Catalina Sandino Moreno

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sandino and the second or maternal family name is Moreno.

Catalina Sandino Moreno
Sandino Moreno in 2022
Born	(1981-04-19) 19 April 1981 (age 43) Bogotá, Colombia
Alma mater	Pontifical Xavierian University Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Spouse	David Elwell ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	1

Catalina Sandino Moreno (born 19 April 1981) is a Colombian actress, most notable for receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as sharing the Silver Bear with Charlize Theron, for her performance as lead role in Maria Full of Grace (2004).

Other credits include Fast 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), Silent Night (2023), and Ballerina (2024).

Early life

Sandino Moreno was born 19 April 1981 in Bogotá, 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]

Career

2004–2010

In 2004, she landed a main role in the film Maria 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 the Academy Award for Best Actress.^[3] Also, she won the Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival shared with Charlize Theron,^[1]

After the impact of her Oscar nomination, she waited three years for a role that appealed to her.^[4] She elaborated in an interview with V 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, she moved to New York City to study dramatic arts and for continue with her success career at the moment, and was invited to join AMPAS. In 2006, she played roles in independent film Fast Food Nation,^[5] with Patricia Arquette, and Paris, je t'aime, where she starred as a young immigrant mother in the segment "Loin du 16e".^[5] In 2007, she starred as Hildebranda Sánchez in Love in the Time of Cholera,^[5] based in novel of the same name by Gabriel García Márquez, where she appeared alongside Javier Bardem and Fernanda Montenegro. In 2008, she appeared alongside Benicio del Toro in Steven Soderbergh's Che,^[5] playing the role of Aleida March de Guevara, the second wife of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and attended the premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, she played the role of female Vampire Maria in the Stephenie Meyer-based The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.^[5]

Catalina at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in 2008

2010–present

After a break in her career, in November 2013, she returned to television to play the title role in the biopic Castro's Daughter, based on Alina Fernández’s autobiography of the same name.^[2] She starred in films Roa (2013),^[5] and appeared alongside Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain in A Most Violent Year (2014).^[5] On October 20, 2014, it was announced that she would be joining the final season of Falling Skies in a recurring role as Isabella.^[6]

In 2016, she starred in the TV series American Gothic as a recurring character, Christina Morales.^[5] In the same year, she returned to the world of cinema in the movie Custody (2016),^[7] alongside Viola Davis, the film was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.^[7]

In December 2022, Sandino Moreno was announced to join the John Wick spin-off film Ballerina in an unnamed role.^[8] In 2023, she played Saya Godluck in the John Woo action thriller Silent Night.^[9]

Personal life

Sandino Moreno was one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2005.^[10]

Sandino Moreno met motion picture electrician David Elwell while working on Maria Full of Grace. The couple married on 15 April 2006 in a small ceremony held in Cartagena de Indias.^[11]

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2004	Maria Full of Grace	María Álvarez	Berlin Film Festival Award for Best Actress (Tied with Charlize Theron) Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress Golden India Catalina for Best Actress Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Actor New Promessing Actress OFCS Award Online Film Critics Society Awards Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards New Generation Award Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Golden Space Needle Award Seattle International Film Festival Best Actress Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress[1] Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress Nominated – Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated – SAG Award for best lead actress
2006	Journey to the End of the Night	Angie
	Paris, je t'aime	Ana	(Segment "Loin du 16e")
	Fast Food Nation	Sylvia
	The Hottest State	Sarah
2007	The Heart of the Earth	Blanca Bosco
	Love in the Time of Cholera	Hildebranda Sanchez
2008	Che Part One: The Argentine	Aleida March de Guevara
	Che Part Two: Guerrilla	Aleida March de Guevara
2010	La Siguiente Estación	Eva	Short, executive producer
	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	Maria	Uncredited
2012	For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada	Adriana
2013	Magic Magic	Barbara
	Roa	María de Roa
	A Stranger in Paradise	Jules
	Medeas	Christina
2014	At the Devil's Door	Leigh
	Swelter	Carmen
	A Most Violent Year	Luisa
2016	Custody	Sarah
	Incarnate	Camilla Marquez
2017	The Mystery of Casa Matusita	Lucy
2020	The Quarry	Celia
2021	Barbarians	Eva
2023	Silent Night	Saya Godluck	[9]
2025	From the World of John Wick: Ballerina	TBA
TBA	RIP	TBA	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	The Bridge	Alma Ruiz	Recurring role
2014	Red Band Society	Eva Palacios	Recurring role
2015	East Los High	Eddie's Mom	Recurring role
2015	Falling Skies[6]	Isabella	Recurring role (season 5)
2015–2019	The Affair	Luisa	Main role (seasons 3–4); recurring role (seasons 2 & 5)
2016	American Gothic	Christina Morales	Recurring role
2019	Surveillance	Natalie Reyes
2019	Room 104	Maria	Episode: "Rogue"
2022	From	Tabitha Matthews	Main role

Performer

• "Que Linda Manita" – 2006 (Paris, je t'aime Soundtrack)^[12]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Catalina Sandino Moreno

See also

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations

References

1. Hannah Watkin (July 26, 2023). "Catalina Sandino Moreno. Biography, news, photos and videos". hellomagazine.com.
2. "'Castro's Daughter' Will be Catalina Sandino Moreno". Variety.com. 23 November 2013.
3. "The 77th Academy Awards (2005) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
4. Thomas, Christopher (2006). "Blood & Roses". V Magazine. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2007.
5. "Catalina Sandino Moreno Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
6. Andreeva, Nellie (October 20, 2014). "Catalina Sandino Moreno Joins 'Falling Skies' On TNT". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
7. Mekado Murphy (18 April 2016). "Tribeca Interview: Viola Davis and Catalina Sandino Moreno". nytimes.com.
8. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 7, 2022). "Ana De Armas 'John Wick' Spinoff 'Ballerina' Adds Catalina Sandino Moreno". Deadline. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
9. Galuppo, Mia (April 4, 2022). "Kid Cudi Joins John Woo Action Thriller Silent Night". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
10. "PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful People". People. 2005-04-27. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
11. "Se casó Catalina Sandino, actriz de "María llena eres de gracia"" [Catalina Sandino, actress of "Maria Full of Grace", married]. Caracol Radio (in Spanish). 2006-04-17. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
12. "Paris, je t'aime - Polydor". soundtrack.net. September 25, 2006. Retrieved 7 September 2024.

External links

• Catalina Sandino Moreno at IMDb
• Photos "Cristiada": Catalina Sandino filming in Durango, México Archived 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine