# Rossy de Palma

Rosa Elena García Echave (born 16 September 1964), known professionally as Rossy de Palma, is a Spanish actress and model. She is well known for her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar such as Law of Desire, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Kika, The Flower of My Secret, Julieta, and Parallel Mothers.

## Life and career

Born in Palma de Mallorca, her parents are from Avilés, Asturias where she spent summers in her childhood. One of her nephews is TPA journalist Giuseppe Montoto. In the 1980s, during the Movida cultural movement, she moved to Madrid.
In 1984, she founded the pop music group Peor Impossible, for which she was a singer and a dancer. In 1986, she met Pedro Almodóvar in a café in Madrid. He was impressed by her performance during one of the group's concerts. He proposed a role in his next film, Law of Desire. Rossy lent some of her personal dresses to Carmen Maura, who was playing the lead trans female character of the film, Tina Quintero.
Her first major role was in 1988, in Almodóvar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and she would go on to be one of Almodóvar's recurring cast. She modeled for designers Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, and Sybilla. She then appeared in Robert Altman's 1994 satirical fashion film Prêt-à-Porter, and in the music video of George Michael's "Too Funky" song.
She has two children and currently lives in Paris, where she acts and models. As of 2010, she is a theater actress, charity spokeswoman for the Ghanaian charity OrphanAid Africa, and the face of luxury ad campaigns. In 2007, she released a perfume line under her name with Etat libre d'Orange. In 2009, she posed nude in an information campaign on breast cancer for the magazine Marie Claire. She was selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. In 2022, Rossy de Palma was appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for cultural diversity.

## Other work

She is an ambassador for the charity OAfrica, which advocates for a family for every child in Ghana, West Africa, and the closure of illegal orphanages.
In 2011, she was one of the contestants during the first season of Danse avec les stars. With her partner Christophe Licata, she finished in the 7th position (second-to-last).
In 2018, she collaborated with singer Rosalía for her second studio album El mal querer writing the song "Preso" with her and Ferrán Echegaray. Her vocals were also used in the song.

## Filmography
### Cinema

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1987 | Law of Desire | TV Host | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 1988 | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Marisa | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 1989 | Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! | Drug Dealer | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 1990 | Nel giardino delle rose | Rosy | Luciano Martino | |
| 1990 | Alcune signore per bene | Donatella | Bruno Gaburro | |
| 1990 | Don Juan, mi querido fantasma | Prodini's widow | Antonio Mercero | |
| 1992 | Sam suffit | Chichi | Virginie Thévenet | |
| 1992 | Aquí, el que no corre... vuela | The neighbor | Ramón Fernández | |
| 1992 | Los gusanos no llevan bufanda | Lady 2 | Javier Elorrieta | |
| 1993 | Kika | Juana | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 1993 | Mutant Action | Luxury guest | Álex de la Iglesia | |
| 1994 | Fea | | Dunia Ayaso and Félix Sabroso | |
| 1994 | Prêt-à-Porter | Pilar | Robert Altman | |
| 1994 | Chicken Park | Necrophelia Addams | Jerry Calà | |
| 1994 | Mejor no hables | | Pedro Paz | Short |
| 1995 | El perquè de tot plegat | Librarian | Ventura Pons | |
| 1995 | Peggio di così si muore | Myrna | Marcello Cesena | |
| 1995 | The Flower of My Secret | Rosa | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 1996 | Un cos al bosc | Lieutenant Cifuentes | Joaquim Jordà | |
| 1996 | The Blue Collar Worker and the Hairdresser in a Whirl of Sex and Politics | | Lina Wertmüller | |
| 1997 | Airbag | Carmiña | Juanma Bajo Ulloa | |
| 1997 | La femme du cosmonaute | Catherine | Jacques Monnet | |
| 1998 | Hors jeu | Concepcion Alibera | Karim Dridi | |
| 1998 | Spanish Fly | Interviewee | Daphna Kastner | |
| 1998 | Talk of Angels | Elena | Nick Hamm | |
| 1998 | Franchesca Page | Veronica | Kelley Sane | |
| 1999 | Nag la bombe | Leïla | Jean-Louis Milesi | |
| 1999 | Esa Maldita Costilla | Margarita | Juan José Jusid | |
| 1999 | The Loss of Sexual Innocence | Blind Woman | Mike Figgis | |
| 2000 | La mule | The Colombian | Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire | Short |
| 2001 | L'origine du monde | The Sphynx | Jérôme Enrico | |
| 2002 | Le Boulet | Pauline Reggio | Alain Berbérian & Frédéric Forestier | |
| 2003 | Leave Your Hands on My Hips | Myriam Bardem | Chantal Lauby | |
| 2004 | People | Pilar | Fabien Onteniente | |
| 2004 | Double zéro | The Eyeglass | Gérard Pirès | |
| 2004 | Do You Know Claudia? | Claudia (Aldo's lover) | Massimo Venier | |
| 2005 | 20 Centimeters | Ice Box | Ramón Salazar | |
| 2006 | Girlfriends | Marie's mother | Sylvie Ayme | |
| 2006 | Les Aristos | Maria de Malaga i Benidorm | Charlotte de Turckheim | |
| 2006 | La edad ideal | | Ana Lozano | Short |
| 2009 | No pasaran | Inès | Emmanuel Caussé & Eric Martin | |
| 2009 | Broken Embraces | Julieta | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 2010 | Gigola | Dominique | Laure Charpentier | |
| 2010 | Miss Tacuarembó | Patricia Peinado | Martín Sastre | |
| 2012 | 30° couleur | Bianca | Lucien Jean-Baptiste & Philippe Larue | |
| 2012 | Run a Way | Cop 1 | Diego Postigo | Short |
| 2013 | &Me | Mama Verona | Norbert ter Hall | |
| 2013 | Three Many Weddings | Mónica | Javier Ruiz Caldera | |
| 2013 | Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart | Luna | Stéphane Berla & Mathias Malzieu | |
| 2013 | I Don't Know Whether to Slit My Wrists or Leave Them Long | Lola | Manolo Caro | |
| 2014 | Do Not Disturb | Maria | Patrice Leconte | |
| 2014 | Love of My Loves | Carmina | Manolo Caro | |
| 2014 | La Divanee | Narrator | Jessica Mitrani | Short |
| 2014 | Traveling Lady | Traveling Lady | Jessica Mitrani | Short |
| 2014 | Madre Quentina | Quentina | José Ramón Da Cruz | Short |
| 2015 | Graziella | Graziella | Mehdi Charef | |
| 2015 | Spy Time | Katia's mother | Javier Ruiz Caldera | |
| 2015 | Incidencias | The announcer | José Corbacho & Juan Cruz | |
| 2015 | Sólo química | Bárbara Sullivan | Alfonso Albacete | |
| 2016 | Julieta | Marian | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 2016 | En tu cabeza | Milagros | Borja Cobeaga | |
| 2017 | Toc Toc | Ana María | Vicente Villanueva | |
| 2017 | Madame | Maria | Amanda Sthers | |
| 2017 | El Intercambio | Dómina | Ignacio Nacho | |
| 2017 | Lord, Give Me Patience | Maria | Álvaro Díaz Lorenzo | |
| 2018 | Brillantissime | Charline | Michèle Laroque | |
| 2018 | The Man Who Killed Don Quixote | Farmer's Wife | Terry Gilliam | |
| 2019 | I Miss You | Rosaura | Rodrigo Bellott | |
| 2019 | Despite Everything | Inés | Gabriela Tagliavini | |
| 2019 | À cause des filles ? | Artémis | Pascal Thomas | |
| 2019 | Los Rodríguez y el más allá | Doctor Pilar | Paco Arango | |
| 2019 | My Brother Chases Dinosaurs | Zia Rock | Stefano Cipani | |
| 2020 | Trash | Bliss | Francesco Dafano & Luca Della Grotta | |
| 2020 | A Mermaid in Paris | Rossy | Mathias Malzieu | |
| 2021 | El refugio | | Macarena Astorga | |
| 2021 | Parallel Mothers | Elena | Pedro Almodóvar | |
| 2021 | Mystère à Saint-Tropez | Carmen Moreno | Nicolas Benamou | |
| 2022 | Rainbow | | Paco León | |
| 2022 | La Maison | Brigida | Anissa Bonnefont | |
| 2023 | Carmen | Masilda | Benjamin Millepied | |
| 2023 | Apaches | Sarah Bernardt | Romain Quirot | |
| 2023 | 3 jours max | Alba Suarez | Tarek Boudali | |
| 2024 | Paris Paradis | Dolorès | Marjane Satrapi | |
| TBA | The Opera! | Moire | Paolo Gep Cucco & Davide Livermore | Post-Production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
| 1989 | Delirios de amor | Robertina | Ceesepe | TV series (1 episode) |
| 1990 | Os outros feirantes | Hermelina | Xosé Cermeño | TV mini-series |
| 1994 | Hermanos de leche | Berta | Carlos Serrano | TV series (5 episodes) |
| 1994-97 | Los ladrones van a la oficina | Eva Duarte | Ramón Fernández & Miguel Ángel Díez | TV series (12 episodes) |
| 1996 | Pastas Ardilla | Rossy | Pedro Almodóvar | TV Short |
| 2010 | Caterina e le sue figlie | Estrella Toledo | Alessandro Benvenuti, Riccardo Mosca, ... | TV series (8 episodes) |
| 2011 | Le monde à ses pieds | Caroline Fox | Christian Faure | TV movie |
| 2013 | Familia | | Iñaki Mercero & José Ramos Paíno | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2013 | Esposados | Rossy | José Luis Moreno | TV series (3 episodes) |
| 2014 | La que se avecina | María Luisa | Laura Caballero | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2015 | Anclados | Palmira | Mario Montero, Roberto Monge, ... | TV series (8 episodes) |
| 2017 | The White Princess | Isabel la Católica | Alex Kalymnios | TV mini-series |
| 2018 | Haciendo cerveza | The visitor | Félix Fernández de Castro | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2020 | Little Birds | Contessa Mandrax | Stacie Passon | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 2021 | Carrément Craignos | Héléna | Jean-Pascal Zadi | TV mini-series |
| 2022 | Once Upon a Time... Happily Never After | Mamen | Manolo Caro | TV series (6 episodes) |
| 2023 | La mesías | Laia Mayor | Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo | TV series (1 episode) |
| 2023 | Escort Boys | Mimi | Ruben Alves | TV series (2 episodes) |

### Music video

| Year | Song | Artist |
| 1992 | Too Funky | George Michael |
| 2008 | Bruja | Orishas |
| 2022 | Amour toujours | Clara Luciani |

## Theater

| Year | Title | Author | Director | Notes |
| 2006 | Le Chanteur de Mexico | Raymond Vincy & Jesus Maria de Arozamena | Emilio Sagi | Théâtre du Châtelet |
| 2016 | The Threepenny Opera | Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill | Damiano Michieletto | Piccolo Teatro di Milano |
| 2017–18 | Le Chanteur de Mexico | Raymond Vincy & Jesus Maria de Arozamena | Emilio Sagi | Lausanne Opera |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 1988 | Association of Latin Entertainment Critics | Best Supporting Actress | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Nominated |
| 1993 | Association of Latin Entertainment Critics | Best Supporting Actress | Kika | Won |
| 1993 | Goya Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kika | Nominated |
| 1993 | Spanish Actors Union | Supporting Performance | Kika | Nominated |
| 1995 | Goya Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Flower of My Secret | Nominated |
| 1995 | Spanish Actors Union | Supporting Performance | The Flower of My Secret | Nominated |
| 1998 | Locarno International Film Festival | Special Prize for acting | Hors jeu | Won |
| 2013 | Feroz Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Three Many Weddings | Nominated |
| 2015 | Gaudí Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Spy Time | Nominated |
| 2016 | CEC Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Julieta | Nominated |
| 2016 | Feroz Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Julieta | Nominated |
| 2017 | Gasparilla International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize – Best Performance | Madame | Won |