Culture

Basque actors, actresses and singers: from Money Heist to Luis Mariano

Itziar Ituño (Lisbon in Money Heist), Karra Elejalde, Maurice Ravel, Mikel Laboa, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Amaia… Basque stars from both sides of the border.

By Eztebe5 min

The Basque Country has given Spanish film and television a generation of highly acclaimed actors and actresses, many of whom came up through Basque-language series on ETB (Basque public television) before making it big in Madrid… or on Netflix. On the French side, it has produced popular actresses and great voices, from operetta to Basque song. Here are some of those faces, with their home towns.

Itziar Ituño, ‘Lisbon’ in Money Heist

Born in Basauri (Biscay) in 1974, Itziar Ituño studied sociology at the University of the Basque Country. Basque audiences first knew her as Nekane Beitia in Goenkale, ETB’s Basque-language soap opera, in which she appeared from 1999 to 2015. Worldwide fame came with Raquel Murillo, the police inspector who becomes ‘Lisbon’ (Lisboa) in La casa de papel (Money Heist; Antena 3, then Netflix). She also has a career as a singer.

The Goya winners

  • Karra Elejalde (born in 1960 in Vitoria-Gasteiz) — two Goyas for Best Supporting Actor, for Even the Rain (2010) and for the comedy Ocho apellidos vascos (Spanish Affair, 2014); he plays Miguel de Unamuno in While at War (2019).
  • Patricia López Arnaiz (born in 1981 in Vitoria-Gasteiz) — Goya for Best Actress 2021 for Ane; the series La otra mirada and La peste, the film 20,000 Species of Bees.
  • Eneko Sagardoy (born in 1994 in Durango) — Goya for Best New Actor 2018 for Handia, the first Goya awarded for a Basque-language role; Errementari, Irati, Patria.

Familiar faces

  • Álex Angulo (1953–2014), born in Erandio (Biscay) — a cult supporting actor in Álex de la Iglesia’s films (The Day of the Beast, Muertos de risa), also seen in Pan’s Labyrinth and the series Periodistas. He died in a road accident in July 2014.
  • Ramón Barea (born in 1949 in Bilbao) — nearly 200 films, including La muerte de Mikel, Vacas and Everybody Knows; National Theatre Prize 2013.
  • Unax Ugalde (born in 1978 in Vitoria-Gasteiz) — Goya-nominated for Héctor; he worked with Miloš Forman (Goya’s Ghosts) and appeared in Lasa y Zabala.
  • Bárbara Goenaga (born in 1983 in San Sebastián) — Los cronocrímenes, Oviedo Express, the series Amar es para siempre.

Patria, a very Basque series

Adapted from Fernando Aramburu’s novel, the series Patria (HBO España, 2020) brings together several Basque actors, including Elena Irureta (born in 1955 in Zumaia), who plays Bittori, Nagore Aranburu (born in 1976 in Azpeitia), also seen in Loreak, Querer and Official Competition, and Eneko Sagardoy. For the historical background, read our article on the history of ETA.

The north: actresses from the French Basque Country

  • Pauline Carton (1884–1974), born in Biarritz — actress and singer, more than 250 films, 22 of them with Sacha Guitry.
  • Bénédicte Delmas (born in 1972 in Bayonne) — Dr Laure Olivier in the series Sous le soleil, who went on to become a director (Plus belle la vie, Section de recherches).

Music: the north

  • Maurice Ravel (1875–1937), born in Ciboure, near Saint-Jean-de-Luz — the composer of Boléro (1928), whose mother came from a Ciboure family. He regularly came back to the coast to compose and rest.
  • Luis Mariano, born in Irun — the ‘prince of operetta’, who shot to fame with La Belle de Cadix (1945), then Le Chanteur de Mexico. He is buried in Arcangues, where a bronze bust by Paul Belmondo pays tribute to him.
  • Katia and Marielle Labèque, born in Bayonne — the famous piano duo.
  • Michel Portal, born in Bayonne — jazz clarinettist and saxophonist, three-time winner of the César for Best Music.
  • Anne Etchegoyen (born in 1980 in Saint-Palais) — a singer in Basque, French, Spanish and Gascon; Les Voix basques (2013) went gold.
  • Kalakan — a trio from the French Basque Country founded in 2009 (Thierry Biscary, Jamixel Bereau, Xan Errotabehere), playing Basque percussion such as the txalaparta. Introduced to Madonna by the Labèque sisters, they accompanied her on her MDNA tour in 2012, on which she sang a verse of Sagarra jo! in Basque.
  • Daniel Balavoine (1952–1986) — born in Alençon, to a family from the Landes and the Basque Country; he is buried in Biarritz.

Music: the south

  • Mikel Laboa (1934–2008), born in San Sebastián — co-founder of the Ez Dok Amairu collective, which set out to revive Basque culture and language under Franco. His song Txoria txori has been covered by Joan Baez and Salvador Sobral.
  • Benito Lertxundi (born in 1942 in Orio) — Basque-language singer-songwriter in the wake of Ez Dok Amairu, first album in 1971.
  • Mocedades — vocal group founded in Bilbao in 1967, 2nd at Eurovision 1973 with Eres tú.
  • Fermin Muguruza (born in 1963 in Irun) — founder of Kortatu and later Negu Gorriak, a major figure in Basque rock.
  • La Oreja de Van Gogh — pop group from San Sebastián (1996), Latin Grammy for the album Guapa, more than 3 million albums certified in Spain.
  • Amaia (Amaia Romero, born in 1999 in Pamplona) — winner of Operación Triunfo 2017 and Spain’s Eurovision entry in 2018.
  • And of course Itziar Ituño, who also sings alongside her acting career.

Sources

Ongi etorri — happy watching and listening!

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