Born March 1, 1969, Javier Angel Encinas Bardem is the youngest member of a family of Spanish actors. His mother, Pilar Bardem, has appeared in several of her son's films. Javier acted in his first film at age 6 in "El Picaro" (aka "The Scoundrel").

Bardem first attained recognition in the 1990s by starring in such films as Pedro Almodovar's "Live Flesh" and "Jamon Jamon," for which he was nominated for a Goya.

In1995, Bardem showed off his comedic talents in "Boca a Boca" ("Mouth-to-Mouth"), playing a struggling actor who gets a job as a phone sex operator.

For his portrayal as David in the romance thriller "Carne Tremula," or "Live Flesh," Bardem was nominated for a Goya for Best Actor and for the European Film Award for Best Actor.

Javier made his first brief appearance in a major Hollywood film as a crime lord in "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise.

Javier received his first Best Actor Academy Award nomination in 2000 for his role in "Before Night Falls," as Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas. Shortly after, he turned down the role of Danny Witwer, which later went to Colin Farrell.

In 2004, Javier won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his role in "Mar Adentro," released in the US as "The Sea Inside." The film was based on the real-life story of a quadriplegic named Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 29-year campaign in support of assisted suicide.

In John Malkovich's directorial debut, "The Dancer Upstairs," Javier Bardem is Detective Agustin Rejas, who hunts down a revolutionary guerilla leader and ends up falling in love with a beautiful ballet teacher.

The 2002 Spanish film "Mondays in the Sun," or "Los Lunes al Sol," won five Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Lead Actor. The film revolves around a run-down shipyard town in Northern Spain and the harsh effects of unemployment.

In his most memorable film, Javier was cast as sociopathic killer Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers' film, "No Country for Old Men." Bardem won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor to add to his impressive collection of thirteen awards for the film.

Javier Bardem's life work was honored at the 2007 Gotham Awards in New York City.

Javier co-starred with Natalie Portman in the 2006 Spanish/American Film "Goyas Ghosts," a dramatic period piece based on the French Revolution that takes place in 1792 Spain.

Starring alongside Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall, Javier acted in his first Woody Allen comedy/drama film, "Vicky Christina Barcelona." Again, the gifted Mr. Bardem was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male and as Best Actor at the Golden Globes.

Derived from the best-selling novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Bardem appeared in Mike Newell's 19th-century film, "Love in the Time of Cholera," which received mixed reviews.

In the popular memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert called "Eat Pray Love," Julia Roberts falls for Javier's character on her soul-searching journey through Bali.

The film "Biutiful," directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, has been nominated for two Academy Awards - one for Best Foreign Language Film and the other for Best Actor. The title of the film refers to the way native Spanish speakers hear the word in English.

Bardem took home the award for Best Actor at The Goya Awards on February 13, 2011. Upon accepting his fifth Goya, Bardem wholeheartedly said, "I receive it as a warm hug and support from my colleagues, which is the most important for an actor. I dedicate it to my wife and son for awakening my heart and smile every day."