Najwa Nimri

Najwa Nimri Urrutikoetxea (; born 14 February 1972) is a Spanish actress and singer. Her accolades include nominations for three Goya Awards, a CEC Award, a Forqué Award, and three Feroz Awards.

Nimri made her acting debut in 1995 in the Spanish film Jump into the Void. Her other films include Passages (1996), Open Your Eyes (1997), Blinded (1997), Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998), Asfalto (2000), Sex and Lucia (2001), and Fausto 5.0 (2001), The Method (2005), Anything You Want (2010), Quién te cantará (2018), and The Red Virgin (2024). She became a prominent actor of 1990s and 2000s Spanish cinema. Her international profile increased in the streaming era for her work in the Spanish prison drama series Locked Up (2015–2020) and the heist series Money Heist (2019–2021).

Early life Nimri was born in Pamplona, Spain. Her mother is Spanish and her father is Jordanian. She has a brother, a half-brother and two half-sisters. When she was a child, her family moved to Bilbao, Spain, where she was raised. Her parents separated when she was 11, and at age 17 she moved to Madrid, where she pursued the performing arts, took acting classes and sang in a funk band.

Career Her first major film role was in Salto al vacío, the first movie by film director Daniel Calparsoro. Her career as a singer started with small groups. In 1996, she formed the band with Carlos Jean. She has also released three solo albums. From 1995 to 2000, she was married to Daniel Calparsoro.

Several of her film roles won her praise: as Ana in Lovers of the Arctic Circle, and as Elena in Sex and Lucia. Both films were directed by Julio Medem. She starred next to Eduardo Noriega in Abre los ojos, and El método.

She was nominated to the Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance as amnesiac diva Lila Cassen in Quién te cantará (2018).

In 2020, she returned as Zulema in the spin off Vis a vis: El Oasis, starring with Maggie Civantos. She played Alicia Sierra, a policewoman inspector in (Money Heist) La casa de papel. She voiced Kate Laswell in the 2019 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

She joined season 2 of religious horror series 30 Coins to portray paranormal hunter and video podcaster Haruka. In 2024, she featured in the hospital-set drama series Breathless, portraying a right-wing President of the Valencian Community set on dismantling the public healthcare system. She also portrayed Aurora Rodríguez in The Red Virgin.

Filmography Films

Year Title Role Notes 1995 Salto al vacío (Jump into the Void) Alex 1996 Pasajes (Passages) Gabi 1997 Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes) Nuria 1997 A ciegas (Blinded) Marrubi 1998 Los amantes del círculo polar (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) Ana Character also performed by Kristel Díaz and Sara Valiente 9'8 m/s² Ella 2000 Asfalto Lucía 2001 Fausto 5.0 Julia Before Night Falls Fina Correa Lucía y el sexo (Sex and Lucia) Elena 2002 Piedras (Stones) Leire 2003 Utopía (Utopia) Ángela 2004 A+ (Amas) (A+) Dam Agents secrets (Secret Agents) Maria Menendez 2005 El método (The Method) Nieves 20 centímetros (20 Centimeters) La Conejo 2006 Trastorno (Dementia) Natalia Las vidas de Celia (Celia's Lives) Celia 2007 Mataharis Eva Oviedo Express Bárbara 2010 Todo lo que tú quieras (Anything You Want) Marta Route Irish Marisol Habitación en Roma (Room in Rome) Edurne 2011 Verbo Inés 2012 The Wine of Summer Ana 2013 10.000 noches en ninguna parte (10,000 Nights Nowhere) Claudia 2018 Quién te cantará Lila Cassen El árbol de la sangre (The Tree of Blood) Macarena 2024 La virgen roja (The Red Virgin) Aurora Rodríguez 2026 (Watch Your Dreams)

Television Year Title Role Notes 2015–2019 Vis a Vis (Locked Up) Zulema Zahir Main cast; 40 episodes 2019–2021 La casa de papel (Money Heist) Alicia Sierra Main cast (season 3-5); 25 episodes 2020 Vis a vis: El Oasis Zulema Zahir Lead role; 8 episodes 2021–2022 Insiders Host 14 episodes 2022–23 Sagrada familia Gloria Román / Julia Santos Lead role; Seasons 1–2 2023 30 monedas Haruka Season 2 2023 Berlin Alicia Sierra Montes 3 episodes 2024 Respira (Breathless) Patricia Segura

Podcast Year Title Role Episodes 2020 Vis a vis: Cara B Zulema Zahir Voice role, 10 episodes

Discography

Najwajean (with Carlos Jean) No Blood (1998) – No. 80 Asfalto (2001) (soundtrack) – No. 175 Guerreros (2002) (soundtrack) – No. 88 Najwajean Selection (2002) (compilation album) – No. 108 Till It Breaks (2008) – No. 20 Bonzo (2015)

Solo albums Carefully (2001) – No. 76 Mayday (2003) – No. 48 Walkabout (2006) – No. 10 (50,000 copies sold; Gold) El ultimo primate (2010) Donde rugen los volcanes (2012) Rat Race (2014) Viene de Largo (2020) AMA (2021)

Accolades

Year Award Category Work Result 1998 45th Ondas Awards Best Actress Lovers of the Arctic Circle & Open Your Eyes 1999 13th Goya Awards Best Actress Lovers of the Arctic Circle 2002 16th Goya Awards Best Supporting Actress Sex and Lucia 2019 6th Feroz Awards Best Main Actress in a Series Best Actress Quién te cantará 33rd Goya Awards Best Actress Best TV Actress Locked Up 6th Platino Awards Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Series 2021 8th Platino Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV Series Money Heist 2022 72nd Fotogramas de PlataBest TV Actress 9th Platino Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV Series 30th Forqué Awards Best Actress in a Film The Red Virgin Best Actress Best Main Actress in a Film Best Film Actress in a Leading Role