Pedro Almodóvar Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Pedro Almodóvar is a Spanish filmmaker, director, screenwriter, producer, and former actor known for being one of the most respected names in the history of Spanish cinema. He wasn’t recognized until after La Movida Madrileña. Some of his highly appreciated works are movies like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990), High Heels (1991), and Live Flesh (1997). Almodóvar then worked on the drama film Volver (2006), the romantic thriller Broken Embraces (2009), The Skin I Live In (2011), Julieta (2016), and Pain and Glory (2019). He has received a lot of awards and honors for his contribution to the world of cinema. His films stand out with creative personnel, complex narratives, melodrama, pop culture, popular songs, irreverent humor, strong colors, and glossy décor. Almodóvar colors desire, passion, family, and identity in most of his movies.

Born Name

Pedro Almodóvar Caballero

Nick Name

Pedro

Sun Sign

Libra

Born Place

Calzada de Calatrava, Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Residence

• Paseo del Pintor Rosales, Madrid, Spain
• Calle de O’Donnell, Madrid, Spain
• Cáceres‎, Spain
• Argüelles, Madrid, Spain

Nationality

Education

At the age of 8, Pedro started attending a Catholic boarding school. He did not have money to fund himself for filmmaking, so he became a self-taught filmmaker.

Occupation

Filmmaker, Director, Screenwriter, Producer, Actor

Family

• Father – Antonio Almodóvar (Winemaker)
• Mother – Francisca Caballero
• Siblings – Antonia (Older Sister), María Jesús (Older Sister), Agustín Almodóvar (Younger Brother) (Film Producer)

Manager

Pedro Almodóvar is represented by El Deseo, Production Company.

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 9¾ in or 177 cm

Weight

86 kg or 189.5 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Pedro has dated –

1. Fernando Iglesias (2002-Present) – Pedro has been romantically involved with photographer Fernando Iglesias since 2002. The pair lives in separate houses in neighboring districts of Madrid. Almodóvar lives in Argüelles and Iglesias lives in Malasaña.

Race / Ethnicity

Hispanic

Pedro is of Spanish descent.

Hair Color

Gray

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Gay

Distinctive Features

Often wears sunglasses

Best Known For

• Receiving international recognition for the film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) which was nominated for the Academy Award for “Best Foreign Language Film”
• Winning an Academy Award in the “Best Foreign Language Film” category for All About My Mother (1999)
• Winning an Academy Award in “Best Original Screenplay” category for Talk to Her (2002)
• The film Volver (2006) which was nominated for Oscar Awards

First Film

He made his feature film debut in A Man Called Autumn Flower in 1978.

First TV Show

He made his TV show debut as ‘Himself’ on Alcores in 1982.

Pedro Almodóvar Favorite Things

• Film – The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
• Actress – Meryl Streep
• Filmmaker – David Lean
• Spanish Film – Main Street (1956)

Source – IMDb

Pedro Almodóvar Facts

1. He relocated to Madrid in 1967 where he earned his bread, selling used items in a flea-market called El Rastro.
2. He uses symbols and metaphorical techniques to narrate his circular storylines.
3. Pedro couldn’t study filmmaking because he didn’t have the money and the filmmaking schools were closed in the early 70s by Franco’s government.
4. He found a job at Telefónica and kept saving his salary to purchase a Super 8 camera. From 1972 to 1978, he got busy making short films with the help of his friends.
5. Almodóvar became popular during “La Movida”, the pop culture movement of late 70s Madrid.
6. He uses only his last name for his “Film By” credit (“Un film de Almodóvar”).
7. Pedro and his brother Agustín Almodóvar started their own production company named El Deseo in 1986.
8. Almodóvar had endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the run-up for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
9. He has cast his mother Francisca Caballero and brother Agustín Almodóvar in a bunch of movies for cameo roles.
10. He starred in his own film Labyrinth of Passion (1982) wearing women’s clothes and lots of black makeup.
11. His first few films featured the sense of s*xual and political freedom of the period.
12. He spent 10 years writing the script for Bad Education (2004), which is based on his own experience at his boarding school.
13. In 1992, he was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, and in 2017, he was the president of the jury.
14. A chicken dish is named after him by celebrity chef Rachael Ray who also is a big fan of his work.
15. Admittedly, he usually starts writing his movies with a crucial scene that ends up placed in the middle of the movie.
16. Brokeback Mountain (2005) and The Paperboy (2012) were both offered to Pedro for direction.
17. He wishes to work with Marion Cotillard and Catherine Deneuve.
18. His father Antonio Almodóvar was a winemaker. His mother, Francisca Caballero (died in 1999) used to read and write letters for illiterate neighbors.
19. Pedro’s romantic partner, Fernando Iglesias has been cast in a lot of Pedro’s movies in small roles.
20. In Caceres, his father opened a gas station where his mother sold her own wine in a bodega established by herself.
21. Against his parents’ wishes, Almodóvar moved to Madrid in 1967 to become a filmmaker.
22. He wrote under the pseudonym Patty Diphusa. He also wrote various articles for major newspapers and magazines, such as El País, Diario 16, and La Luna as well as worked on comic strips, articles, and stories in offbeat magazines, such as Star, El Víbora, and Vibraciones.
23. The term “Almodóvariano” (which would translate as Almodóvarian) is coined by international critics for Pedro, awarding his unique style of filmmaking a citation.
24. His portrayal of women in his films have been looked at as admirable but some like to look at them as misogynistic.
25. After setting up El Deseo in 1986, Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro’s brother, was the producer of all of his films since Law of Desire (1986).
26. Almodóvar used to live on Calle de O’Donnell on the eastern side of Madrid. In 2007, he moved to his €3 million apartment on Paseo del Pintor Rosales.
27. The movie Bad Education (2004) is based on his experience at the Catholic boarding school to which he was sent away when he was 8.
28. He used to have extreme physical fear of priests.
29. His first ambition was to be a writer.
30. He looks upon Luis Buñuel, yet another treasured Spanish filmmaker.
31. Even though he has been offered a number of Hollywood projects, Pedro thinks he has been growing more and more reluctant to take them up.
32. For Penelope Cruz, he thinks that she was born an actress.
33. He also is a fan of Timothée Chalamet, who starred in Call Me By Your Name (2017).
34. Pedro has received many honors including an honorary doctoral degree in 2009 from Harvard University in addition to an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Oxford in 2016.
35. During the 2023 TIFF Tribute Gala & Awards, Pedro was honored with the “Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media”.
36. Pedro is not active on social media.

Featured Image by Ruben Ortega / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0