Alberto Ammann

Back in 2009, Alberto Ammann basically exploded onto the Spanish film scene. The guy was a total unknown, just another drama student, and then—bam—he lands the lead in “Cell 211” and suddenly everyone knows his name. It’s wild because the year before, he snags a spot on Caras Nuevas, which is like this VIP list for up-and-coming Spanish talent. And yeah, the casting directors for “Cell 211” were actually on the jury, so that definitely didn’t hurt. They wanted a big name for the film, but nobody else even came close to what Ammann brought. He absolutely crushed it, picking up a Goya and a Spanish SAG Award. “Cell 211” ended up being the top film of the year. Not too shabby for a newbie, right? Ammann’s roots are in Córdoba, Argentina—his dad’s a well-known journalist and politician, Luis Alberto Ammann. The family ducked out of Argentina during the dictatorship and moved to Spain, but Alberto eventually circled back to Madrid for more acting classes after starting out in Argentina. His momentum didn’t slow down after “Cell 211.” He played Lope de Vega in “Lope,” tackled sci-fi in “Eva” with Daniel Brühl, then jumped into “Invader” as a military doctor in Iraq. He kept busy, bouncing between Spain, Argentina, and even Peru—working with some big names like Ricardo Darín and Stephen Dorff. He even made his English-language debut in “Mindscape.” Lately, you might’ve caught him as Pacho Herrera in “Narcos,” or as scientist Javier Delgado in “Mars.” The guy just doesn’t stop.