Ana de Armas went from a small town in Cuba to leading Hollywood films in little more than a decade. She learned English quickly, chose bold roles and earned an Oscar nomination for playing Marilyn Monroe. In 2025 she proved she can carry an action film too, with the John Wick spin off Ballerina.
Early life
Ana Celia de Armas Caso was born on April 30, 1988, in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in the coastal town of Santa Cruz del Norte. She studied at the National Theatre School of Cuba and made her film debut as a teenager in Una rosa de Francia in 2006.
Fame in Spain
At 18 she moved to Madrid, using the Spanish citizenship that came through her grandparents. She became famous across Spain with the popular TV series El Internado, which she starred in from 2007 to 2010.
The move to Hollywood
In 2014 she moved to Los Angeles, even though she spoke very little English. She studied hard and soon landed roles in Knock Knock with Keanu Reeves and War Dogs. Her real breakthrough came in 2017 as Joi, the hologram companion in Blade Runner 2049.
In 2019 she starred in Rian Johnson’s mystery hit Knives Out, which brought her a Golden Globe nomination. She then stole scenes as the agent Paloma in the James Bond film No Time to Die in 2021 and appeared in The Gray Man.
Blonde and the Oscar nomination
In 2022 she played Marilyn Monroe in Netflix’s Blonde. The film divided critics, but her performance was widely praised and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, along with BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG nominations.
Action star
She teamed up with Chris Evans again in Ghosted in 2023, then led From the World of John Wick: Ballerina in 2025 as the assassin Eve Macarro. Her work in the film earned her the Action Star of the Year award at CinemaCon. She also appeared in Ron Howard’s survival drama Eden.
Personal life
De Armas was married to Spanish actor Franco Navarro from 2011 to 2013. She keeps her private life fairly quiet and splits her time between the United States and Spain.
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