19th February 2026
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Marisa Paredes, Spanish actor and Almodóvar favourite, dies aged 78

Marisa Paredes, an acclaimed Spanish actor who achieved international fame by starring in many films by director Pedro Almodóvar, has died at the age of 78, the Spanish Film Academy said on Tuesday.

Paredes started acting at 14 and had appeared in more than 75 films during her long career, including Almodóvar’s All About My Mother, The Flower of my Secret, and High Heels, earning the nickname of being ‘Almodóvar’s girl’.

‘Spanish cinema is left without one of its most iconic actors, Marisa Paredes, who leaves behind a long career in which the public was able to see her on more than 75 occasions on the big screen,’ the academy said on X (Twitter).

Well-known in Spain, her international career took off after she first worked with Almodóvar in 1983 on Dark Habits, beginning a long collaboration.

Having twice previously been nominated for Spain’s Goya national film awards, Paredes was awarded an honorary Goya in 2018 (main image).

She also appeared in international films such as Life is Beautiful by Italian director Roberto Benigni, and in The Devil’s Backbone by Mexican Guillermo del Toro.

Paredes was also president of the Spanish Academy between 2000 and 2003.

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