Gael García Bernal

Gael García Bernal

Birth : 1978-11-30, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

History

Gael García Bernal (born 30 November 1978) is a Mexican actor and producer. He is best known for his performances in the films Bad Education, The Motorcycle Diaries (where he played a young Che Guevara), Amores perros, Y tu mamá también, Babel, Coco, and Old, and for his role as Rodrigo de Souza in the Amazon Studios streaming television series Mozart in the Jungle. He and Diego Luna founded Canana Films in Mexico City. García Bernal was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Motorcycle Diaries in 2005, and in 2016 won his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Mozart in the Jungle. In 2016, Time magazine named him in the annual Time 100 most influential people list. In 2020, The New York Times ranked him No. 25 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century.

Profile

Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal

Movies

Another End
Sal
Set in a near-future when a new technology exists that can put the consciousness of a dead person back into a living body, in an attempt to ease the grief of separation, providing a little extra time to say goodbye.
The Mother
A deadly female assassin who comes out of hiding to protect the daughter that she gave up years before, while on the run from dangerous men.
Cassandro
Saúl Armendáriz / Cassandro
Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, rises to international stardom after he creates the ‘exotico’ character Cassandro, the ‘Liberace of Lucha Libre.’ In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life.
This One Summer
Thiago
Every summer, 10-year-old Dune goes with her parents to the south-west coast of France, where she meets her best friend Mathilde. Together, they explore pine forests, contemplate the shape of clouds, follow teenagers and crash their parties, and secretly watch horror films. But this one summer is special for Dune – last year, the family skipped their usual holiday without her knowing why. She feels that something has changed. As childhood becomes a little more distant, she begins to see adults and teenagers differently and understand their secrets.
Director by Night
Self
Acclaimed composer Michael Giacchino made his directorial debut with Marvel Studios' Special Presentation "Werewolf by Night." This behind-the-scenes special explores Giacchino's vision, style and approach to bringing the chilling story to life, as well as offering an insider's look at the between-the-scenes making of "Werewolf by Night."
Werewolf by Night
Jack Russell
On a dark and somber night, a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader. In a strange and macabre memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Old
Guy
A group of families on a tropical holiday discover that the secluded beach where they are staying is somehow causing them to age rapidly – reducing their entire lives into a single day.
Wasp Network
Viramontez
Havana, Cuba, 1990. René González, an airplane pilot, unexpectedly flees the country, leaving behind his wife Olga and his daughter Irma, and begins a new life in Miami, where he becomes a member of an anti-Castro organization.
It Must Be Heaven
Gael García Bernal
Filmmaker Elia Suleiman travels to different cities and finds unexpected parallels to his homeland of Palestine.
Lorena, Light-footed Woman
Executive Producer
A young woman of the Tarahumara, well-known for their extraordinary long distance running abilities, wins ultramarathons seemingly out of nowhere despite running in sandals.
Ema
Gastón
Ema is a magnetic and impulsive dancer in a reggaeton troupe. Her toxic marriage to choreographer Gastón is beyond repair, following a decision to give up on their adopted child Polo. She sets out on a mission to get him back, not caring who she’ll need to fight, seduce or destroy to make it happen.
Birders
Executive Producer
Bird watchers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border share their enthusiasm for protecting and preserving some of the world's most beautiful species.
Chicuarotes
Producer
Cagalera and Moloteco are two teenagers from San Gregorio Atlapulco who are desperate to get out and move up and away from oppressive circumstances. When they hear of an opportunity to buy a spot in the electrician’s union, which could transform their lives, they quickly devolve into the criminal, adult underworld of Mexico City in a bid to buy their freedom.
Chicuarotes
Director
Cagalera and Moloteco are two teenagers from San Gregorio Atlapulco who are desperate to get out and move up and away from oppressive circumstances. When they hear of an opportunity to buy a spot in the electrician’s union, which could transform their lives, they quickly devolve into the criminal, adult underworld of Mexico City in a bid to buy their freedom.
A 3 Minute Hug
Executive Producer
As daylight breaks between the border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico, undocumented migrants and their relatives, divided by a wall, prepare to participate in an activist event. For three minutes, they’ll embrace in no man’s land for the briefest and sweetest of reunions.
The Kindergarten Teacher
Simon
Lisa Spinelli is a Staten Island teacher who is unusually devoted to her students. When she discovers one of her five-year-olds is a prodigy, she becomes fascinated with the boy, ultimately risking her family and freedom to nurture his talent.
The Accused
Mario Elmo
Dolores lived the life of a higher-class student until her best friend was found brutally murdered. Two years later, she’s the only indicted suspect for a crime that attracts a lot of media attention and has placed her in the center of the public eye. Dolores spends her days preparing for the trial, secluded in her house as her parents work as a team ready to do anything to defend their daughter. The best lawyer is not enough, they obsessively control around her: how she looks, what she does, eats and who she sees. But as the trial moves forward and pressure grows, suspicion and secrets emerge within the family. Cornered, increasingly isolated and just when any mistake could prove disastrous, Dolores puts the entire strategy at risk.
Museo
Juan Núñez
Mexico, 1985. Juan and Wilson, two perennial Veterinary students, perpetrate an audacious heist in the National Museum of Anthropology, running away with a loot of more than hundred invaluable pieces of Mayan art, unaware of the consequences of their outrageous act.
If You Saw His Heart
Daniel
Cast out of his insular community, a damaged and down on his luck man teeters between a life of crime and the path to redemption.
Coco
Héctor (voice)
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.
Zama
Executive Producer
In a remote South American colony in the late 18th century, officer Zama of the Spanish crown waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. He suffers small humiliations and petty politicking as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia.
Dante's Lunch
Héctor (voice)
Every dog has his day, but poor Dante can't seem to catch a break.
Not Yet Titled
Rodrigo De Souza
After an 87 day labor dispute the New York Symphony Orchestra returned to play music. This is the story of that day.
Salt and Fire
Executive Producer
A scientist blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America. But when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting, they must unite to avoid a disaster.
Salt and Fire
Dr. Fabio Cavani
A scientist blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America. But when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting, they must unite to avoid a disaster.
You're Killing Me Susana
Eligio
An actor's world comes crashing down after he learns that his wife has left him.
Neruda
Oscar Peluchoneau
It’s 1948 and the Cold War has arrived in Chile. In the Congress, prominent Communist Senator and popular poet Pablo Neruda accuses the government of betraying the Party and is stripped of his parliamentary immunity by President González Videla. The Chief of Investigative Police instructs inspector Óscar Peluchonneau to arrest the poet. Neruda tries to escape from the country with his wife, the painter Delia del Carril, but they are forced to go underground.
Madly
Screenplay
Madly explores love in all its permutations in six short films from a vibrant group of filmmakers representing Japan, Argentina, the UK, the US, India, and Australia. All forms of love are on display in this anthology. And all manners of feelings expressed from jubilance to depression are done so strongly.
Madly
Story
Madly explores love in all its permutations in six short films from a vibrant group of filmmakers representing Japan, Argentina, the UK, the US, India, and Australia. All forms of love are on display in this anthology. And all manners of feelings expressed from jubilance to depression are done so strongly.
Madly
Director
Madly explores love in all its permutations in six short films from a vibrant group of filmmakers representing Japan, Argentina, the UK, the US, India, and Australia. All forms of love are on display in this anthology. And all manners of feelings expressed from jubilance to depression are done so strongly.
The Empty Classroom
Director
Eleven award winning directors explore why nearly one out of every two students in Latin America never graduates high school.
Eva Doesn't Sleep
Massera
In 1952, Argentina's beloved First Lady, Eva Perón, died of cancer at the age of thirty-three. A renowned embalmer was commissioned by the grieving Juan Perón to preserve her body for display, and Argentines flocked to be near "Evita". Three years later, when his government was overthrown by a military coup, Perón fled the country before he could make arrangements for the transportation of his wife's body. The military junta now in control kidnapped the corpse; so afraid were they of Eva's symbolic power that they even made it illegal to utter her name.
Zoom
Edward
A multi-dimensional interface between a comic book artist, a novelist, and a film director. Each lives in a separate reality but authors a story about one of the others.
The Chosen Ones
Executive Producer
Sofia, 14 years old, is in love with Ulises. Because of him, in spite of him, she is forced into a prostitution network in Mexico. To set her free, Ulises will have to find another girl to replace her. Adapted from Jorge Volpi’s novel, set in the world of juvenile prostitution.
Desierto
Moises
A group of Mexican emigrants attempts to cross the Mexican-US border. What begins as a hopeful journey becomes a harrowing, bloody and primal fight for survival when a deranged, rifle-toting vigilante and his loyal Belgian Malinois dog chase the group of unarmed men and women through the treacherous borderland. In the harsh, unforgiving desert terrain, the odds are stacked firmly against them as they discover there’s nowhere to hide from the unrelenting, merciless killer.
Leagues
Creative Director
Moving between classrooms – static interiors and roaring, raucous exteriors – Leagues explores the subject of academic exclusion in native communities. Named after an archaic unit of measurement, Martel's postcolonial film depicts how education, though a social tool, can also create division and discrimination.
Leagues
Producer
Moving between classrooms – static interiors and roaring, raucous exteriors – Leagues explores the subject of academic exclusion in native communities. Named after an archaic unit of measurement, Martel's postcolonial film depicts how education, though a social tool, can also create division and discrimination.
The Visible Hand
Director
Romina goes to Silvina's to give her a haircut. They met through an online platform that connects people offering and looking for services of all kinds.
Rosewater
Maziar Bahari
In 2009, Iranian Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari was covering Iran's volatile elections for Newsweek. One of the few reporters living in the country with access to US media, he made an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in a taped interview with comedian Jason Jones. The interview was intended as satire, but if the Tehran authorities got the joke they didn't like it - and it would quickly came back to haunt Bahari when he was rousted from his family home and thrown into prison.
The Ardor
Kaí
Kaí is a mysterious shaman who emerges from the Rio Paraná to help a poor farmer and his daughter, who are threatened by a band of cold-blooded mercenaries hired to force them to sell their land.
Paradise
Executive Producer
Carmen and Alfredo live a happy, quiet life in the suburbs surrounded by friends and family. After Alfredo receives a promotion, the two move away to Mexico City where they immediately feel the social pressure of being overweight in a bustling metropolis full of beautiful people. Taking the initiative, Carmen convinces her husband to join her in losing weight, but their relationship is put to the test when Alfredo’s program yields far better results than Carmen’s. From award-winning director Marianna Chenillo comes a touching comedy about how true beauty comes from the inside and paradise is closer to home than you might think.
Who Is Dayani Cristal?
Himself
An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for identity leads us back across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo.
Who Is Dayani Cristal?
Producer
An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for identity leads us back across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo.
Vamps
Diego Bardem
The modern-day story focuses on two beautiful young vampires who are living the good nightlife in New York until love enters the picture and each has to make a choice that will jeopardize their immortality.
No
René Saaverdra
In 1988, Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet, due to international pressure, is forced to call a plebiscite on his presidency. The country will vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Pinochet extending his rule for another eight years. Opposition leaders for the ‘No’ vote persuade a brash young advertising executive, René Saavedra, to spearhead their campaign. Against all odds, with scant resources and while under scrutiny by the despot’s minions, Saavedra and his team devise an audacious plan to win the election and set Chile free.
The Loneliest Planet
Alex
Backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains, walking for hours, an engaged couple and their tour guide trade anecdotes and play games to pass the time, until a momentary misstep, that takes only two or three seconds, changes everything.
Casa De Mi Padre
Onza
Scheming of a way to save their father's ranch, the Alvarez brothers find themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord.
Miss Bala
Executive Producer
The story of a young woman clinging on to her dream to become a beauty contest queen in a Mexico dominated by organized crime.
A Little Bit of Heaven
Julian Goldstein
A guarded woman who finds out she's dying of cancer but, when she meets her match, the threat of falling in love is scarier than death.
Even the Rain
Sebastián
As a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.
Los Invisibles
Director
This short documentary reviews the lives and experiences of mexican and centroamerican migrants as they try to reach the US border.
Los Invisibles
Self
This short documentary reviews the lives and experiences of mexican and centroamerican migrants as they try to reach the US border.
José & Pilar
Self
A deeply moving story about love, loss and literature, this documentary follows the days of José Saramago, the Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, and his wife, Pilar del Río. The film shows their whirlwind life of international travel, his passion for completing his masterpiece "The Elephant's Journey", and how their love quietly sustains them throughout.
Hidalgo, Frenesí de Libertad
Narrator
Heroes of Flesh and Bones
Revolución
Director
Made up of 10 short films, 'Revolucion' analyzes through the eyes of the directors what is the revolution today and what it means to the young minds of Mexico.
Letters to Juliet
Victor
An American girl on vacation in Italy finds an unanswered "letter to Juliet" -- one of thousands of missives left at the fictional lover's Verona courtyard, which are typically answered by the "secretaries of Juliet" -- and she goes on a quest to find the lovers referenced in the letter.
The Limits of Control
Mexican
A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness.
Sin Nombre
Executive Producer
Sayra, a Honduran teen, hungers for a better life. Her chance for one comes when she is reunited with her long-estranged father, who intends to emigrate to Mexico and then enter the United States. Sayra's life collides with a pair of Mexican gangmembers who have boarded the same American-bound train.
Mammoth
Leo Vidales
While on a trip to Thailand, a successful American businessman tries to radically change his life. Back in New York, his wife and daughter find their relationship with their live-in Filipino maid changing around them. At the same time, in the Philippines, the maid's family struggles to deal with her absence.
Rudo & Cursi
Tato
Two brothers living a hard life of manual labor in rural Mexico have a simple dream: saving enough money to build their mother her dream house. But fate has other plans. A friendly game of soccer leads to first Rudo, then to Cursi being taken on by the nation’s top talent scout. Suddenly, they find themselves living the high life of star athletes: fame, fortune, fast cars and beautiful women.
8
Director
8 shorts centered around 8 themes directed by 8 famous film directors involved and sharing their opinion on progress, on the set-backs and the challenges our planet faces today.
Blindness
Bartender / King of Ward Three
When a sudden plague of blindness devastates a city, a small group of the afflicted band together to triumphantly overcome the horrific conditions of their imposed quarantine.
Chevolution
Examines the history and legacy of the photo Guerrillero Heroico taken by famous Cuban photographer Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez. This image has thrived for the decades since Che Guevara's death and has evolved into an iconic image, which represents a multitude of ideals. The documentary film explores the story of how the photo came to be, its adoption of multiple interpretations and meanings, as well as the commercialization of the image of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
The Past
Rímini
After 12 years, Sofía and Rímini decided to separate. While Rímini finds it easy to move on and start a new life, Sofía stays stuck in the past and constantly harasses him. She reappears again and again on Rímini's horizon to reconquer him, torture him or redeem him.
La santa muerte
Narrator
In Mexico there is a cult that is rapidly growing- the cult of Saint Death. This female grim reaper, considered a saint by followers but Satanic by the Catholic Church, is worshiped by people whose lives are filled with danger and/or violence- criminals, gang members, transvestites, sick people, drug addicts, and families living in rough neighborhoods. "La Santa Muerte" examines the origins of the cult and takes us on a tour of the altars, jails, and neighborhoods in Mexico where the saint's most devoted followers can be found.
Déficit
Cristobal
Déficit follows one day of crisis in the life of Cristobal (Gael Garcia Bernal), a spoilt, rich kid throwing a party for his friends at his parents' luxurious villa. A big fence and a live-in staff of servants are there to shield Cristobal from the harsher realities of life, while his younger sister Elisa (Camila Sodi), there with her own crowd, uses drugs as her chosen means of escape. There are, however, some realities that cannot be kept at bay forever, like the reason behind their parents' prolonged absence, the gradual breakdown in the villa's amenities, and Cristobal's dwindling university prospects.
Déficit
Director
Déficit follows one day of crisis in the life of Cristobal (Gael Garcia Bernal), a spoilt, rich kid throwing a party for his friends at his parents' luxurious villa. A big fence and a live-in staff of servants are there to shield Cristobal from the harsher realities of life, while his younger sister Elisa (Camila Sodi), there with her own crowd, uses drugs as her chosen means of escape. There are, however, some realities that cannot be kept at bay forever, like the reason behind their parents' prolonged absence, the gradual breakdown in the villa's amenities, and Cristobal's dwindling university prospects.
Babel
Santiago
In Babel, a tragic incident involving an American couple in Morocco sparks a chain of events for four families in different countries throughout the world. In the struggle to overcome isolation, fear, and displacement, each character discovers that it is family that ultimately provides solace. In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couples frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo. Separated by clashing cultures and sprawling distances, each of these four disparate groups of people are nevertheless hurtling towards a shared destiny of isolation and grief.
Drama/Mex
Executive Producer
Two stories unfold over the same long, hot day in Acapulco. The first involves Fernanda, who is forced to deal with the emergence of her ex-lover. Her boyfriend must compete with the sexual tension they share. The second concerns Jamie, a worker attempting suicide, until a girl disrupts his plan.
The King
Elvis
A motiveless malignancy? Elvis leaves the Navy and heads for Texas where he contacts his father, whom he's never met, the pastor at a Christian community church. Pastor Dave tells Elvis to stay away and, without telling his family that Elvis is his son from a pre-conversion liaison, tells them to have nothing to do with him. But Elvis has already connected with Malerie, the pastor's 16-year old daughter. Elvis embarks on the seduction of Malerie, while Dave examines his conscience and comes to a new conclusion. Can anyone get right with the Lord? Does the Lord hear?
The Science of Sleep
Stéphane
A man entranced by his dreams and imagination is lovestruck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.
Bad Education
Ángel/Juan/Zahara
Two children, Ignacio and Enrique, know love, the movies and fear in a religious school at the beginning of the 1960s. Father Manolo, director of the school and its professor of literature, is witness to and part of these discoveries. The three are followed through the next few decades, their reunion marking life and death.
The Motorcycle Diaries
Ernesto Guevara de la Serna
Based on the journals of Che Guevara, leader of the Cuban Revolution. In his memoirs, Guevara recounts adventures he and best friend Alberto Granado had while crossing South America by motorcycle in the early 1950s.
Traveling with Che Guevara
Che
In 1952, Ernesto Guevara, then a medical student aged 23, and his friend Alberto Granado, a biologist of 29, began a long journey through the South American continent. During their tour, which began with an old motorcycle to continue after hitchhiking, they witnessed the harsh living conditions of the population of the countries they travelled. Guevara, soon to be known as Che, recorded his impressions in a diary. In 2002, the Brazilian director Walter Salles began shooting a film about that odyssey, "The Motorcycle Diaries". This documentary follows the making of that movie in detail, incorporating interviews with various participants.
Dreaming of Julia
Ricky
The year is 1958, and in Holguín, Cuba, a boy's world is about to change forever.
Dot the I
Kit Winter
Young lovers in London are wrapped up in a love triangle that may not be exactly what it seems. Carmen, a beautiful Spanish woman with a tendency to lose her temper at the drop of a hat, is about to be married to Barnaby, a caring, wealthy, but slightly boring Englishman. While out with friends on her 'hen night' she encounters a stranger who suddenly sparks a passion that has been sleeping within her. As her wedding date approaches, she finds herself struggling to put this newcomer out of her mind, but his effect on her keeps growing stronger. What is it that he sees in her, and why does she feel like she's being pushed inevitably into his arms?
The Crime of Padre Amaro
Padre Amaro
Sent to Mexico to help take care of aging Father Benito, young Father Amaro faces a moral challenge when he meets a 16-year-old girl who he starts an affair with. Likewise, the girl's mother had been having an affair with Father Benito. Father Amaro must choose between a holy or sinful life.
I'm with Lucy
Gabriel
It's an hour before Lucy's wedding and her best friend wants to hear all about what led up to that moment. So, Lucy tells about the five men she had blind dates with over the past year (Doug, Gabriel, Bobby, Barry, and Luke) and her experiences with each one. But which one of the five men is Lucy about to walk down the aisle with?
Fidel
Che Guevara
Fidel Castro rises to power in Cuba.
Don't Tempt Me
Davenport
Two angels, one from the heaven and one from the hell, come to earth to save the soul of a boxer.
The Last Post
Jose Francisco
October 1982: War is waged between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands. A British soldier stumbles upon an Argentinean soldier. They share a few minutes of uneasy respite before national hostilities re-emerge.
Y Tu Mamá También
Julio Zapata
In Mexico, two teenage boys and an attractive older woman embark on a road trip and learn a thing or two about life, friendship, sex, and each other.
Vidas privadas
Gustavo 'Gana' Bertolini
Carmen Uranga is a 42 year-old woman who after 20 years jurisdiction of her native country (Argentina), she returns to solve a family problem related with the inheritance that her sick father wants to leave him. Their return trip results in the unavoidable memories of the torture that that was object during the dictatorship and a dramatic revelation.
The Eye on the Nape
Pablo
This is the story of Pablo, a young uruguayan exiled in México, whose father was disappeared during the military dictatorship.
Behind the Scenes of 'Y Tu Mamá También'
Self
On-set documentary about the making of the film "Y tu mamá también."
Amores Perros
Octavio
A fatalistic car crash in Mexico city sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people: a supermodel, a young man wanting to run off with his sister-in-law, and a homeless man. Their lives are catapulted into unforeseen situations instigated by the seemingly inconsequential destiny of a dog.
De Tripas, Corazón
The coming-of-age story of young milkboy Martín (García Bernal). While his friends Jesús (Altomaro) and Roberto (Mora) are cocky and apparently they have a lot of experience in sex, young Martín is shy, quiet and virgin. Everything changes when the young cocky boys want to prove they're men and go to a brothel without Martín.
Holland, Michigan
A Midwestern schoolteacher begins to suspect that her husband’s cheating on her, so she enlists the help of a fellow teacher to catch him in the act, which leads her to discover her husband's dark secret life.
The Letter
Director
Part of the film "8", Gael García Bernal delivers a film on universal education.
Z
Zorro
The western frontier reemerges. And as in the past, a hero answers the people's cry for justice.