Asier Etxeandia

Etxeandia's career got its footing in Spanish film and television during the 2000s. *13 Roses* (2007), a drama revisiting the fate of young Republican women executed after the Spanish Civil War, gave him early exposure in a project with real historical and emotional stakes — the kind of ensemble work that doesn't always reward individual actors with recognition, but builds credibility fast. He kept working. Steady, consistent, not flashy. Then came *Velvet* and its follow-up series *Velvet Colección*, where his portrayal of Raúl de la Riva became the role that introduced him to a much wider Spanish television audience (Wikipedia). The show ran long enough and warmly enough that Raúl de la Riva is still, for many fans, the first thing they associate with Etxeandia's name. That's both a compliment and a ceiling — one he broke through decisively with *Shrew's Nest* (2014) and then, most emphatically, with *Pain and Glory* (2019). Working with Almodóvar tends to do something to an actor's profile, and Etxeandia's Goya nomination for Best Supporting Actor confirmed what the film itself made obvious: this wasn't a supporting performance in the conventional sense. It anchored a key section of the film. The years since have seen him take on *The Silent War* (2020) and move into 2025 with two new titles — *The Dinner* and *Frontier* — while simultaneously keeping projects in the pipeline (*Dante de noche* is currently filming, *La cuidadora* is in post-production, per IMDb). Six awards wins from 17 career nominations isn't a number you arrive at by accident. It's the math of someone who keeps showing up and keeps delivering.