Biographie
Joaquin Martinez considers himself the luckiest man alive. A painfully shy medical student at Mexico City's University, he was pushed by a teacher to join the school's drama group to overcome his "inadequacy." There, he discovered a new passion and earned a scholarship to the renowned Seki Sano's Drama Studio. Seki mentored him and encouraged him to pursue acting professionally. After completing his medical studies, Joaquin broke into film, earning PECIME's Best Newcomer award for his role in Pedro Paramo (1967), Mexico's entry at the Cannes Film Festival. Soon after, legendary Hollywood agent Paul Kohner reached out. Torn between medicine and acting, Joaquin decided to try Hollywood for two years before deciding his path. He remains there to this day, appearing in classics such as Jeremiah Johnson (1972), Joe Kidd (1972), Who'll Stop the Rain (1978), Revenge (1990), The Cowboy Way (1994), The Odd Couple II (1998), Die Another Day (2002), and Ulzana's Raid (1972), in which he played the title role. He has shared the screen with stars like Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Anthony Quinn, Jack Lemmon, Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Burt Lancaster, Walter Matthau, Jeremy Irons, Kiefer Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, and Pierce Brosnan. Behind the camera, directors such as Edward Dmytryk, John Sturges, Robert Aldrich, Karel Reisz, Sydney Pollack, and Tony Scott have cast him in their films. Bille August brought him to Europe to portray Antonio Banderas' father in The House of the Spirits (1993), and Lee Tamahori invited him back to London for the James Bond film Die Another Day (2002). Joaquin also played The Postman in Castingx (2005), becoming the first Mexican actor featured in a Dutch film. Currently, he divides his time between Hollywood, Mexico, and Europe, developing 'Solitario - The Lonely One' through his own company, Victoria Films International.
