Catalina Sandino Moreno | |
|---|---|
 Sandino Moreno at the61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008 | |
| Born | (1981-04-19)19 April 1981 (age 44) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Catalina Sandino Moreno (born 19 April 1981) is aColombian actress. She gained recognition for her leading titular performance inMaria Full of Grace (2004), which earned her theSilver Bear for Best Actress and a nomination for theAcademy Award in the same category.
Moreno's subsequent film and television credits includeFast Food Nation (2006),Love in the Time of Cholera (2007),Che (2008),The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010),Roa (2013),A Most Violent Year (2014),Falling Skies (2014),American Gothic (2016),Custody (2016),The Affair (2015–2019),The Quarry (2020),Barbarians (2021),From (2022–present),Silent Night (2023), andBallerina (2025).
Catalina Sandino Moreno was born 19 April 1981 inBogotá, Colombia.[1] She grew up in a middle-class family; her father is a veterinarian and her mother a pathologist. She attended an English-taught school,[2] Saint George's School in Bogotá, Colombia. Before becoming an actress, she studied advertising.[1]
In 2004, Sandino Moreno landed a main role in the filmMaria Full of Grace,[1] where she was among 800 other girls casting for the lead role as María Alvarez, a Colombian girl who works in a flower plantation when she was pregnant and then as a drug mule. For her performance in the film, she received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Actress at the77th Academy Awards.[3] For her performance, she also won theSilver Bear for Best Actress at theBerlin International Film Festival, shared withCharlize Theron forMonster.[1]
After the impact of herOscar nomination, Sandino Moreno waited three years for a role that appealed to her.[4] She elaborated in an interview withV magazine[4] that she felt a responsibility – as an actress, Colombian immigrant, and as a person – to perform reality, so that people learn, believing it was important to show people what is happening in the world.[4]
In 2005, Sandino Moreno moved toNew York City to study dramatic arts and to continue with her career success, and was invited to joinAMPAS. In 2006, she played roles in independent filmFast Food Nation,[5] andParis, je t'aime, where she starred as Ana, a young immigrant mother in the segment "Loin du 16e".[5] In 2007, she starred as Hildebranda Sánchez inLove in the Time of Cholera,[5] based onthe 1985 novel byGabriel García Márquez. In 2008, she appeared inSteven Soderbergh'sChe,[5] playing the role ofAleida March de Guevara, the second wife ofErnesto "Che" Guevara, and attended the premiere at the2008 Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, she played the role ofvampire Maria inThe Twilight Saga: Eclipse, adapted from the novel byStephenie Meyer.[5]
After a break in her career, in November 2013, Sandino Moreno was announced to play the title role in the biopicCastro's Daughter, based onAlina Fernández's autobiography of the same name, though the film was not produced.[2] She starred in filmsRoa (2013),[5] and appeared inA Most Violent Year (2014).[5] On October 20, 2014, it was announced that she would be joining thefifth and final season ofFalling Skies in a recurring role as Isabella.[6]
In 2016, Sandino Moreno starred in the TV seriesAmerican Gothic as a recurring character, Christina Morales.[5] In the same year, she returned to the world of cinema in the movieCustody (2016).[7] The film was premiered at theTribeca Film Festival.[7]
In December 2022, Sandino Moreno was announced to join theJohn Wick spin-off filmBallerina as Lena Macarro.[8] In 2023, she played Saya Godluck in theJohn Woo action thrillerSilent Night.[9]
Sandino Moreno was one ofPeople magazine's "50 Most Beautiful Women" in 2005.[10]
Sandino Moreno met motion picture electrician David Elwell while working onMaria Full of Grace. The couple married on 15 April 2006 in a small ceremony held inCartagena de Indias.[11]
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Bridge | Alma Ruiz | 9 episodes |
| 2014 | Red Band Society | Eva Palacios | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | East Los High | Carmen Ramirez[12] | 4 episodes |
| Falling Skies[6] | Isabella | 6 episodes | |
| 2015–2019 | The Affair | Luisa León[13][14] | 29 episodes |
| 2016 | American Gothic | Christina Morales | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | Room 104 | Maria[15] | Episode: "Rogue" |
| 2022–present | From | Tabitha Mathews | Main role[16][17] |
