Fernando Gil

Born in the city of Madrid , capital of Spain. He is the son of two entrepreneurs, the second of four children. His father started working at the age of thirteen and from there, he built a remarkably successful textile company in the center of the capital with his mother. After finishing school, he decided to enroll in a degree in Sociology at the University Complutense of Madrid, to please a part of his family that frowned upon his dream of being part of such an unstable world. It didn't take too long for him to get into the university theatre group, where he met his soon to be mentor, Antonio Malonda. After two years and several theatrical productions, Malonda urges Gil to audition for the RESAD (Royal Consevatory of Dramatic Art of Madrid). One of 50 chosen from over 1700 applicants, Gil began his first year at the RESAD combining it with his third and final year of Sociology. In 1997 Gil made his debut in the film "Resultado Final", directed by Juan Antonio Bardem (Honorary Goya winner). In his second to last year at the RESAD, Gil was chosen by David Ottone, director of Yllana, a theatre company specializing in physical slapstick humor. Interested by the impressive academic results of the actor in the conservatory, Yllana, along with Gil, began a close collaboration that started with a two year tour in more than 20 countries around the world. Gil then decided to leave the road to try his luck in television and landed a role in the TV show "Hospital Central" (2002/04). At the same time he was hired by the National Theater Company (Centro Dramático Nacional) for plays such as: "The Visit" by Dürrenmatt, "Story of a Stairway" by Antonio Buero Vallejo and many classic works including "Justice Without Revenge" by Lope de Vega. His career really started to take off when he encarnated the legendary character of "Don Juan Tenorio" by Zorrilla at the Festival of Alcala de Henares before crowds of 40,000 spectators per show. Success followed in 2005 when he played the lead in the hilarious comedy "Monty Python's Flying Circus", touring all of Spain. He was cast simultaneously in the TV show "Noche H" in which he played an eccentric journalist. There he had the opportunity to act alongside celebrities such as Tim Robbins, Penélope Cruz, Bruce Willis, Hilary Swank, Pedro Almodóvar, Steve Martin and Ralph Fiennes. In the following years he played all kinds of characters in TV shows and in films including: Cuéntame Cómo Pasó (2006), Muchachada Nui (2007/08), La Tira (2008/09), Spanish Movie (2009), La que se Avecina (2010), Los Quién (2011) and Felipe y Letizia (2011), to name a few. In the latter film he starred as Felipe de Borbón and became the first actor ever to portray the Prince of Spain. During these years he combined his work in film and television with theater and was involved in over a dozen productions, including Monty Python's musical, Spamalot, where he played several characters and was awarded the 2009 "Grand Vía" for Best Actor in a Musical Comedy. In 2012 Fernando was selected by the Fundación Siglo de Oro Company to encarnate Henry VIII in The Shakespeare Globe to Globe Festival in London. This made Gil the first spanish actor ever to play a main character in The Globe Theatre. He received great reviews in leading newspapers such as The Guardian, where they praised his truthfulness on stage. He has also portrayed another king, this time starring as the actual King of Spain, Juan Carlos I de Borbón, in the upcoming TV Movie "El Rey" (Tele 5). He was awarded with the "Biznaga de Plata" for Best Supporting Actor at the 2013 Malaga Film Festival for his most recent film "Casting" by Jorge Naranjo. Gil is presently shooting for the TV show "El Principe", where he plays a secret agent who is investigating a terrorist cell in Marocco. It is due to be released in 2014. He recently returned from Los Angeles (California) where he performed Henry VIII at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, garnering great reviews in newspapers such as the LA Times. There he met a renowned Hollywood agent who now manages Fernando Gil's career in the United States. He has produced, directed and written many short films, for which he also composed and recorded the music, being an avid guitar player. These shorts have brought him to over 16 film festivals and have been nominated for many awards. He won Best Short Film for his eccentric comedy "Vuelta y Vuelta" in the 2004 Iberoamerican Film Festival of Madrid.