Candela Peña
Candela Peña, is a Spanish actress. Since her film debut in the 1994 thriller Running Out of Time, she has had a lengthy film career. She won the Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance in Princesses (2005) whereas she won the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress for Take My Eyes (2003) and A Gun in Each Hand (2012).
Candela Peña

Ruben Ortega · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Candela Peña
- Birth Name
- María del Pilar Peña Sánchez
- Born
- 14 July 1973
- Birthplace
- Gavà, Catalonia, Spain
- Occupation
- Actress
- Full name
- María del Pilar Peña Sánchez.
- Nationality
- Spain
- Honours
- Gaudí a la millor actriu secundària · Goya Award for Best Actress · Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress · Gaudí Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role · Forqué Awards · Butaca Award for best Catalan film actress
- Languages
- Spanish · Catalan
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Candela Peña, is a Spanish actress. Since her film debut in the 1994 thriller Running Out of Time, she has had a lengthy film career. She won the Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance in Princesses (2005) whereas she won the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress for Take My Eyes (2003) and A Gun in Each Hand (2012).
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wikipedia incomplete · checked 25 September 2026
- Identity
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Authority files
wikidata · Q250382 · wikipedia · Candela Peña
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Candela Peña • Birth Name — María del Pilar Peña Sánchez • Born — 14 July 1973 • Birthplace — Gavà, Catalonia, Spain • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1994–present María del Pilar Peña Sánchez (born 14 July 1973), professionally known as Candela Peña, is a Spanish actress. Since her film debut in the 1994 thriller Running Out of Time, she has had a lengthy film career. She won the Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance in Princesses (2005) whereas she won the Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress for Take My Eyes (2003) and A Gun in Each Hand (2012).
Biography
Biography
María del Pilar Peña Sánchez (her real name; she took the artistic name of Candela reportedly upon joining the theatre school), was born on 14 July 1973 in Gavà, province of Barcelona, daughter to a mother from Murcia and a father from Lora del Río who had a bar in Barcelona. When she was four years old she started to learn dance in the city and after finishing high-school she went to Seville to begin theatre classes there and eventually in Madrid. She made her first television appearance in the TV3 show Sputnik Òrbita 90, making her film debut with a performance in the 1994 thriller Running Out of Time, which earned her two Goya Award nominations (New Actress and Supporting Actress). Encouraged by Pedro Almodóvar, she published the novel Pérez Príncipe, María Dolores in 2001. She won the Goya Award in 2003 (for the movie Te doy mis ojos) after being nominated several times previously. In 2026, after a 6-year period with no meaningful role in any feature film, Peña starred in The Marked Woman.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Reference(s) • 2019–21 — Hierro — Candela Montes • 2021 — Maricón perdido (Queer You Are) — Lucía, Roberto's mother • El caso Asunta (The Asunta Case) — Rosario Porto • Furia (Rage) — Nat
Film
• Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. References • 1994 — Días contados (Running Out of Time) — Vanesa • 1995 — Boca a boca (Mouth to Mouth) — Tanya • Hola, ¿estás sola? (Hi, Are You Alone?) — Trini • 1996 — La Celestina — Elicia • 1997 — ¿De qué se ríen las mujeres? — Graci • 1998 — Insomnio (Sleepless in Madrid) — Alba • 1999 — Novios (Couples) — Cristal • Todo sobre mi madre (All About My Mother) — Nina Cruz • 2001 — Sin vergüenza (No Shame) — Cecilia • Desaliñada • 2002 — God Is On Air (God Is On Air) — Espe • 2003 — Te doy mis ojos (Take My Eyes) — Ana • Descongélate! (Chill Out!) — Iris • Torremolinos 73 — Carmen • Los muertos van deprisa • 2004 — ¡Hay motivo! • 2005 — Princesas (Princesses) — Caye • 2006 — Després de la pluja • 2008 — En el lado de la vida • El patio de mi cárcel (My Prison Yard) — Mar • Los años desnudos. Clasificada S (Rated R) — Sandra Valle • The Three Ages of the Crime • 2009 — La isla interior (The Island Inside) — Coral • 2012 — Una pistola en cada mano (A Gun in Each Hand) — Mamen • 2013 — Ayer no termina nunca (Yesterday Never Ends) — C. • 2014 — Le Dernier Coup de marteau (The Last Hammer Blow) — Maria • 2015 — Las ovejas no pierden el tren (Sidetracked) — Sara • 2016 — Kiki, el amor se hace (Kiki, Love to Love) — María Candelaria • 2017 — Pieles (Skins) — Ana • 2019 — So My Grandma's a Lesbian! (So My Grandma's a Lesbian!) — Perla • 2020 — La boda de Rosa (Rosa's Wedding) — Rosa • Black Beach — Ale • La desconocida (The Marked Woman) — Anna Ripoll
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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