Elena Anaya

Elena Anaya Gutiérrez (born July 17, 1975) is a Spanish actress whose career dates back to 1995. She starred alongside Antonio Banderas in Pedro Almodóvar's The Skin I Live In. She is also known for her lead role in the erotic lesbian romance film Habitación en Roma (Room in Rome).

Early life

Anaya was born in Palencia, Castilla y León, Spain. She is the youngest of three children. Her mother, Elena (Nena), is a housewife who later owned a boarding house in Palencia. Her father, Juan José Anaya Gómez (1934–2011), was an industrial engineer.

Career

Anaya first received international attention in 2001 for her role in the sexually explicit drama Sex and Lucía. She also had a small part in Almodóvar's Talk to Her.

Her best-known Hollywood film role was as one of Dracula's brides in 2004's Van Helsing. That same year, Anaya was named as one of European films' Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion.

In 2006, Anaya appeared in Justin Timberlake's music video for his single, SexyBack.

After some "quiet" years playing supporting roles in international films such as Savage Grace and Cairo Time, Anaya roared back into prominence with a starring role in 2010's Room in Rome, and then a return to Almodóvar in The Skin I Live In.

Anaya is included in the cast of the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.

Personal life

In August 2011, Spanish tabloid magazine Cuore published photographs of Anaya kissing director Beatriz Sanchís at a naturist beach in Menorca. They were reportedly in a relationship from 2008 to 2013. Anaya is expecting her first child with current partner, Tina Afugu Cordero, a costume designer.