Francisco Rabal
Biography
Francisco Rabal was a Spanish actor whose screen career ran from 1942 to 2001 and covered more than 200 film and television parts. Born in Águilas, he moved with his family to Madrid as a boy and left school at thirteen to work as an electrician at the Estudios Chamartín, where he picked up occasional extra work before turning to the theater. After regular stage jobs in 1947, he began landing speaking parts in films in 1950, often as romantic leads or rogues. He starred in three films for Luis Buñuel: Nazarin (1959), Viridiana (1961) and Belle de Jour (1967). Later highlights included Sorcerer (1977), The Holy Innocents (1984), which brought him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actor Award, and Goya en Burdeos, for which he won a Goya Award for Best Actor. His last film was Dagon (2001).
75years old at death
- Born Águilas
- Died Mérignac
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Francisco Rabal Valera (birth name)Also credited as Paco Rabal
Movie Career
- Films
- 16
- Career span
- 68 years1933 to 2001
First and latest
Photos
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A role that slipped away
William Friedkin picked Rabal first for the antagonist Alain Charnier in his 1971 film The French Connection. Friedkin forgot the Spanish actor's name, recalling only an F and work with Luis Bunuel, so his staff hired Fernando Rey by mistake.
About the name
For his stage name, Rabal used his full name, Francisco Rabal. Those who knew him, though, always called him Paco Rabal, the familiar form of Francisco, and Paco Rabal became his unofficial stage name.
A first
Francisco Rabal was the only Spanish actor to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Murcia, according to that institution.
Francisco Rabal movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Luis Buñuel directed four of these films. Five actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Fernando Rey's page
Rossy de Palma's page
Manuel Zarzo's page
Angelina Llongueras's page
All films by Luis Buñuel
Box office
What Francisco Rabal's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$24.0 million
5 of the 16 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 16 films: 5 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 9 figure not found.
- 5Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 9Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The five biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$9.0M37.6% of the total
- 2$8.0M33.4% of the total
- 3$3.1M13.1% of the total
- 4$3.1M13.0% of the total
- 5$679K2.8% of the total
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1954 to 2001, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | |||
| 1984 | Best Actor | The Holy Innocents | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2001 | Donostia Award | Won | |
| 2000 | Goya Award for Best Actor | Goya in Bordeaux | Won |
| 2000 | Medal of the Circle of Cinematographic Writers for the best actor | Goya in Bordeaux | Won |
| 1998 | Gold Medal of Work Merit | Won | |
| 1995 | Honorary doctorate of the University of Murcia | Honorary | |
| 1993 | Medalla de Oro | Won | |
| 1992 | Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts | Won | |
| 1991 | Medal of the Circle of Cinematographic Writers for the best actor | The Man Who Lost His Shadow | Won |
| 1962 | Medal of the Circle of Cinematographic Writers for the best actor | El hombre de la isla | Won |
| 1958 | Medal of the Circle of Cinematographic Writers for the best actor | Whom God Forgives | Won |
| 1954 | Medal of the Circle of Cinematographic Writers for the best actor | I Was a Parish Priest | Won |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.