María Valverde
About this Artist
Acclaimed film and television actress María Valverde made her concert stage debut narrating the Felix Mendelssohn live orchestral adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream alongside her husband, conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, at the Castell de Peralada Festival on 10 August 2019 in Girona, Spain. Born in the Carabanchel neighborhood of southern Madrid, Spain, Valverde was discovered by director Manuel Martin Cuenca in 2002 at age 15, when she was cast in the lead role of his film, THE BOLSHEVIK’S WEAKNESS.
Valverde has since appeared in more than twenty films, performing in Spanish, English and French, and filming in locations including Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom, United States, France, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela.
Her credits include the Ridley Scott-produced and Jordan Scott-directed CRACKS (2009) co-starring French actress Eva Green; MELISSA P (2005) directed by Luca Guadagnino, and TRES METROS SOBRE EL CIELO (2010), as well as TV series: BROTHERS (2014) and THE ESCAPE (2012). She teamed up again with the legendary Scott for his film EXODUS: Gods and Kings (2014), collaborating with Christian Bale. In the U.S., Valverde played the lead in BROKEN HORSES, co-starring Anton Yelchin (2015); landed roles in THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM (2016) (with Olivia Cooke and Bill Nighy) PLONGER (2017) directed by Melanie Laurent and co-starring Gille Lellouche, FEVER DREAM (2019) directed by Claudia Llosa, ARAÑA (2019) directed by Andrés Wood and the Netflix hit FUIMOS CANCIONES by Juana Macias.
She stars in the upcoming “VIAJE AL SUR EN UN COCHE NARANJA” directed by Alberto Arvelo.
It was while immersed in the part of María Theresa Bolívar for the film LIBERTADOR (2013) also directed by Alberto Arvelo, that Valverde and Dudamel first collaborated. Dudamel composed the film’s soundtrack. Their reunited again for A Midsummer Night’s Dream where she recited the Shakespearean prose in her native Spanish, while her husband conducted the orchestra to one of his childhood heroes Gustav Mahler.
The Spanish Film Academy awarded Valverde a Goya and a CEC award for Best Newcomer for her role in THE BOLSHEVIK’S WEAKNESS. She was selected Best Actress at Screamfest 08 in Los Angeles for her performances in EL REY DE LA MONTAÑA . And at the Berlin Film Festival 2016 awarded her their “European Shooting Star” accolade.