Elena Anaya Gutiérrez born 17 July 1975 is a Spanish actress whose career started in 1995. She starred alongside Antonio Banderas in Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In, for which she won the Goya award for Best Actress. She is also known for her roles in Van Helsing, Habitación en Roma (Room in Rome) and Doctor Poison in Wonder Woman.
Early life
Anaya was born in Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain. She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Elena (Nena), is a housewife who later owned a boarding house in Palencia. Her father, Juan José Anaya Gómez (1934–2011), was an industrial engineer.
Career
Anaya first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Sex and Lucía. She also had a small part in Almodóvar’s Talk to Her.
Her best-known Hollywood film role was as Aleera, one of Dracula’s brides in 2004’s Van Helsing. That same year, Anaya was named as one of European films’ Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion.
In 2006, Anaya appeared in Justin Timberlake’s music video for his single, “SexyBack”.
Anaya at the 2010 Malaga Film Festival
After some “quiet” years playing supporting roles in international films such as Savage Grace and Cairo Time, Anaya roared back into prominence with a starring role in 2010’s Room in Rome, and then a return to Almodóvar in The Skin I Live In.
In 2017, Anaya appeared as Doctor Poison in a superhero blockbuster film, Wonder Woman.
Personal life
In August 2011, Spanish tabloid magazine Cuore published photographs of Anaya kissing director Beatriz Sanchís at a naturist beach in Menorca. They were reportedly in a relationship from 2008 to 2013.
In November 2016, it was announced that Anaya was expecting her first child with her partner, Tina Afugu Cordero, a costume designer. In February 2017, Anaya gave birth to their son.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Adiós Naboelk | Amiga |
| 1996 | África | África |
| 1997 | Grandes ocasiones | Susy |
| Familia | Luna | |
| 1998 | Finisterre, donde termina el mundo | Laura |
| Lágrimas negras | Alicia | |
| 1999 | Las huellas borradas | Rosa |
| 2000 | El árbol del penitente | Sonsoles |
| El invierno de las anjanas | Adelaida | |
| 2001 | Lucía y el sexo | Belén |
| 2002 | Sin noticias de Dios | Pili |
| La habitación azul | Ana | |
| Rencor | Esther | |
| Hable con ella | Ángela | |
| 2003 | Dos tipos duros | Tatiana |
| 2004 | Van Helsing | Aleera |
| Ana y Manuel | Ana | |
| 2005 | Fragile | Helen Perez |
| Dead Fish | Mimi | |
| 2006 | Alatriste | Angélica de Alquézar |
| Stage Kiss | Natalia | |
| 2007 | Savage Grace | Blanca |
| Miguel & William | Leonor | |
| In the Land of Women | Sofia Buñuel | |
| 2008 | Sólo quiero caminar | Ana Rodríguez |
| Mesrine: L’Instinct De Mort | Sofia | |
| 2009 | Hierro | María |
| Cairo Time | Kathryn | |
| 2010 | Room in Rome | Alba |
| Point Blank | Nadia Pierret | |
| 2011 | The Skin I Live In | Vera Cruz |
| 2012 | Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony | Narrator |
| 2013 | Pensé que iba a haber fiesta | Ana |
| 2014 | Todos están muertos | Lupe |
| 2015 | Lejos del mar | Marina |
| La memoria del agua | Amanda | |
| Swung | Alice | |
| 2016 | Zipi y Zape y la isla del capitán | Miss Pam |
| The Infiltrator | Gloria Alcaino | |
| 2017 | The Summit | Claudia Klein |
| Wonder Woman | Isabel Maru / Doctor Poison | |
| 2020 | Rifkin’s Festival | Jo Rojas |
| Professionals | Graciela Davila |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Group | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Goya Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Lucía y el sexo | Nominated |
| Spanish Actors Union | Film: Supporting Performance | Won | ||
| 2005 | Barcelona Film Awards | Best Actress | Fragile | Nominated |
| 2009 | Sitges Film Festival | Best Actress | Hierro | Won |
| 2010 | Goya Awards | Best Actress | Room in Rome | Nominated |
| 2011 | The Skin I Live In | Won | ||
| 2014 | Todos están muertos | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Premios Platino | Best Actress | La memoria del agua | Nominated |