Joaquim de Almeida: The Life Story Behind Portugal's Hollywood Star
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Lisbon: A Childhood in the Portuguese Capital
Joaquim de Almeida was born on 15 March 1957 in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and he grew up in a city that was, in those years, a quiet, provincial capital, under a dictatorship, with a life that was far from the film studios of Hollywood, and the stages of New York. His family lived in Lisbon, and he was a boy who loved the theatre, who performed, and who dreamed, in a city where the Tagus River was always there, and where the idea of leaving, of going somewhere else, was always there, too.
Lisbon in the 1960s and 1970s was a city in transition, a city where the old regime was falling, where the revolution of 1974, the Carnation Revolution, changed everything, and where a boy growing up learned to be practical, to be tough, and to make the most of what he had. De Almeida has spoken about a childhood that was happy, about a family that supported him, and about a love of acting, and of the theatre, that began early, in the school, in the home, and in the city, and that would become the centre of his life, and the reason the world knows his name. The Tagus was always there, in Lisbon, and the theatre was always there, and the two, together, shaped him, in ways that are visible, in every performance he gives.
He studied acting in Lisbon, and he performed in the theatre, in small roles, in the city, learning his craft, one play at a time, and he decided, in his twenties, to leave Portugal, and to go to New York, to study at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, one of the most famous acting schools in the world, where he learned the Method, and where he became, in a sense, an American actor, as well as a Portuguese one. New York was a revelation, and it was the beginning of everything that followed, because it taught him to act, in English, and because it gave him the confidence, and the technique, to take on the roles that would make him famous, in Hollywood, and around the world.
The decision to leave was not easy, and it was not without risk. He was a young man, he was leaving his family, he was leaving his home, and he was going to a city he did not know, to do a job he did not understand, in a language he did not speak as his own. But he went, because the opportunity was real, and because the alternative, a life in Lisbon, was not enough, and because he believed in himself, and in the work, and the work would prove him right. The boy from Lisbon became an actor in New York, and the actor in New York would become a star, in Hollywood, and the star would become one of Portugal’s most famous actors, and the story that began on the Tagus would reach the cinemas of the world.
New York, the Method and the First Roles
Joaquim de Almeida arrived in New York in the early 1980s, and he studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, where he learned the Method, a way of acting that is about truth, about emotion, and about the actor’s own experience, and that would become the foundation of his career, and the reason his performances are, in the best sense, real. The Method was a training, and it was a discipline, and it was the place where he learned to be an actor, in English, in a city that was, for him, a second home, and in a language that had become a second tongue.
He worked in the theatre in New York, in small roles, in Off-Broadway productions, and in the film industry, in small roles, learning his craft, one job at a time, and he built a career that was, in the best sense, a working actor’s career: theatre, film, television, one role at a time, with no shortcuts, and with no compromises. The early years in New York were a foundation, and the foundation was solid, because it was built on talent, on training, and on a love of the work, and the work that followed, in the 1990s, would build on that foundation, and would make de Almeida one of the most famous Portuguese actors in the world.
He also learned to speak English, and Spanish, and French, and the languages are part of the story, because they allowed him to work in different countries, in different industries, and to play characters who are not defined by a single language, or a single place. He was born in Portugal, he speaks Portuguese, he learned English in New York, and he acts in all of these languages, in films that are American, in films that are Portuguese, in films that are Spanish, and in films that are international, and the ability to do that is rare, and it is valuable, because it means he is not limited to one market, or one industry, or one kind of role.
The New York years also taught him about the demands of a long career, about the need to sustain a character, about the relationship between an actor and an audience, and about the discipline of showing up, of knowing his lines, and of doing the work, even when the role was small, and even when the film was not good. The boy from Lisbon had become an actor in New York, and the actor in New York was ready for the roles that would follow, in Hollywood, and around the world, and the story that began on the Tagus was about to reach the cinemas of the world.
Clear and Present Danger, Desperado and the Hollywood Villain
Joaquim de Almeida’s breakthrough in Hollywood came in 1994, in Clear and Present Danger, a film based on the novel by Tom Clancy, in which he played Colonel Félix Cortez, a Colombian drug lord’s associate, opposite Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, in a performance that was a revelation, and that showed the world that de Almeida could play a villain, in a Hollywood blockbuster, with a skill, a charm, and a menace that made the character unforgettable. The film was a commercial success, it was seen around the world, and it introduced de Almeida to an international audience, as a villain, and as a star.
The role mattered because Cortez is a difficult character, a man who is intelligent, who is charming, and who is, in the end, a criminal, and de Almeida played him with a total honesty that made the audience understand him, even when they feared him, and even when the character is, in the story, a villain. The performance was a revelation, and it was a validation, and it was a sign that de Almeida, at thirty-seven, was one of the great character actors of his generation, and that the Hollywood career, which had begun in New York, was now, in film, undeniable.
In 1995 he starred in Desperado, playing Bucho, the drug lord, opposite Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi, in a film directed by Robert Rodriguez, in a performance that was, again, a villain, and that showed a different side of de Almeida, a man who is powerful, who is dangerous, and who is, in the end, a victim, of his own ambition, and of the violence he creates. The film was a commercial success, it became a cult favourite, and it confirmed that de Almeida was now one of the most sought-after villains in Hollywood, a man who could play a drug lord, in English, in Spanish, and in Portuguese, and who could do it with a total commitment that made the audience believe in him.
The villain roles are a thread that runs through de Almeida’s career, from Cortez to Bucho to Hernan Reyes, and they show a side of him that is physical, that is fierce, and that is not afraid of hard work. The villains are the hardest roles to play, because the audience must understand them, even when they fear them, and de Almeida does that, film after film, year after year, without complaint, and without making a fuss about it. The audience may not notice the training, but they notice the performance, and the performance is real, because the training is real, and the man on screen is a man who has done the work, and who is, in every way, a star.
24, Fast Five and the Television Star
The 2000s brought Joaquim de Almeida a series of leading roles, in films and in television, that showed him as a star, in different countries, in different languages, and that confirmed that he was not only a film villain, but a television star, and a leading man. In 2001 he appeared in Behind Enemy Lines, playing Admiral Piquet, a NATO commander, in a film about a pilot shot down in Bosnia, opposite Owen Wilson, in a performance that was a supporting one, but that showed a different side of de Almeida, a man who is an officer, who is a leader, and who is, in his own way, a hero, in a film about war, about survival, and about duty.
In 2003 he starred in 24, the Fox television series, playing Ramon Salazar, a drug lord, in the third season, in a performance that was central to the series, and that showed him as a villain, in television, in a role that was complex, that was morally ambiguous, and that required him to play a man who is, at once, a criminal, a father, and a victim, in a series that was, at the time, one of the most watched shows on American television. The series was a success, it ran for nine seasons, and it confirmed that de Almeida, at forty-six, was a star, in television, as well as in film, and that the career was, in every way, a global one.
In 2011 he starred in Fast Five, playing Hernan Reyes, the villain, a Brazilian drug lord, opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, in a film that became one of the biggest hits of the year, and one of the most successful films in the Fast and Furious franchise, in a performance that was, again, a villain, and that showed the world that de Almeida could play a drug lord, in a blockbuster, and that he could do it with a total commitment that made the audience believe in him, even when the character is, in the story, a criminal, and even when the film is, in many ways, a fantasy. The film was a commercial success, it was seen around the world, and it confirmed that de Almeida, at fifty-four, was still a star, and still being offered the best roles, in the biggest films.
He also appeared in The Hitman’s Bodyguard in 2017, playing Jean Foucher, an Interpol agent, in a film opposite Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, in a performance that was a supporting one, but that showed a different side of de Almeida, a man who is a policeman, who is a professional, and who is, in his own way, a hero, in a film about a bodyguard, a hitman, and a dictator. The film was a commercial success, and it confirmed that de Almeida could play a role in English, in an American film, and that he could do it with a total honesty that made the audience believe in him, and that made the film, which was, in many ways, an ensemble piece, into a showcase for his talent.
Queen of the South and the Portuguese Star
In 2016 Joaquim de Almeida starred in Queen of the South, a USA Network series, playing Don Epifanio Vargas, a drug lord, in a performance that was central to the series, and that showed him as a villain, in television, in a role that was complex, that was morally ambiguous, and that required him to play a man who is, at once, a criminal, a father, and a victim, in a series that was, at the time, one of the most watched shows on American television. The series ran for five seasons, from 2016 to 2021, and it confirmed that de Almeida, at fifty-nine, was a star, in television, as well as in film, and that the career was, in every way, a global one.
He has also worked in Portuguese cinema, and in Portuguese television, in films and in series that are made in Portugal, by Portuguese directors, and that are watched, in Portugal, by an audience that knows him, as one of their own, as a son of Lisbon, who left, and who came back, and who never forgot where he came from. The Portuguese work is a part of the story, because it shows that de Almeida is not only a Hollywood actor, but a Portuguese actor, a man who works in his own country, in his own language, and who is, in every way, a star, in Portugal, as well as in America.
The career has taken him to Lisbon, to New York, to Los Angeles, and to the sets of films that were made in many countries, by directors from many countries, and the travel is part of the job, and it is a job that he has done, for more than forty years, without ever settling in one place, and without ever becoming a star of only one country. The films are international, the audience is international, and the actor is international, and that is the point, because the story that began in Lisbon, on the Tagus, is a story that belongs to the world, and the world has watched it, and will keep watching it.
The Villain’s Craft: Playing the Men Audiences Love to Hate
Joaquim de Almeida has played more villains than most actors play heroes, and the villains are the thread that runs through his career, from Félix Cortez in Clear and Present Danger, to Bucho in Desperado, to Ramon Salazar in 24, to Hernan Reyes in Fast Five, to Don Epifanio Vargas in Queen of the South, and they show a side of him that is physical, that is fierce, and that is not afraid of hard work. The villains are the hardest roles to play, because the audience must understand them, even when they fear them, and de Almeida does that, film after film, year after year, without complaint, and without making a fuss about it.
The craft of the villain is, in de Almeida’s hands, a craft of restraint, and of charm, and of a man who is intelligent, who is powerful, and who is, in the end, human. Cortez is a man who is intelligent, who is charming, and who is, in the end, a criminal, and de Almeida played him with a total honesty that made the audience understand him, even when they feared him. Bucho is a man who is powerful, who is dangerous, and who is, in the end, a victim, of his own ambition, and of the violence he creates, and de Almeida played him with a total commitment that made the audience believe in him, even when the character is, in the story, a criminal. Reyes is a man who is a drug lord, who is a father, and who is, in the end, a man who loves his family, and who will do anything to protect it, and de Almeida played him with a total honesty that made the audience understand him, even when they did not like him.
The Method is the foundation of the craft, because de Almeida studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, in New York, where he learned a way of acting that is about truth, about emotion, and about the actor’s own experience, and that would become the foundation of his career, and the reason his performances are, in the best sense, real. The Method taught him to find the truth in a character, even when the character is a villain, and even when the truth is ugly, and to play it, with a total commitment, that made the audience believe in him, and that made the villains, who are, in many films, caricatures, into men, into human beings, into people who are, in the end, like us, and unlike us, at the same time.
The languages are also part of the craft, because de Almeida speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and French, and he plays villains in all of these languages, in films that are American, in films that are Portuguese, in films that are Spanish, and in films that are international, and the ability to do that is rare, and it is valuable, because it means he is not limited to one market, or one industry, or one kind of villain, and because it means the audience, in many countries, knows him, as the villain, and as the star, and loves him for it, even when they fear him, and even when they hate him, on screen.
The future of the villains is bright, and it is also uncertain, as the future always is, but the signs are good: the directors who want to work with him, the scripts that arrive, the villains that are written, and the audience that follows him, from Lisbon to New York to Los Angeles. He is sixty-eight, he is at the peak of his powers, and he has a career ahead of him that could last for decades, in Portuguese and in English, in Spanish, on stage and on screen, and the work he does next will be watched, closely, by an audience that has learned to trust him, and that knows, when Joaquim de Almeida is in a film, the film will be good, and the villain will be worth watching, and the performance will be worth the price of admission, for as long as he keeps working, and for as long as there are stories worth telling, and villains worth playing, and heroes worth fighting, and audiences worth entertaining, and films worth making.
He has also returned to Portugal, again and again, to work in Portuguese films and television, in his own language, in productions that are watched in Lisbon, in Porto, and around the country, and that show a different side of him, a man who is Portuguese, who is at home, and who is, in his own country, a star, and a son, and a man who never forgot where he came from, and who divides his time between Portugal and the United States, because both are home, and because both have given him work, and love, and a life, and the Portuguese work is a part of the story, because it shows that he is not only a Hollywood actor, but a Portuguese actor, and that the boy from Lisbon is still, in every way, a son of Lisbon.
My Take:
What I admire most about Joaquim de Almeida is the journey, and I want to be specific about what that journey means, because it is easy to say an actor came from nowhere and hard to show it. He was born in Lisbon, in 1957, he studied acting in his home city, he went to New York, he studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, he became a villain in Clear and Present Danger, he became Bucho in Desperado, he became Ramon Salazar in 24, he became Hernan Reyes in Fast Five, and he became Don Epifanio Vargas in Queen of the South, and that is a journey that few people make, and it is a journey that deserves to be celebrated, not only for the fame, but for the courage it took to leave, to learn, and to keep going.
I also think his Lisbon childhood matters more than it is usually given credit for. He grew up in the Portuguese capital, in a city that was, in those years, under a dictatorship, and then in revolution, and where a boy growing up learned to be practical, to be tough, and to make the most of what he had. The Tagus was always there, in Lisbon, and the theatre was always there, and the two, together, shaped him, in ways that are visible, in every performance he gives. The childhood is in the work, and it is there because he grew up in it, and because he has never tried to hide it, or to lose the accent, or to become someone else.
The New York training is the part I think about most, because it is easy to see an acting school as a place where you learn to act, and it is wrong to do so. The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute taught him the Method, a way of acting that is about truth, about emotion, and about the actor’s own experience, and that would become the foundation of his career, and the reason his performances are, in the best sense, real. The boy from Lisbon had become an actor in New York, and the actor in New York would become a star, in Hollywood. I think the training matters because it is the foundation, and because the foundation was solid, and because the work that followed, from Clear and Present Danger to Fast Five, was built on it, and would not have been possible without it.
Clear and Present Danger is the film I return to most, because Colonel Félix Cortez is a man who is intelligent, who is charming, and who is, in the end, a criminal, and de Almeida played him with a total honesty that made the audience understand him, even when they feared him. The film was a commercial success, it was seen around the world, and it introduced de Almeida to an international audience, as a villain, and as a star. I think the film matters because it is the beginning, and because it shows what he could do, and because it set the pattern for everything that followed: the villain, the drug lord, the man who is, underneath it all, human, and the audience, watching, understands that, even when they do not like him.
Desperado is the film I think about when I consider his range, because Bucho is a drug lord, opposite Antonio Banderas as El Mariachi, in a film directed by Robert Rodriguez, and de Almeida played him with a total commitment that made the audience believe in him, even when the character is, in the story, a criminal, and even when the film is, in many ways, a fantasy. The film was a commercial success, it became a cult favourite, and it confirmed that de Almeida was now one of the most sought-after villains in Hollywood. I think the film matters because it shows that he can play a villain, in a blockbuster, and that he can do it with a charm, a menace, and a truth that few actors possess.
24 is the series I enjoy most, because Ramon Salazar is a drug lord, in the third season, and de Almeida played him with a total honesty that made the audience understand him, even when they feared him, and even when the character is, in the story, a villain. The series was, at the time, one of the most watched shows on American television, and it confirmed that de Almeida, at forty-six, was a star, in television, as well as in film. I think the series matters because it is a television role, and because it shows that he can sustain a character, over many episodes, and that he can do it with a depth that surprises many who knew him only as a film villain, and that the range is the point, not the exception.
Fast Five is the film I admire for its scale, because Hernan Reyes is a Brazilian drug lord, opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, in a film that became one of the biggest hits of the year, and one of the most successful films in the Fast and Furious franchise. De Almeida played him with a total commitment that made the audience believe in him, even when the character is, in the story, a criminal, and even when the film is, in many ways, a fantasy. I think the film matters because it is a blockbuster, and because it shows that de Almeida, at fifty-four, was still a star, and still being offered the best roles, in the biggest films, and that the audience, young and old, still wanted to see him, and that is a rare thing, for an actor, and for a villain.
Queen of the South is the series I return to most, because Don Epifanio Vargas is a drug lord, in a series that ran for five seasons, from 2016 to 2021, and de Almeida played him with a total honesty that made the audience understand him, even when they feared him, and even when the character is, in the story, a villain. The series was a success, it was one of the most watched shows on American television, and it confirmed that de Almeida, at fifty-nine, was a star, in television, as well as in film. I think the series matters because it is a long-running role, and because it shows that he can sustain a character, over many years, and that he can do it with a depth that surprises many who knew him only as a film villain.
The languages are the part I think about when I consider his future, because he speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and French, and he acts in all of these languages, in films that are American, in films that are Portuguese, in films that are Spanish, and in films that are international, and the ability to do that is rare, and it is valuable, because it means he is not limited to one market, or one industry, or one kind of role. A Portuguese man who speaks four languages, and who acts in English, is a man of the world, and that is part of what makes him interesting, as an actor, and as a person, and it is the reason he has worked in so many countries, with so many directors, and in so many films, and will keep working, for as long as there are stories worth telling.
What I take from the whole story, finally, is a picture of a career built on a journey, on a childhood, and on a refusal to be defined by a single role. De Almeida takes the work seriously, he speaks four languages, he plays villains and officers and drug lords and policemen, and he does it with a commitment that has lasted for more than forty years. That is a rare combination, and it is the reason his career matters beyond the fame and the acclaim. He is not only a villain. He is an actor, and a man who left Lisbon, and who became a star, without ever forgetting where he came from. I expect him to be remembered, and I expect the films to be watched, for as long as people watch films, because the pattern so far is that the best work is always the work he has already done, and the work he has done is extraordinary.
If I were recommending Joaquim de Almeida to a new viewer, I would start with Clear and Present Danger, because it is the beginning, and then I would watch Desperado, because it shows his menace, and then I would watch Fast Five, because it shows his scale, and then I would watch Queen of the South, because it shows his longevity. That is my honest path through his work, and I think it gives a new viewer the four corners of the story: the colonel, the drug lord, the villain and the don. Each one is real, and each one is worth your time, and together they make a career that is among the finest of any actor from Portugal.
I also think about what he means for Portugal, because he is one of the most famous actors from the country, and he has never hidden where he came from. He is Portuguese, he is an actor, he is a villain, he is a star, and he is all of those things at once, without apology. That is a remarkable life, and it is a life that deserves to be celebrated, not only for the performances, but for the person behind them, who has lived with honesty, with humour, and with a refusal to be defined by anyone else.
Finally, I want to say why this story stays with me. It stays with me because it is a story about a boy from Lisbon who went to New York, who studied the Method, who became Cortez, who became Bucho, who became Salazar, who became Reyes, who became Vargas, and who is still working, at sixty-eight, with a career that is still going strong. That is not a straight line. It is a winding road, and it is a road that was walked with courage, with work, and with a refusal to forget. The boy from Lisbon is still with us, and the films are still with us, and the story is still being told, and it will be told, for as long as people watch films, and for as long as there are boys from small countries who dream of New York, and of Hollywood, and of the world, and who act, and who become, in their own way, stars.
I also think about what he means for the next generation, because he is a man who left Lisbon, who studied in New York, who became a star in Hollywood, and who did it by playing villains, by speaking four languages, and by refusing to be defined by anyone else, and that is a story that a boy from a small country, in Portugal, or in any country, can hear, and can believe, and can follow, and that is a rare thing, for a story, and for a star, and it is the reason de Almeida matters, not only for the films, but for the boys who will watch them, and who will dream, and who will act, and who will become, in their own way, stars, and who will play villains, and heroes, and men who are, in the end, human, and who will know that a boy from Lisbon can become a star, and that the star can be a villain, and a hero, and an actor, all at once, without apology, and without fear, and with a talent that is worth watching, for as long as there are films worth making.
I also think about his legacy, because he is sixty-eight, he is at the peak of his powers, and he has a career behind him that has lasted for more than forty years, and a career ahead of him that could last for decades, in Portuguese and in English, in Spanish, on stage and on screen, and the work he has done will be watched, closely, by an audience that has learned to trust him, and that knows, when Joaquim de Almeida is in a film, the film will be good, and the villain will be worth watching, and the performance will be worth the price of admission, for as long as people watch films, and for as long as there are villains worth playing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was Joaquim de Almeida born?
He was born on 15 March 1957 in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. He studied acting in Lisbon, then moved to New York, where he studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, and he has worked in Hollywood, in Portugal and around the world ever since.
What was Joaquim de Almeida’s breakthrough Hollywood role?
His breakthrough was Clear and Present Danger in 1994, playing Colonel Félix Cortez, opposite Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, in the film based on Tom Clancy’s novel. He followed it with Desperado in 1995, playing the drug lord Bucho opposite Antonio Banderas.
Who did Joaquim de Almeida play in Fast Five?
He played Hernan Reyes, the Brazilian drug lord and main villain, in Fast Five in 2011, opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. The film became one of the biggest hits of the year and one of the most successful in the Fast and Furious franchise.
Who did Joaquim de Almeida play in 24?
He played Ramon Salazar, a drug lord, in the third season of the Fox series 24 in 2003, a role that made him a television star as well as a film villain. He later played Don Epifanio Vargas in Queen of the South, which ran from 2016 to 2021.
What languages does Joaquim de Almeida speak?
He speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish and French, and has acted in all of them, in American, Portuguese, Spanish and international films and television, which is part of why he has worked in so many countries.
Does Joaquim de Almeida work in Portuguese cinema?
Yes, he has worked in Portuguese films and television as well as in Hollywood, and he divides his time between Portugal and the United States, keeping his private life largely out of the press.
