to prominence as a novelist in the late 1990s with his novel '' The Beach'', which led some critics to call Garland a key voice of Generation X. He subsequ ...

; they have a son, Milo, and a daughter, Eva.

Filmography

Film

Television

Directing credits

* ''Watchmen'' (short film, 2001) * ''The Window'' (TV film, 2006) * ''The Odds'' (short film, 2009) * '' Poles Apart'' (short film, 2017) * '' The House'' (Netflix film, 2022)* * ''The Toymaker's Secret'' (TBA) ''*Paloma Baeza only directed the third and last part of The House’s collection of short stories.''

Awards

BAFTA award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

for British Short Animation – ''Poles Apart'' (2018)

References

External links

*
Baeza's page on her agent's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baeza, Paloma Living people 1975 births 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Actresses of Mexican descent BAFTA winners (people) British actors of Latin American descent English television actresses English film actresses English film directors English people of Mexican descent Place of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the National Film and Television School