Biography - Gael García Bernal

Who is Gael García Bernal?

Gael García Bernal is a Mexican actor who put Mexican movies on the global map. From the Oscar-nominated movie Amores Perros to Mozart in the Jungle to the animated film Coco, he has played it all. And here are the facts about him, you must know!

Gael García Bernal – Birth, Parents, Siblings

Gael García Bernal’s birth took place on 30 November 1978 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.  His mother is Patricia Bernal, an actress and former model, and his father is José Ángel García, an actor and director.

After his parents divorced, Gael García Bernal’s mother married Sergio Yazbek, a screenwriter. He has one half-brother, Dario Yazbek Bernal, and one half-sister, Tamara Yazbek.

Growing up, he was very much influenced by his parents' profession and got into acting at a very young age. Also, Bernal has volunteered as an activist from a young age. At the age of 14, he taught indigenous people in Mexico to read, focusing more on the Huichol people. In the year 1994, when he was just 15 years old, he took part in peaceful demonstrations during the Chiapas uprising.

Education, Ethnicity

After completing his school level, Gael García Bernal attended UNAM to study philosophy. However, a prolonged student strike halted his education. During this time, he traveled to Europe. Soon, he moved to London, England, and enrolled in the Central School of Speech and Drama, making him the first Mexican to study there.

His ethnicity includes Latin, Hispanic, Italian, and Portuguese.

Gael García Bernal – Girlfriend, Wife, Children, Divorce

Gael García Bernal has dated several high-profile celebrities- Cecilia Suárez and Natalie Portman. But these relationships did not evolve from affairs to marriage.

Gael García Bernal met Dolores Fonzi, also an actress, in 2001. They had met on the set of Vidas privadas. They first became friends and maintained such a friendship till 2008. The same year, their relationship status was upgraded to girlfriend/ boyfriend.  

Many thought that Bernal and Fonzi were a married couple, but the couple never did, and she was not his wife. Their son Lázaro Bernal was born on 8 January 2009 in Madrid, Spain. The lovey-dovey couple’s second child, a healthy baby girl, was born on 4 April 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was named Libertad García Fonzi.

Sadly, Bernal and his long-time girlfriend Fonzi separated in September 2014 and are co-parenting their two children. 

Since 201,9 Bernal has been in a romantic relationship with Mexican journalist Fernanda Aragonés. The couple welcomed their first child on 30 September 2021. 

Currently, Gael García Bernal resides between Mexico City and Buenos Aires.

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Gael García Bernal – Career

Early Career

Bernal’s career started at a very young age- when he was just 1 year old. As he grew up into his teens, Gael García Bernal starred mostly in telenovelas. 

Now, let’s jump to his career in his adult days. He found success in soap operas. Eventually, Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu offered Gael García Bernal a role in the movie Amores Perros (2000). The movie was a massive success, earning nominations for an Oscar and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

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Films, TV Series

After this big breakthrough in his acting career, he went on to star in movies/films such as Y tu mamá también (2001),  El crimen del Padre Amaro (2002), Fidel (2002), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004),  The Science of Sleep, The King, etc.

Since 2008, he has worked in movies/shows including Blindness, Rudo y Cursi, Even the Rain (2010), Casa de Mi Padre, Ciudades Desiertas, Rosewater, Zorro Reborn, Zoom, Mozart in the Jungle, Desierto (2016), Neruda (2016), Coco (2017), The Kindergarten Teacher (2018), This One Summer (2022), Another End (2024), Holland (2025).

His directional debut Déficit was released in 2007. Other movies Gael García Bernal has directed are Los Invisibles (2010). He is the co-owner of Canana Films, while Diego Luna is the other co-owner.

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Co-stars

On the set of The Motorcycle Diaries, Gael García Bernal worked with Mía Maestro, Mercedes Morán, Marina Glezer, Jean Pierre Noher, and Rodrigo de la Serna.

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Gael García Bernal – Awards, Nominations

For his dedicated work in theatre and movies, he was nominated for a BAFTA in 2005 for Best Performance by an Actor.

Bernal won a Golden Globe Award in 2016 for his work in Mozart in the Jungle and a Washington Office on Latin America's Human Rights Award in 2011.

Gael García Bernal – Net Worth, Salary

The net worth of Bernal is estimated to be around $12 million, but the figure for his annual salary is unknown.

Gael García Bernal – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

On social media platforms, Gael García Bernal has millions of followers on Instagram and Twitter but is absent from Facebook.

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