Noriega, Eduardo

(1973- )

   Eduardo Noriega's handsome looks have been central to his personality as a performer. For Tesis (Dissertation, 1996), his debut in a substantial part, Alejandro Amenábar needed an actor who could convey both charm and a sense of threat, and who could justify the character's womanizing and the sexual jealousy he elicits in Fele Martínez's video freak. Physical beauty was also central to Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes, 1997), his second film with Amenábar, in which he played "the guy who has it all" and suffered stern punishment for it. He has played a variety of roles, but his strength lies in his portrayal of action men, as in Plata quemada (Burnt Money, Marcelo Piñeyro, 2000), Nadie conoce a nadie (No One Knows No One, Mateo Gil, 1999), El lobo (Wolf, Miguel Courtois, 2004), and the Hollywood thriller Vantage Point (Pete Travis, 2008). As he enters maturity, he has become effective in roles defining the sleek, self-possessed, cold executive of films like El método (The Method, Marcelo Piñeyro, 2005) and the same type's costume drama version in Alatriste (Agustín Díaz Yanes, 2006). He has been nominated for the Goyas twice, for Abre los ojos and El lobo, in which he played a police mole who infiltrated the ETA terrorist group.

   Historical Dictionary of Spanish Cinema by Alberto Mira