Elena Anaya is a Spanish actress born on July 17th, 1975, in Palencia, Spain. She was an active child, excelling in karate and mountain climbing, and by the age of 17, she knew she wanted to become an actress. She enrolled in a drama course given by actor Manuel Moron in her local town and later auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Madrid.
Elena's exceptional talent caught the attention of her instructor, Moron, who mentioned her to his agent, Katrina Bayonas, who was looking for a young girl to star in the film "Africa". Elena auditioned and landed the role. However, she had to leave the Royal Academy when she was cast in Fernando Leon de Aranoa's comedy "Familia". She continued her formation at the Juan Carlos Corazza school of acting.
Elena's feature debut was in the 1996 drama "África", followed by supporting roles in "Lagrimas negras", "Finisterre", "Las Huellas borradas", and "El Invierno de las Anjanas". Her performance in the erotic drama "Lucia y el sexo" earned her a Goya nomination for Best Supporting Actress and the Spanish Actors Union Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in the comedy "Sin noticias de Dios" alongside Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril.
As her star continued to rise, Elena caught the attention of international directors, and she was offered the role of Dracula's most possessive bride in the 2004 film "Van Helsing". She then appeared in "Dead Fish", "Fragile", "Capitán Alatriste", "Miguel & William", and "Savage Grace".
In 2008, Elena was introduced to French audiences in "L'instinct de Mort" and then starred in "Cairo Time" and "Hierro". She appeared in "Room in Rome" in 2009, earning her Best Actress nominations for both the Spanish Actors Guild and the Goya Awards. She then returned to France to shoot Fred Cavaye's "A Bout Portant".
In 2010, Pedro Almodovar offered her the leading role of Vera in his new film "The Skin I live in" with Antonio Banderas. This role won her the 2011 Best Actress Goya (Spanish Academy Award). She received the honorary Málaga Sur Award at the yearly Film festival in Málaga in 2012.
Elena also starred in "Pensé que iba haber fiesta" in 2012 and "Todos están muertos" in 2013, winning six Best Actress nominations and the Spanish SAG Best Actress Award. She appeared in the Scottish film "Swung" in 2013 and shot Chilean director Matias Bize's "La memoria del Agua" in 2014.
In 2015, Elena started with a cameo role in Brad Furman's "The Infiltrator" alongside Bryan Cranston and John Leguizamo.
