Joaquim de Almeida was born in Lisbon, Portugal, to two pharmacists and was one of eight children. From a young age, he showed a keen interest in the performing arts, which diverged from the family business. At the age of 18, after completing a two-year theater course at the Lisbon Conservatory, he left Portugal to pursue his studies.
However, the Conservatory was temporarily closed following the 1974 democratic revolution, and he instead moved to Vienna, Austria, where he worked at the Künstlerhaus-Theater and even tended to a garden. He spent a year in Vienna before relocating to New York City in 1976.
In New York, Joaquim de Almeida studied with renowned acting coaches Lee Strasberg, Nicholas Ray, and Stella Adler while working as a bartender. He eventually landed small roles in soap operas and theater productions before securing his first film role in "The Soldier" in 1981.
The following year, he appeared in "Honorary Consul" alongside Richard Gere, Michael Caine, and Bob Hoskins, marking his first significant film role. It was his third film, "Good Morning Babylon," directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, that opened the Cannes Film Festival in 1987, catapulting him to an international career.
Joaquim de Almeida's fluency in six languages has enabled him to work globally, and he has since appeared in over 90 films and television shows alongside notable actors and directors such as Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Kim Basinger, Antonio Banderas, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Soderbergh, Benicio del Toro, and Kiefer Sutherland.
His career has been marked by numerous awards, including Best Actor at the Cairo Film Festival in 1991, Golden Globe Best Actor in Portugal in 1995, 1997, and 2001, SAG Awards- Best ensemble in 2005, Portuguese Foreign Press-Personality of the year in 1995, Career Award in Festival Cinema de Badajoz in 2004, Career Award Festival Iberoamericano de Huelva in 2009, Career Award Festival de Cine de Punta del Este in 2003, Gold Medal City of Sintra in 2008, Gold Medal City of Setubal in 2006, and the Order of Infante by the President of Portugal.
