March5.jpgMexican actress Adriana Barraza was born on this day in 1956. Long popular in her native land for her directing and acting work on various telenovela series, Barraza was finally noticed on an international this year for her big-screen work in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s epic Babel. The role of an immigrant caretaker and her struggle to protect the children she loved earned the actress SAG, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Babel marks the second time Barraza has worked with both director González Iñárritu and co-star Gael García Bernal; the trio previously worked together on 2000’s Amores Perros.

Factoid: Adriana Barraza is even more than an actress and director. In addition to her day job, the actress moonlights as an acting and dialect coach. Her latest and most notable contribution was to James L. Brooks’ 2004 film, Spanglish.

Elle Fanning and Adriana Barraza star in Babel (2006). Photo: Paramount Vantage.

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