Alberto Ammann

José Alberto Ammann Rey (born 1978) is an Argentine and Spanish actor. He has played various roles in films, television and theater. His feature film debut in Cell 211 earned him a Goya Award for Best New Actor. Other film works include performances in Lope: The Outlaw (2010), Eva (2011), Invader (2012), Thesis on a Homicide (2013), Betibú (2014), The Year of Fury (2020), Presencias (2022), and Upon Entry (2022). He is also known for playing Colombian drug trafficker Pacho Herrera in crime television series Narcos and Narcos: Mexico.

Biography Ammann was born in Córdoba, Argentina, son of journalist, politician, and writer Luis Alberto Ammann and Nélida Rey. In 1978, at the age of one month, he moved with his parents to Spain (Madrid and the Canary Islands), escaping from the last military dictatorship of Argentina, returning to the country in 1982. Years later, he returned to Spain to complete his studies.

He studied acting in the school of Juan Carlos Corazza, as well as the Theater Seminary Jolie Libois, located in Cordoba. Ruben Andalor, Willy Lanni and Ricky Ceballos were among his teachers. Since 2010, he has been in a relationship with Clara Méndez-Leite, whom with he founded an acting school in Malasaña in 2017.

Acting career Ammann had his big screen debut in thriller film Cell 211 (2009); he portrayed Juan Oliver, a prison guard who gets mistaken for an inmate during a riot. He prepared for the role by talking to officers and prisoners. His performance won him the Goya Award for Best New Actor at the 24th Goya Awards. Ammann (right) along with Natalia Oreiro in The Woman in the Line (2025). In 2010, Ammann starred in Lope in the title role, portraying poet-playwright Lope de Vega in his early years, when he was a young soldier who returns from war and then comes across two women.

Ammann starred in a Chanel commercial alongside Keira Knightley that aired in Hispanic countries starting on 4 April 2011.

In 2015, Ammann starred as Cali Cartel member Hélmer Herrera in the Netflix series, Narcos.

In 2016, Ammann starred as Javier Delgado, hydrologist and geochemist, in National Geographic's mini-series Mars.

2017 saw the release of television series Apaches on Netflix; an adaptation of Miguel Saez Carral's book of the same title. Ammann stars as protagonist Miguel, a young and promising journalist.

Filmography Film Year Title Role

Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Plan América (Plan) Capitán Mateo 2010 No soy como tú (I'm not like you) Alberto 2015–2017 Narcos Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera 2017 Apaches Miguel 2016–2018 Mars Javier Delgado 2018–2021 Narcos: Mexico Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera 2022 The Longest Night Hugo Roca 2024 Griselda Alberto Bravo 2025 Atrapados Leo Mercer 2026 The Night Manager Alejandro Gualteros 3 episodes

Theater Las brujas de Salem (The Crucible) (directed by Ricardo Ceballos) Paria (directed by Guillermo Ianni)

Accolades Year Award Category Work Result