Asier Etxeandia

Asier Gómez Etxeandía (born 27 June 1975 in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain) is a versatile Spanish actor and singer whose career spans film, television, and stage. He studied acting at a Biscayan school, recalling the mixed influence of teachers like Eguzki Zubia and Juan Carlos Garaizabal, and later moved to Madrid at age twenty, where he supported himself as a manager of a sex shop while attending acting classes. His first television exposure came in 1995 as a contestant on Uno para todos (Telecinco), which led to a contract with Globomedia and a role as Beni, a gay art‑student in the series One Step Ahead; he left the show to avoid typecasting but forged lasting friendships, notably with actress Natalia Millán. Millán invited him to the musical Cabaret, entrusting him with the iconic Master of Ceremonies, a part that allowed him to blend irony, playfulness, and a dark edge, and to involve the audience directly on stage. **Etxeandía’s film breakthrough arrived with a cameo as a blind waiter in Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces, later followed by more substantial roles such as Raúl de la Riva in the popular TV series Velvet and its sequel Velvet Colección. His performance as Alberto Crespo in Almodóvar’s Dolor y gloria (2019) earned him a Goya nomination for Best Supporting Actor, cementing his status as a leading character actor. He has also appeared in Las 13 rosas, El capitán Trueno y el Santo Grial, Ma ma (scripted by Julio Medem), and Sordo, among many others. Beyond acting, Asier is an accomplished singer, contributing to numerous original soundtracks, collaborating with artists such as Nach and Fangoria, and forming the musical duo Mastodonte with Italian musician Enrico Barbaro. He openly identifies as gay and continues to be celebrated for his bold artistic choices, his distinctive voice, and his ability to move fluidly between dramatic and musical performances.