Diego Luna: biography
Diego Luna's movies have been extremely popular in the last two decades. World recognition came to the actor after the release of the drama movie Y Tu mamá también as well as cult motion pictures Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Milk, and Rudo y Cursi.
Childhood and youth
Diego Luna Alexander was born in December 1979 in Mexico City, in a beautiful creative family that had a close relationship with the world of cinema. He had Anglo-Mexican blood mixed in his veins. His mother, a Britt, Fiona Alexander, was a talented artist and costume designer, and his father, Alexander Luna, made a career in film and theater: he's a famous Mexican art director.
Diego barely remembers his mom: the woman died in a car accident when her son was just two years old. A year later, the boy made his film debut in a cameo role. His father often took him to the set and the theater. He strongly supported and encouraged the boy's interest in theater and cinema, dreaming that his son continued the family tradition.
Diego Luna came to the stage at the age of seven, receiving a small role in the play. And at the age of ten, he played a prominent role in the popular TV series Carrusel. It happened in 1989. From that moment on, the young actor often appeared on the screen in episodes or small supporting roles.
And in 1992, Luna, along with his childhood friend Gael García Bernal pleased viewers with a wonderful telenovela El abuelo y yo (English: The Grandpa and Me), which in Mexico was watched by almost every citizen.
Movies
Since the late 1990s, Diego Luna's cinematic biography has been developing rapidly. The young talented actor regularly starred in popular melodramas and TV series, the most striking of which was the television series El premio mayor.
World recognition came to this Mexican after the release of the drama movie of the famous director Alfonso Cuarón, Y Tu Mamá También (English: And Your Mother Too). Here, Luna, together with Gael García Bernal, played a key role. The film was nominated for the leading world movie award, the Oscars, for best screenplay. And at the Venice Film Festival, the actor was awarded with the prestigious Marcello Mastroianni prize for his work in this film.
The Latino-American MTV Awards also noted the work of the guy, nominating him for the Best Fight and Best Kiss. Diego Luna considers the movie And Your Mother Too one of the best of his works. And he claims that this project opened the doors to Spain and Hollywood, and also attracted attention far beyond Mexico.
And indeed, the Spanish drama movie opened a lot of doors for the famous Mexican. Luna was showered with offers from Hollywood Directors. In 2002, he was invited to the film Frida, which received the Academy Award.
In the next two years, Diego appeared on the screens in the acclaimed Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. He played a crucial role there, as well as in the comedy-drama film The Terminal and the movie Criminal. These projects were not only warmly received by the audience and film critics but also became one of the highest-grossing movies in Luna's career.
This Mexican played a new star role in 2008. He brilliantly turned into a lover of the protagonist in another Oscar-winning project Milk. Sean Penn played the main character in the movie. The entire cast of Milk was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild.
In the same year, full of surprises, the actor starred in the crime drama movie Just Walking, which was nominated for the prestigious Spanish Goya award.
In 2010, Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal appeared on the screens together again. They played the main characters and brothers in the brilliant Mexican comedy-drama film, Rudo y Cursi (literally translates as "Rough and Corny"). This film broke records for box office in the country.
At the same time, the star pleased his many fans with the American comedy movie, Casa de Mi Padre, in which he brilliantly played in tandem with Will Ferrell. Diego Luna claims to be respectful of Hollywood because most of the notable projects are created there. However, he doesn't find the idea of living there inspiring.
Together with his best friend Bernal, the famous Mexican is the owner of the film studio, Canana Films. The friends mostly make documentaries. They often reveal various social problems in Latin America. The commitment to the documentary genre is so important for the actors that they even became the founders of the documentary film festival Ambulante in their native Mexico.
As a director, Diego Luna was also able to make a statement. In 2007 he made a documentary about Mexican Boxing legend Julio Cesar Chávez, and in 2010 he made his debut as a Director of an art film. This was the drama film Abel, about the complicated relationship of a 9-year-old son with his father. One of the producers of this project was the famous John Malkovich.
It is noteworthy that in this project, Luna, for the first time, acted as a screenwriter and was even awarded the prestigious Silver Ariel Award for a beautiful script. The film Abel was nominated for the leading award of the International film festival in Sao Paulo: she was nominated for Best Foreign Film.
Diego Luna's Movies – Elysium, Casanova, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Blood Father, which came out in the last three years, brought a new wave of popularity and love to the actor.
Diego Luna has a net worth of $12 million dollars.
Personal life
In the movie El búfalo de la noche (The Night Buffalo), the actor met a charming colleague Camila Sodi. She's Diego's compatriot. A year after the acquaintance and rapid development of the love affair, the couple made their relationship official.
In 2008, the actors had their first-born in Los Angeles, Hieronymo. And in the summer of 2010, their daughter Fiona was born. The name of the little girl was given after the deceased mother of Diego.
But the personal life of Diego Luna and Camila Sodi soon began falling apart. The two people did not comment on the reasons for their decision, but in 2013 they filed for divorce.
Filmography
- 1995 - El premio mayor
- 2001 - Y Tu Mamá También (English: And Your Mother Too)
- 2002 - Frida
- 2004 - Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
- 2004 - The Terminal
- 2004 - Criminal
- 2008 - Rudo y Cursi
- 2011 - Casa de Mi Padre
- 2012 - Contraband
- 2013 - Elysium
- 2015 - Casanova
- 2016 - The Bad Batch
- 2016 - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- 2017 - Flatliners