The Goya Awards gala was hosted by Rosa Maria Sardà on three separate occasions during her career. A versatile presence in Spanish culture, she built a prolific resume across professional theatre, television, and film, maintaining a self-taught background that began in the Sant Andreu district of Barcelona where she grew up.
Theatrical Foundations
Sardà began her professional trajectory in 1962, performing with the Dora Santacreu and Carlos Lucena company. She later joined the Alejandro Ulloa company. Her stage work spanned decades, covering classic and contemporary plays. Significant roles included appearances in The House of Bernarda Alba, Beckett’s Tot esperant Godot, and Brecht’s Mare Coratge. Beyond acting, she directed several productions, including the 1989 play Ai carai and the 1999 work Cantonada Brossa.
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Television provided a platform for her reach, notably through the program Festa amb Rosa Maria Sardà in 1979 and the show Ahí te quiero ver throughout the 1980s. Her transition to film included the 1981 production El vicari d'Olot. She earned two Goya Awards for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the 1993 film Why Do They Call It Love When They Mean Sex? and the 2001 movie No Shame. Later, she appeared in the 2005 series Abuela de verano alongside her son, Pol Mainat.
Public Life and Honours
Sardà was a politically committed individual who described her views as federalist, socialist, and republican. Her relationship with official honors shifted in 2017 when she returned her Saint George's Cross, an award she had originally received in 1994, citing opposition to local political corruption and the Catalan independence process. She was awarded the Miquel Porter Gaudí Honorary Award in 2016 and the Max Awards in 2015. Following a lymphoma diagnosis in 2014, she passed away in Barcelona on 11 June 2020.
Fast facts
- Born: 1941, Barcelona, Spain
- Died: 11 June 2020, Barcelona, Spain
- Primary occupations: actor, comedian, director
- Goya Awards: Best Supporting Actress (1993, 2001)
- Languages: Spanish, Catalan
- Family: Son Pol Mainat
- Political stance: Republican, federalist, socialist
- Cause of death: Lymphoma
Questions readers ask
How many times did Rosa Maria Sardà host the Goya Awards?
She hosted the ceremony three times during her career.
Why did she return her Saint George's Cross in 2017?
She returned the award due to her opposition to the Catalan political process and the corruption scandal involving Jordi Pujol.
Achievements
- Worked as theatre director, comedian and television presenter
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