Pedro Almodóvar is a Spanish filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer and former actor, known as one of the most respected names in Spanish cinema history. He was only recognized after La Movida Madrileña . Some of his highly acclaimed works are films such as Women on the Brink of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie me up! (1990), High Heels (1991) and Live Meat (1997). Almodóvar then worked on the drama film Volver (2006), the romantic thriller Broken Embraces (2009), The Skin I Live In (2011), Julieta(2016) and Pain and Glory (2019). He has received numerous awards and honors for his contribution to the world of cinema. His films feature creative staff, complex narratives, melodrama, pop culture, popular songs, irreverent humor, bold colors, and lustrous decor. Almodóvar colors desire, passion, family and identity in most of his films.

Born name

Pedro Almodovar Caballero

nickname

Pedro

Sun sign

Scale

Place of birth

Calzada de Calatrava, Ciudad Real, Kastilien-La Mancha, Spain

Residence

• Paseo del Pintor Rosales, Madrid, Spain
• Calle de O’Donnell, Madrid, Spain
• Cáceres, Spain
• Arguelles, Madrid, Spain

nationality

training

At the age of 8, Pedro began attending a Catholic boarding school. Having no money to finance filmmaking, he became a self-taught filmmaker.

occupation

Filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer, actor

family

• Father – Antonio Almodóvar (winemaker)
• Mutter – Francisca Caballero
• Siblings – Antonia (older sister), María Jesús (older sister), Agustín Almodóvar (younger brother) (film producer)

Manager

Pedro Almodóvar is represented by the production company El Deseo.

To build

Average

Height

177 cm or 5 feet 9 inches

weight

86 kg or 189.5 lbs

friend/spouse

Pedro dated –

1. Fernando Iglesias (2002-Present) – Pedro was romantic and has been working with photographer Fernando Iglesias since 2002. The couple live in separate houses in the neighboring districts of Madrid. Almodóvar lives in Argüelles and Iglesias in Malasaña.

race/ethnicity

Hispanic

Pedro is of Spanish descent.

hair colour

Grau

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Cheerful

distinguishing features

Often wears sunglasses

Known for

• International recognition came for the film Women on the Brink of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Winner of an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for All About My Mother (1999)
• Win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Talk to Her (2002)
• The film Volver (2006), which was nominated for the Academy Awards

first movie

He made his feature film debut in A Man Called Autumn Flower in 1978.

First TV show

He made his TV show debut as “Himself” on Alcores in 1982.

Pedro Almodóvar favorite things

• Movie – The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
• Actress – Meryl Streep
• Filmmaker – David Lean
• Spanish Film – Main Street (1956)

Pedro Almodóvar Facts

1. He moved to Madrid in 1967, where he earned his living selling used items at a flea market called El Rastro.
2. He uses symbols and metaphorical techniques to tell his circular storylines.
3. Pedro couldn’t study filmmaking because he didn’t have the money and film schools were closed by Franco’s government in the early 70’s.
4. He found a job at Telefónica and saved his salary to buy a Super 8 camera. From 1972 to 1978 he made short films with the help of his friends.
5. Almodóvar became popular during “La Movida”, the pop culture movement of the late 70’s in Madrid.
6. He only uses his last name for his “Film By” certificate (“Un film de Almodóvar”).
7. Pedro and his brother Agustín Almodóvar founded their own production company called El Deseo in 1986.
8. Almodóvar had endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.
9. He has cast his mother, Francisca Caballero, and his brother, Agustín Almodóvar, in cameo roles in a number of films.
10. He starred in his own film Labyrinth of Passion (1982) wearing drag and lots of black makeup.
11. In his first films he showed the feeling of sexual and political freedom of the time.
12. He spent 10 years writing the screenplay for Bad Education (2004) based on his own experiences at his boarding school.
13. In 1992 he was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival 2017 he was president of the jury.
14. A chicken dish is named after him by celebrity chef Rachael Ray, who is also a big fan of his work.
15. Admittedly, he usually starts writing his films with a crucial scene, which is in the middle of the film.
16. Brokeback Mountain (2005) and The Newspaper Boy (2012) were both offered to Pedro to direct.
17. He would like to work with Marion Cotillard and Catherine Deneuve.
18. His father Antonio Almodóvar was a winemaker. His mother, Francisca Caballero (died 1999), read and wrote letters for the illiterate.
19. Pedro’s romantic partner, Fernando Iglesias, has appeared in small roles in many of Pedro’s films.
20. In Cáceres his father opened a gas station where his mother sold her own wine in a bodega she had founded.
21. Against his parents’ wishes, Almodóvar moved to Madrid in 1967 to become a filmmaker.
22. He wrote under the pen name Patty Diphusa. He also wrote various articles for major newspapers and magazines such as El País , Diario 16 , and The Moon , as well as work on comics, articles and stories in unusual magazines such as Star , El Víbora , and Vibraciones .
23. The term “Almodóvariano” (translated Almodóvarian) was coined by international critics for Pedro and honors his unique film style with a quote.
24. His portrayal of women in his films has been viewed as admirable, but some like to view them as misogynistic.
25. After setting up El Deseo in 1986, Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro’s brother, has been the producer of all his films since Law of Desire (1986).
26. Almodóvar used to live on Calle de O’Donnell in east Madrid. In 2007 he moved into his €3 million apartment on Paseo del Pintor Rosales.
27. The film Bad Education (2004) is based on his experiences at the Catholic boarding school he was sent to when he was 8 years old.
28. He used to have extreme physical fear of priests.
29. His first goal was to become a writer.
30. He looks to Luis Buñuel, another esteemed Spanish filmmaker.
31. Despite being offered a number of Hollywood projects, Pedro feels he is becoming less and less ready to take them on.
32. For Penelope Cruz, he believes she was born an actress.
33. He’s also a fan of Timothée Chalamet, who starred in Call Me by Your Name (2017).
34. Pedro has received many honors, including an honorary doctorate from Harvard University in 2009Alongside an honorary doctorate from Oxford University in 2016.
35. Pedro is not active on social media.