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Paz Vega was born on January 2, 1976, in Seville, the Spanish town famous for Carmen and singing barbers. The slender and athletic Paz first dreamed of being a sports star and later took interest in politics. At age 15, all it took was a day at the theater to cement her ambitions; a performance of La Casa de Bernarda Alba set her sights on acting for good.

At 16, Paz left school and patiently waited for the prestigious Centro Andaluz de Teatro acting school to accept her. After two years at the acting school and another two studying journalism, Paz moved to Madrid, where she sought fame. She changed her name to Paz Vega (her grandmother's last name) and worked in bars while auditioning for every acting job she could.

Paz's first big jobs came on TV, where she appeared in three episodes of the Spanish series Menudo es mi padre, and in two other series, Mas que amigos and Companeros. In 1999, Paz got her first major movie role in Zapping, in which she played a hot sex-loving vixen who snagged another woman's husband. That same year, she had a minor part in Sobrevivire (I Will Survive), which got people noticing her.

Paz then returned to television with the career-making role of Laura in the series, 7 vidas. It was this role that endeared her to all of Spain. Filmmaker Mateo Gil liked Paz so much that he gave her a major part in his movie Nadie conoce a nadie (Nobody Knows Anybody, 1999). As she juggled TV and movies, she quickly learned the inner workings of the film industry.

Movie director Julio Medem saw her potential and asked Vega to leave her TV role to dedicate herself to his new project. His film would be provocative, steamy and sensual, so he needed just the right actress. In 2001, Lucia y el sexo (Sex and Lucia) hit theaters. It told the story, in graphic and lurid detail, of an innocent girl who slowly discovers her sexuality. Paz appeared nude, acting with her whole body in a gush of sensuality. Sex and Lucia became an international hit and won Paz a Goya, Spain's biggest movie award, for Best New Actress.

With the success of Sex and Lucia, Vega was courted by the biggest names in the film industry. Spain's most important director, Pedro Almodovar, gave her a part in his award-winning film Hable con ella (Talk to Her, 2002). Soon after, she was seen in the musical romantic comedy, El otro lado de la cama (The Other Side of the Bed, 2002).

After two more movies, including a rendition of Carmen in 2003, Paz started being coveted abroad. James L. Brooks, of The Simpsons and As Good as It Gets, signed her for his new directing project, a comedy called Spanglish, with Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni. This movie will no doubt raise her profile in the U.S. and she will hopefully be seen in more American movies. After Spanglish, Paz can be seen in 2005's Un angel en la oscuridad in the pipeline.

Paz Vega currently lives in Madrid, Spain with husband Orson Salazar.

Paz Vega Filmography

Ángel en la oscuridad, Un (2005) .... Adriana
Spanglish (2004) .... Flor
Di que sí (2004) .... Estrella
Carmen (2003) .... Carmen
Novo (2002) .... Isabelle
Otro lado de la cama, El (aka Wrong Side of the Bed, The, aka Other Side of the Bed, The) (2002) .... Sonia
Hable con ella (aka Talk to Her) (2002) .... Amparo
Sólo mía (aka Mine Alone) (2001) .... Angela
Lucía y el sexo (aka Sex and Lucia) (2001) .... Lucía
Chico en la puerta, El (aka Wrinkle Movie) (2000)
"7 vidas" (1999) TV Series .... Laura Arteagabeitia (1999-2000)
Zapping (1999) .... Elvira
Nadie conoce a nadie (aka Nobody Knows Anybody) (1999) .... Ariadna
Sobreviviré (aka I Will Survive) (1999) .... Azafata
"Compañeros" (1998) TV Series .... Luz (1998)
Perdón, perdón (1998) .... María
"Más que amigos" (1997) TV Series .... Olga

En Español

Paz quería ser deportista de niña y un poco más tarde estudiar políticas, hasta que un día fue a ver una representación de "La casa de Bernarda Alba" y entonces todo cambió. Decidió luchar por ser actriz, pero con tan sólo dieciséis años debía acabar previamente sus estudios.

Tuvo la paciencia necesaria para aguardar hasta que el Centro Andaluz de Teatro la admitiera y mientras tanto creó un grupo de teatro y dirigió "La bella Dorotea" de Miguel Mihura. Con sus dos años en el C.A.T. y otros dos de periodismo, Paz se plantó en Madrid y a la par que servía copas en bares diversos asistía a todos los castings de los que tenía noticias. La oportunidad le llegó en forma de serie televisiva; su título: "Menudo es mi padre", donde colaboró en tres capítulos.

Luego, la producción de Globo Media "Más que amigos" le ofrece su segunda alternativa. Después vinieron capitulos sueltos de la serie: "compañeros." Su primera incursión cinematográfica le vino de la mano de Chumilla Carbajosa y su película: "Zapping". Más tarde "Sobreviviré" de Menkes y Albacete, y un poco después la serie de gran calidad "Siete vidas" producida por Telecinco, le brinda dar vida a la ingenua y pizpireta "Laura", prima sevillana de Toni Cantó. A la par, Mateo Gil le pide colaborar en su primera película como director: "Nadie conoce a nadie". Paz interpreta a "Ariadna", novia de Eduardo Noriega

La experiencia de combinar serie y película le resultó agotadora, tanto es así que tras cincuenta y dos capítulos y con el ánimo ansioso de cambios, Paz decide dejar la serie al llamar Julio Medem a su puerta ofreciéndola un papel protagonista en su película: "Lucía y el sexo", aún pendiente de estreno. Paz afirma que "el género que más le seduce es el cine porque el apartado técnico en conjunto le fascina", y sin duda debe ser así ya que en cualquier momento Paz dirigirá un par de cortos escritos por ella misma.

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