Aitana Sánchez-Gijón de Angelis (born 5 November 1968) is a Spanish and Italian film screen and stage actress. After garnering attention for Going South Shopping (1989), she established her career in the 1990s, featuring in films such as The Bird of Happiness (1993), Mouth to Mouth (1995), The Chambermaid on the Titanic (1997), Jealousy (1999), and Volavérunt (1999).
Early life Aitana Sánchez-Gijón was born in Rome on 5 November 1968, to a Spanish father , a history lecturer exiled from Francoism, and an Italian mother, Fiorella de Angelis, a lecturer. She was named after Aitana Alberti, Rafael Alberti's daughter. The latter dedicated Aitana Sánchez-Gijón some verses upon her birth. The family moved to Madrid when she was 1 year old. She is a cousin of Pablo Carbonell.
Career Sánchez-Gijón made her television debut as an actress at age 16 in the high school series Segunda enseñanza, playing Sisi, a lesbian teenager. She landed her film debut in Romanza final (1986). In 1988, she starred as Acacia in The Unloved Woman, a play by Miguel Narros adapting Jacinto Benavente staged at the Teatro Español.
Her breakthrough role as Elena in the 1989 film Going South Shopping launched her career.
Best known for her career in Spanish cinema, Sánchez-Gijón first became known internationally for her portrayal of Victoria Aragon, a pregnant and abandoned Mexican-American winegrower's daughter who is helped by travelling salesman Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) in A Walk in the Clouds (1995)
She has since built a reputation as an international star in films such as Manuel Gomez Pereira's Boca a Boca (1996), Bigas Luna's The Chambermaid on the Titanic (1997), Jaime Chávarri's Sus Ojos Se Cerraron (1998), Gabriele Salvatores' adaptation of the Niccolò Ammaniti novel I'm Not Scared (2003) and Brad Anderson's The Machinist (2004).
She served as the president of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain between 1998 and 2000. Her portrayal of the Duchess of Alba in Volavérunt won her the Silver Shell for Best Actress at the 1999 San Sebastián International Film Festival. She was a member of the official jury of the 2000 Cannes Film Festival.
She earned her first Goya Award nomination for a supporting role in Parallel Mothers (2021).
In 2023, she featured in Something Is About to Happen playing a theatre producer stealing the story of a taxi driver's life.
In 2024, she appeared in the hospital-set drama Breathless for Netflix. In December 2024, she was awarded the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts.
In March 2026, she starred again in an adaptation of The Unloved Woman at the Teatro Español, this time directed by Natalia Menéndez. In the play, she portrayed Raimunda, the mother of Acacia.
Views In 2026, Sánchez-Gijón co-signed alongside other Spanish artists a text urging the United Nations and the governments of the world to actively work towards the release from prison of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 Romanza final (Gayarre) Alicia joven Elder version of the character played by Sydne Rome 1988 Jarrapellejos Isabel Remando al viento (Rowing with the Wind) Teresa Guiccioli María 1989 Bajarse al moro (Going South Shopping) Elena El mar y el tiempo (The Sea and Time) Mer 1990 The Monk Sor Inés 1993 Amèlia Roig 1993 El laberinto griego (The Greek Labyrinth) Bernadette El pájaro de la felicidad (The Bird of Happiness) Nani 1995 La ley de la frontera (The Law of the Frontier) Bárbara Boca a boca (Mouth to Mouth) Amanda A Walk in the Clouds Victoria La leyenda de Balthasar el castrado María de Loffredo 1997 La femme de chambre du Titanic (The Chambermaid on the Titanic) Marie 1997 Love Walked In Vicki 1998 Sus ojos se cerraron y el mundo sigue andando (Tangos Are for Two) Juanita 1998 Yerma Yerma 1999 Volavérunt Duquesa de Alba 1999 Celos (Jealousy) Carmen 2001 Mi dulce (My Sweet) Ángela (Happy Men) Ana 2003 Io non ho paura (I'm Not Scared) Anna 2004 The Machinist Marie 2004 La puta y la ballena (The Whore and the Whale) Vera 2006 Claudia 2006 The Backwoods Isabel 2007 (The Nautical Chart) Tánger Soto 2007 Oviedo Express Mariola Mayo / Ana Ozores (La Regenta) Ana Ozores is played by Mariola Mayo in-fiction. Sánchez-Gijón already played Ana Ozores in La regenta 2008 Parlami d'amore (Talk to Me About Love) Nicole 2009 The Frost (La escarcha) Rita 2011 Gli sfiorati (Drifters) Virna 2011 Maktub Beatriz 2014 El club de los incomprendidos (The Misfits Club) Mara 2018 Elvira 2020 La cinta de Alex Vera 2021 Madres paralelas (Parallel Mothers) Teresa Ferreras 2022 La jefa (Under Her Control) Beatriz 2023 Que nadie duerma (Something Is About to Happen) Roberta 2025 (The Low Land)Carmen Amarga Navidad (Bitter Christmas) Mónica
Television Year Title Role Notes 1986 Segunda enseñanza Sisi 1992 El Quijote de Miguel de Cervantes Dorotea 1995 La regenta Ana Ozores 2015 Teresa Doña Jimena TV movie 2017 Conquistadores: Adventvm Isabel de Castilla Documentary series 2017–19 Velvet Colección Doña Blanca Recurring role. Seasons 1–3 2024 Breathless Pilar Amaro Main role
Accolades
Year Award Category Work Result 1996 5th Actors and Actresses Union Awards Best Leading Performance (TV) La regenta 1996 46th Fotogramas de Plata Best TV Actress 1997 47th Fotogramas de Plata Best Stage Actress La gata sobre el tejado de zinc caliente 1999 47th San Sebastián International Film Festival Silver Shell for Best Actress Volavérunt 2016 66th Fotogramas de Plata Best Stage Actress Medea 2017 67th Fotogramas de Plata Best Stage Actress The Rose Tattoo 26th Actors and Actresses Union Awards Best Theatre Actress in a Leading Role 2021 71st Fotogramas de Plata Best Stage Actress Juana 2022 9th Feroz Awards Best Supporting Actress (film) Parallel Mothers 36th Goya Awards Best Supporting Actress 9th Platino Awards Best Supporting Actress 11th Feroz Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Film Something Is About to Happen 32nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role 33rd Actors and Actresses Union Awards Best Stage Actress in a Leading Role La madre
References Informational notes
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