# Marisa Paredes

María Luisa Paredes Bartolomé (3 April 1946 – 17 December 2024), known professionally as Marisa Paredes, was a Spanish actress with a long illustrious career. She acted in more than 75 films, 80 tv shows and 15 plays – with some of Europe's most important directors – and was the recipient of numerous awards.

## Life and career

Paredes made her film debut in José María Forqué's 1960 film Police Calling 091. She became a teen idol across Spain after that film. In 1961, she made her début in theatre and since then she has performed different plays such as Hamlet with Eduard Fernández. In 1975, she and Raphael collaborated in a cartoon film about him, Rafael en Raphael. She has participated in 73 films and television series. She portrayed the leading role of La Peregrina in a television production of Alejandro Casona's La dama del alba.
Pedro Almodóvar helped her to achieve her recognition, as she featured in many of his films, such as Dark Habits (1983), High Heels (1991), The Flower of My Secret (1995), All About My Mother (1999) and The Skin I Live In (2011). For her role in The Flower of My Secret, she was nominated for the Goya Award for Best Actress.
She appeared in several other acclaimed films, including In a Glass Cage (1986) by Agustí Villaronga (Majorca), Life Is Beautiful (1998) by Roberto Benigni (Italy), Deep Crimson (1996) by Arturo Ripstein and The Devil's Backbone (2001) by Guillermo del Toro (both from Mexico).
In 1996, she was given the National Film Award by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. From 2000 to 2003 she was the president of the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España.
In 2007, she was given at Gijón International Film Festival, a National Film Award named after Nacho Martinez.
In the 1970s, she had a domestic partnership of about seven years with filmmaker Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi, whom with she had one daughter, María Isasi. Between 1983 and her death, she had been in a relationship with Chema Prado.
In 2023, she appeared in a small role as a woman known as "La República" in the Atresplayer series Vestidas de azul.
Paredes died from heart failure in Madrid, on 17 December 2024, at the age of 78.
Her lying in repose was held on the next day at the Teatro Español.
She will appear in a posthumous performance in Emergency Exit, expected to be released in 2025.

## Selected filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Awards |
| 1965 | El mundo sigue (Life Goes On) | Floren | |
| 1977 | El perro (A Dog Called... Vengeance) | Guerrillera | |
| 1983 | Entre tinieblas (Dark Habits) | Sor Estiércol | |
| 1986 | Tata mía (Dear Nanny) | Paloma | |
| 1986 | Tras el cristal (In a Glass Cage) | Griselda | |
| 1987 | Cara de acelga (Turnip Top) | Olga | |
| 1989 | Continental | Xulia | |
| 1991 | High Heels | Becky del Páramo | Sant Jordi Award for Best Spanish Actress, Fotogramas de Plata Award for Best Movie Actress, Festival de Gramado Award for Best Actress, Spanish Actors and Actresses Union Award for Lead Performance |
| 1992 | La reina anónima (The Anonymous Queen) | Desconocida | |
| 1992 | Hors saison (Off Season) | Sarah Bernhardt | |
| 1992 | Tierno verano de lujurias y azoteas | Olga | |
| 1993 | Tombés du ciel | Suzana | |
| 1995 | La flor de mi secreto (The Flower of My Secret) | Leocadia Macías / Amanda Gris / Paz Sufrategui | Fotogramas de Plata Award for Best Movie Actress, Karlovy Vary IFF Award for Best Actress, Sant Jordi Award for Best Spanish Actress, Premios ACE Award for Best Actress, Nominated—Goya Award for Best Actress |
| 1995 | La nave de los locos (The Ship of Fools) | Julia Márquez | |
| 1996 | Trois vies & une seule mort | Maria | |
| 1996 | Deep Crimson (Profundo Carmesi) | Irene Gallardo | |
| 1997 | La vita è bella (Life Is Beautiful) | Madre di Dora | |
| 1998 | Talk of Angels | Doña Consuelo | |
| 1999 | All About My Mother | Huma Rojo | Premios ACE Award for Best Supporting Actress, Santa Fe Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress, Nominated—Russian Guild of Film Critics Award for Best Foreign Actress |
| 1999 | El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (No One Writes to the Colonel) | Lola | |
| 2001 | The Devil's Backbone | Carmen | |
| 2001 | Salvajes (Savages) | Berta | |
| 2004 | Frío sol de invierno (Cold Winter Sun) | Raquel | |
| 2005 | Espelho Mágico (Magic Mirror) | Monja | |
| 2005 | Reinas (Queens) | Reyes | |
| 2009 | Amores locos (Mad Love) | Ana | |
| 2010 | El dios de madera (The God of Good) | María Luisa | Silver Biznaga for Best Actress |
| 2010 | Gigola | Odette / Gigola's lover | |
| 2011 | La piel que habito (The Skin I Live In) | Marilia | |
| 2011 | Les Yeux de sa mère | Judit Canalès | |
| 2015 | Latin Lover | Ramona | |
| 2018 | Petra | Marisa | |
| 2019 | De sable et de feu | Lady Williams | |
| 2025 | Emergency Exit † | | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 1988 | 2nd Goya Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Turnip Top | Nominated |
| 1996 | 10th Goya Awards | Best Actress | The Flower of My Secret | Nominated |
| 2012 | 21st Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actress in a Minor Role | The Skin I Live In | Nominated |
| 2018 | 32nd Goya Awards | Honorary Award | — | Won |
| 2019 | 6th Feroz Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Petra | Nominated |
| 2019 | 11th Gaudí Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Petra | Nominated |
Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Year | Category | Film | Result |
| 1998 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Life Is Beautiful | Nominated |
Fotogramas de Plata
| Year | Category | Labour | Result |
| 2015 | All her career | All her career | Won |
| 2006 | Best Theatre Actress | Hamlet | Won |
| 1995 | Best Cinema Actress | The Flower Of My Secret | Won |
| 1991 | Best Cinema Actress | High Heels | Won |
| 1988 | Best Theatre Labour | Orquídeas a la luz de la luna | Nominated |
| 1968 | Best Television Performer | | Won |
Union of Actors Awards
| Year | Category | Film | Result |
| 1995 | Best Cinema Leading Performer | The Flower Of My Secret | Nominated |
| 1991 | Best Cinema Leading Performer | High Heels | Won |