María Pujalte

Spanish television has a handful of faces that are shorthand for reliability, and María Pujalte's is one of them. Whether it is ensemble comedy, auteur drama or a primetime procedural, wherever she appears the show is in safe hands. Born in A Coruña, in Spain's north western region of Galicia, on 22 December 1966, María Pujalte Vidal has spent more than three decades proving you can be one of the country's best loved actresses without ever courting scandal.

From the Galician stage to Madrid

Theatre was her first and best school. She trained in singing, acting and movement in Santiago de Compostela and completed her studies at the Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico in Reggio Emilia, Italy, soaking up the commedia dell'arte tradition, a schooling that explains her pinpoint comic timing. Back home she worked with the Galician Drama Centre and co-founded the Compañía de Marías with actress María Bouzas, the seed of a stage career she has never abandoned, with productions such as 'Yerma' and the hit 'El método Grönholm'.

Two Goya nominations

Cinema found her early. Her work in 'Entre rojas' (1995) earned her a Goya nomination as best new actress, and soon after she joined Vicente Aranda's Libertarias (1996), sharing the bill with Victoria Abril. In 1998 she led 'La primera noche de mi vida', the debut feature of Miguel Albaladejo, and the adaptation of 'El lápiz del carpintero' (2003) brought a second Goya nomination, this time as supporting actress.

Since then she has moved between registers with ease: the drama Cosas que hacen que la vida valga la pena (2004) with Eduard Fernández, the popular comedy To Hell with the Ugly (2010) with Javier Cámara, the Uruguayan dictatorship drama Migas de pan (2016) and the family farce Es por tu bien (2017). A special mention goes to Elisa & Marcela (2019), with which Isabel Coixet took to the Berlinale the true story of Spain's first marriage between two women, celebrated in 1901 in Pujalte's native A Coruña. Her latest release is the family adventure Leo & Lou (2025).

The detective NBC wanted for itself

Her television run started strong, as reporter Mamen Tébar in Periodistas (1998-2001) and later as the unforgettable Mónica Olmedo in the final seasons of 7 vidas, Spain's first modern sitcom, sharing the set with Javier Cámara and Gonzalo de Castro.

The role of her life arrived in 2009: Laura Lebrel, the scatterbrained, intuitive detective and mother of twins in Los misterios de Laura, opposite Fernando Guillén Cuervo as her ex husband and police chief. The Spanish hit proved so exportable that it spawned remakes around the world, in Russia, Italy and above all the American The Mysteries of Laura (2014), which NBC built around Debra Messing, making it one of the first Spanish shows to leap into American prime time. Few can boast such a journey.

María Bolaño and a golden streaming run

Just when she seemed settled in warm comedy, Pujalte surprised everyone again. In Merlí: Sapere Aude (2019-2021), the university sequel to Merlí, she played María Bolaño, a brilliant, acid, self destructive philosophy professor who won over the critics, with the added feat of performing in Catalan.

A golden streaming stretch followed: she was the criminal lawyer Carmen de Andrés in Toy boy, the stripper thriller Netflix turned into an international hit, joined the political comedy universe of Vota Juan alongside Javier Cámara, winning a Spanish Feroz Award for its final chapter, 'Venga Juan', and appeared in Las invisibles (2023).

Galician discretion

Of her private life, little or nothing is known: Pujalte belongs to that old school of performers who believe the job ends when the lights go down. No scandals, no exclusives, no social media storms; just craft, dry Galician wit and an unerring eye for choosing characters, the foundations of one of the most solid careers of her generation. And the theatre, her first home, still claims her back whenever filming allows.

Perhaps that is why Spanish audiences treat her like family. Whatever the role, if María Pujalte turns up, you know you are in safe hands. How many actresses can say the same?

The earliest credit MovieNCo has for María Pujalte is Farmacia de guardia (1995); in all, 14 films and 10 TV shows over 30 years. Their title most voted by MovieNCo readers is Merlí: Sapere Aude (2019), with 135 votes. Their busiest decade is the 2010s, with 11 titles. The person they have worked with most is Fernando Colomo, on 4 films, among them La noche que mi madre mató a mi padre and Rivales.