Fernández, Eduard

(1964- )

   Eduard Fernández was born in Barcelona. Before becoming one of the most remarkable actors in Spanish cinema, he had a strong career as a stage actor, beginning with the prestigious Catalan company, Els Joglars, and including critically acclaimed performances in The Tempest (as Caliban), Waiting for Godot, and most importantly, his portrayal of a murderer in Roberto Zucco. He debuted on film in 1994, but achieved notice in 1999 with an acclaimed part as a loser in Mariano Barroso's Los lobos de Washington (The Wolves of Washington), which earned him his first Goya nomination. He plays a nervous con man, out of David Mamet's universe of losers, who betrays his close friend by attempting to steal money from a swindle and taking away his wife.

   Fernandez's intriguing combination of ruthlessness and conflicted feelings for his friend and their previous life of crime together high-lighted his skill as an actor of depth.

   He went on to win the award in 2002 for Fausto 5.0 (as lead actor) and later in 2004 for his supporting role in Cesc Gay's 2002 En la ciudad (In the City). The latter is a career-defining part that show-cases his intensity and his uncanny ability to portray introverted, uncommunicative characters. In this film, Fernández plays Mario, a man who becomes aware his wife is having an affair. We see him quietly collecting evidence, and becoming more and more wounded, but still unable to express his concern or even tell his wife. It was an exercise in restrained pain.

   Fernández plays a very similar part in Gay's next film Ficció (Fiction, 2006). Other key performances include El portero (The Goalkeeper, Gonzalo Suárez, 2000); Smoking Room (Roger Gual and Julio D. Wallovits, 2002), where he plays another Mamet-like character, this time a tense office worker; Cosas que hacen que la vida valga la pena (Things That Make Life Worthwhile, Manuel Gómez Pereira, 2004), for which he achieved a Goya nomination as lead actor; Hormigas en la boca (Ants in the Mouth, Mariano Barroso, 2005); El método (The Method, Marcelo Piñeyro, 2005), another Goya-nominated effort; Obaba (Montxo Armendáriz, 2005), and Alatriste (Agustín Díaz Yanes, 2006).

   Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema by Alberto Mira