Najwa Nimri
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14 February 1972
Najwa Nimri | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Nimri in 2018 | |
| Born | Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea 14 February 1972 Pamplona, Spain |
| Occupations | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument |
|
| Formerly of | Najwajean (with Carlos Jean) |
Spouse | |
Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea (Spanish: [ˈnaʝwa ˈnimri urutikoeˈtʃea];[1] born 14 February 1972) is a Spanish actress and singer. Her accolades include nominations for three Goya Awards, a CEC Award, a Forqué Award, and three Feroz Awards.
Nimri made her acting debut in the Spanish film Jump into the Void (1995).[2] Her other films include Passages (1996), Open Your Eyes (1997), Blinded (1997), Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998), Asfalto (2000), Sex and Lucia (2001), and Fausto 5.0 (2001), The Method (2005), Anything You Want (2010), Quién te cantará (2018), and The Red Virgin (2024). She became one of the prominent names of 1990s and 2000s Spanish cinema.[3] Her international profile increased in the streaming era for her work in the Spanish prison drama series Locked Up (2015–2019) and the heist series Money Heist (2019–2021).[4][3]
In 1996, Nimri formed the musical duo Najwajean with producer Carlos Jean, releasing No Blood, an early instance of a trip-hop album in Spain.[5]
Nimri was born in Pamplona, Spain. Her mother is Spanish and her father is Jordanian.[6][7] She has a brother, a half-brother and two half-sisters. When she was a child, her family moved to Bilbao, Spain, where she was raised. Her parents separated when she was 11, and at age 17 she moved to Madrid, where she pursued the performing arts, took acting classes and sang in a funk band.[4]
Career
Her first major film role was in Salto al vacío, the first movie by film director Daniel Calparsoro. Her career as a singer started with small groups. In 1996, she formed the band Najwajean with Carlos Jean.[8] She has also released three solo albums. From 1995 to 2000, she was married to Daniel Calparsoro.[9][10]
Several of her film roles won her praise: as Ana in Lovers of the Arctic Circle,[11] and as Elena in Sex and Lucia.[12] Both films were directed by Julio Medem.[13] She starred next to Eduardo Noriega in Abre los ojos,[14] and El método.[15]
She was nominated to the Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance as amnesiac diva Lila Cassen in Quién te cantará (2018).[16][17]
In 2020, she returned as Zulema in the spin off Vis a vis: El Oasis,[18] starring with Maggie Civantos.[19] She played Alicia Sierra, a policewoman inspector in (Money Heist) La casa de papel.[20] She voiced Kate Laswell in the 2019 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.[21]
She joined season 2 of religious horror series 30 Coins to portray paranormal hunter and video podcaster Haruka.[22] In 2024, she featured in the hospital-set drama series Breathless, portraying a right-wing President of the Valencian Community set on dismantling the public healthcare system.[23][24][25] She also portrayed Aurora Rodríguez in The Red Virgin.[26]
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Salto al vacío (Jump into the Void) | Alex | [27] | |
| 1996 | Pasajes (Passages) | Gabi | [28] | |
| 1997 | Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes) | Nuria | [29] | |
| 1997 | A ciegas (Blinded) | Marrubi | [30] | |
| 1998 | Los amantes del círculo polar (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) | Ana | Character also performed by Kristel Díaz and Sara Valiente | [31] |
| 9'8 m/s² | Ella | [32] | ||
| 2000 | Asfalto | Lucía | [33] | |
| 2001 | Fausto 5.0 | Julia | [34] | |
| Before Night Falls | Fina Correa | [35] | ||
| Lucía y el sexo (Sex and Lucia) | Elena | [36] | ||
| 2002 | Piedras (Stones) | Leire | [37] | |
| 2003 | Utopía (Utopia) | Ángela | [38] | |
| 2004 | A+ (Amas) (A+) | Dam | [39] | |
| Agents secrets (Secret Agents) | Maria Menendez | [40] | ||
| 2005 | El método (The Method) | Nieves | [41] | |
| 20 centímetros (20 Centimeters) | La Conejo | [42] | ||
| 2006 | Trastorno (Dementia) | Natalia | [43] | |
| Las vidas de Celia (Celia's Lives) | Celia | [44][45] | ||
| 2007 | Mataharis | Eva | [46] | |
| Oviedo Express | Bárbara | [47] | ||
| 2010 | Todo lo que tú quieras (Anything You Want) | Marta | [48] | |
| Route Irish | Marisol | [49] | ||
| Habitación en Roma (Room in Rome) | Edurne | [50] | ||
| 2011 | Verbo | Inés | [51] | |
| 2012 | The Wine of Summer | Ana | ||
| 2013 | 10.000 noches en ninguna parte (10,000 Nights Nowhere) | Claudia | [52] | |
| 2018 | Quién te cantará | Lila Cassen | [53] | |
| El árbol de la sangre (The Tree of Blood) | Macarena | [54] | ||
| 2024 | La virgen roja (The Red Virgin) | Aurora Rodríguez | [55] | |
| 2026 | Lucidez † (Watch Your Dreams) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2019 | Vis a Vis (Locked Up) | Zulema Zahir | Main cast; 40 episodes | |
| 2019–2021 | La casa de papel (Money Heist) | Alicia Sierra | Main cast (season 3-5); 25 episodes | |
| 2020 | Vis a vis: El Oasis | Zulema Zahir | Lead role; 8 episodes | |
| 2021–2022 | Insiders | Host | 14 episodes | |
| 2022–23 | Sagrada familia | Gloria Román / Julia Santos | Lead role; Seasons 1–2 | |
| 2023 | 30 monedas | Haruka | Season 2 | [58] |
| 2023 | Berlin | Alicia Sierra Montes | 3 episodes | |
| 2024 | Respira (Breathless) | Patricia Segura | [59] |
Podcast
| Year | Title | Role | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Vis a vis: Cara B | Zulema Zahir | Voice role, 10 episodes |
Discography
Najwajean (with Carlos Jean)
- No Blood (1998) – No. 80
- Asfalto (2001) (soundtrack) – No. 175
- Guerreros (2002) (soundtrack) – No. 88
- Najwajean Selection (2002) (compilation album) – No. 108
- Till It Breaks (2008) – No. 20
- Bonzo (2015)
Solo albums
- Carefully (2001) – No. 76
- Mayday (2003) – No. 48
- Walkabout (2006) – No. 10 (50,000 copies sold; Gold)
- El ultimo primate (2010)
- Donde rugen los volcanes (2012)
- Rat Race (2014)
- Viene de Largo (2020)
- AMA (2021)
