Catalina Sandino Moreno
Birthdate: Apr 19, 1981
Birthplace: Bogotá, Colombia
Catalina Sandino Moreno made one of the most dramatic and acclaimed feature debuts of any Latin American actor in recent decades with her acclaimed Spanish-language performance in writer-director Joshua Marston’s drama, Maria Full of Grace (2004), premiering at the Berlin Film Festival and with Sandino Moreno receiving wins ranging from Berlin’s best actress Silver Bear and the Independent Spirit best actress prize to the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation award. Sandino Moreno played support in writer-director Eric Eason’s indie thriller, Journey to the End of Night (2006), with Brendan Fraser, Mos Def, Alice Braga, and Scott Glenn, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Sandino Moreno starred in the segment directed by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas, Loin du 16e, in the anthology movie, Paris, je t’aime (2006), and then played a fine supporting role in Richard Linklater’s acclaimed adaptation of Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation (2006), with Patricia Arquette, Luis Guzman, Ethan Hawke, Ashley Johnson, Greg Kinnear, Kris Kristofferson, Wilmer Valderrama, Bobby Cannavale, and Paul Dano, and released by Fox Searchlight in the U.S. Catalina Sandino Moreno reunited with Ethan Hawke (as writer-director, and support) as co-star of the drama, The Hottest State (2006), with Mark Webber, Michelle Williams, and Laura Linney, and premiering at the Venice film festival.
After starring in the Spain-U.K.-Portugal production, The Heart of the Earth (2007), Sandino Moreno co-starred in the anticipated adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novel, Love in the Time of Cholera (2007), joining the cast of Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt, Hector Elizondo, Liev Schreiber, Fernanda Montenegro, Laura Harring, and John Leguizamo, under Mike Newell’s direction.
Catalina Sandino Moreno played a major supporting role in Steven Soderbergh’s two-part biopic epic, Che (2008), starring Benicio del Toro, with Demian Bichir, Rodrigo Santoro, Edgar Ramirez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Joaquim de Almeida, and Matt Damon, and premiering in the Cannes film festival before grossing a weak $43 million globally.
After a supporting role in the $12-million-budgeted epic, For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012), Sandino Moreno joined the ensemble of Juno Temple, Emily Browning, and Michael Cera in Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva’s Magic Magic (2013), premiering in the U.S. at Sundance and internationally at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight section.
After turns in minor projects such as the Colombian movie, Roa (2013), and the Thailand-shot A Stranger in Paradise (2013), Catalina Sandino Moreno co-starred in Italian filmmaker Andrea Pallaoro’s acclaimed Greek tragedy adaptation, Medeas (2013), with Brian F. O’Byrne, and premiering in competition at the Venice film festival.
Sandino then starred in writer-director Nicholas McCarthy’s horror movie, At the Devil’s Door (2014), with Naya Rivera and Ashley Rickards, premiering at SXSW film festival and released by IFC Films. Sandino Moreno joined the distinguished cast of Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, and Albert Brooks in writer-director J.C. Chandor’s fine crime drama, A Most Violent Year (2014), which, while failing at the box office in an A24 release, earned stellar reviews and multiple prizes, including best film from the National Board of Review.
Sandino Moreno co-starred with Aaron Eckhart and Carice van Houten in the Brad Peyton-directed horror movie, Incarnate (2016), and produced under the Blumhouse Productions banner for a good $9 million return. Another good cast welcomed Sandino Moreno for the drama, The Quarry (2020), with Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, and Bruno Bichir under the direction of co-writer Scott Teems, and which was released by Lionsgate after the film’s slated SXSW premiere was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catalina Sandino Moreno again joined a horror movie project, this time from writer-director Charles Dorfman, the U.K.-produced Barbarians (2021), starring Iwan Rheon, Tom Cullen, Will Kemp, and Connor Swindells, and released by IFC Midnight after a Fantastic Film festival premiere. Sandino Moreno was cast opposite Joel Kinnaman, Scott Mescudi, and Harold Torres by veteran Hong Kong director, John Woo, in the dialogue-free revenge drama, Silent Night (2023), released by Lionsgate.
For the John Wick spinoff, Ballerina (2024), Catalina Sandino Moreno co-starred with the colorful cast of Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves, under Len Wiseman’s direction for Summit Entertainment and distributor Lionsgate.
Personal Details
Catalina Sandino Moreno was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia by Raul Moreno (veterinarian) and Martha Moreno (pathologist). Sandino Moreno has a brother, Nicolas. Sandino Moreno schooled at St. George’s School in Bogota and then majored in advertising at the Bogota-based Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. Subsequently, Sandino Moreno studied acting in Bogota. Sandino Moreno has been married to camera crew specialist David Elwell since 2006; the couple has one child.
Filmography
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- 2023 | Silent NightasSaya Godlock
Silent Night
A grieving father enacts his long-awaited revenge against a ruthless gang on Christmas Eve.
- 2022 | BarbariansasEva
Barbarians
A dinner party in a country house that sees four friends come together for a birthday celebration. But as the night progresses secrets emerge and unsettling events begin to unfold around them.
Some Facts About Catalina Sandino Moreno
Firsts: Catalina Sandino Moreno is the first Colombian citizen nominated for an Oscar, and the first actor nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for a role spoken entirely in Spanish.
