Ana de Armas (born April 30, 1988) is a Cuban actress known for her role in the 2019 film Knives Out . She was raised in Cuba by her parents, Ramón de Armas and Ana Caso. At age 14, she began studying at the National Theater School of Havana and made her film debut at 16 in Una rosa de Francia . De Armas moved to Spain at 18 and acted in Spanish-language series and films. In 2022, she starred as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde , earning an Academy Award nomination. She has also appeared in No Time to Die (2021) and Ghosted (2023).

Where is Ana de Armas from?

Ana de Armas was born in Havana, Cuba, on April 30, 1988. She was raised in Santa Cruz del Norte by her parents, Ram\u00f3n de Armas and Ana Caso. At 14, de Armas began studying at the National Theater School of Havana and made her film debut at 16 in Una rosa de Francia . At 18, she moved to Spain and continued to act in Spanish-language series and films. She is known for her role in the film Knives Out .

What are some movies or TV shows Ana de Armas has acted in?

Ana de Armas, born in Cuba, gained recognition for her role in Knives Out (2019). Progressing from Spanish-language projects, she learned English to secure Hollywood roles, such as in War Dogs (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). De Armas starred as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde (2022), earning an Academy Award nomination. Other notable roles include No Time to Die (2021), Deep Water (2022), and Ghosted (2023). She also played a dancer-assassin in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025).

How did Ana de Armas start her acting career?

Ana de Armas began her acting career at age 14 when she studied at the National Theater School of Havana. At 16, she made her film debut in the Cuban drama Una rosa de Francia , which was released in 2006. At 18, she moved to Spain and landed a role in the Spanish teen drama El Internado (The Boarding School) in 2007. In 2014, de Armas moved to Los Angeles to pursue roles in Hollywood and began learning English. She gained recognition for her role in the film Knives Out (2019).

What challenges did Ana de Armas face when moving to Hollywood?

In 2014, Ana de Armas moved to Los Angeles to pursue a Hollywood career and immediately enrolled in an intensive English course. Despite just beginning to learn English, she started auditioning for roles and made her Hollywood debut in the thriller Knock Knock (2015), acting alongside Keanu Reeves. She then had roles in War Dogs (2016), Overdrive (2017), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

What important roles or awards has Ana de Armas achieved in her acting career?

Ana de Armas, a Cuban-born actress, gained recognition for her role in Knives Out (2019). To expand her career, de Armas learned English and secured roles in Hollywood, including the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021) and as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde (2022). For her performance in Blonde , she earned an Academy Award nomination for best actress , making her the first Cuban actress to achieve this honor. In 2025, de Armas played a dancer-assassin in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina .

Ana de Armas

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Ana de Armas smiling and posing in a floral-patterned dress at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills.

Ana de Armas and Katherine Langford stand indoors, looking off to the side with concerned expressions, in a scene from the film Knives Out.

Ana de Armas wearing drop earrings and a blue gemstone necklace, with her hair pulled back, at a formal event in 2020.

Quick Facts

In full:: Ana Celia de Armas Caso

Born:: April 30, 1988, Havana, Cuba (age 38)

Notable Family Members:: daughter of Ramón de Armas; daughter of Ana Caso; married to Marc Clotet (2011–2013); sister of Javier Caso

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "Faraday" (2013); "Overdrive" (2017); "Knives Out" (2019); "Una rosa de Francia" (2006); "Blind Alley" (2011); "Anabel" (2015); "Corazón" (2018); "The Informer" (2019); "War Dogs" (2016); "Wasp Network" (2019); "For a Handful of Kisses" (2014); "Exposed" (2016); "The Boarding School" (2007–2010); "Hispania, la leyenda" (2010–2011); "Hands of Stone" (2016); "Blade Runner 2049" (2017); "The Night Clerk" (2020); "Sergio" (2020); "Madrigal" (2007); "Knock Knock" (2015); "Sex, Party & Lies" (2009)

See all related content

Ana de Armas

Cuban actress

Also known as: Ana Celia de Armas Caso

Written by

Sophie Eyre

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Early life and career

De Armas was raised alongside her brother in Santa Cruz del Norte, a town east of Havana, by her parents, Ramón de Armas, a former teacher and school principal, and Ana Caso, an employee of the Cuban Ministry of Education. At age 14 Ana de Armas began studying at the National Theater School of Havana, and she made her film acting debut at age 16 in the Cuban drama Una rosa de Francia, which was released in 2006.

At age 18 de Armas moved to Spain, where her maternal grandparents were from. She pursued both television and film roles and in 2007 booked a role as Carolina Leal Solís in the Spanish television teen drama El Internado (The Boarding School; 2007–10). She left the show just before its final season and continued to act in Spanish-language series and films. In 2011 de Armas married Spanish actor Marc Clotet, but the pair divorced in 2013.

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Early Hollywood roles

In 2014 de Armas moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning for roles even though she had just begun learning English through intensive language courses. She nonetheless made her Hollywood debut, in the thriller Knock Knock (2015), starring alongside Keanu Reeves, and had subsequent roles in the comedy crime film War Dogs (2016), in Overdrive (2017), and in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), the last of which was a sequel to the 1982 film Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford.

Knives Out, No Time to Die, and Deep Water

In 2019 de Armas gained fame and acclaim for her role in the hit movie Knives Out, playing a crime novelist’s nurse who becomes tangled up in a murder mystery. She garnered a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy. Major roles quickly followed, including a CIA agent in Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film, No Time to Die (2021), and an adulterous wife in the erotic thriller Deep Water (2022) with Ben Affleck.

Blonde and Ghosted

In 2022 de Armas starred as Marilyn Monroe in Blonde, which was based on Joyce Carol Oates’s fictional reimagining of the actress’s life. De Armas received an Academy Award nomination for best actress, thereby becoming the first Cuban actress to be nominated for the award. She followed up that film with the romantic comedy and action thriller Ghosted (2023) opposite Chris Evans and the thriller Eden (2024), directed by Ron Howard. In 2025 de Armas played a dancer-assasin in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, a spin-off of the popular action series John Wick.

Sophie Eyre The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Ana de Armas

Early life and career

Thank you for signing up!

Early Hollywood roles

Knives Out, No Time to Die, and Deep Water

Blonde and Ghosted