Happy Birthday Gael García Bernal! 15 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About The Actor

Gael García Bernal was born on November 30, 1978, in Guadalajara, Mexico and today is his 36^th birthday! Gael began his acting career at a very young age and starred in many telenovelas, some beside his longtime best friend, and now business partner, Diego Luna. García quickly became a household name and a teen heartthrob in his home country, and at 19 years old he moved to London to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama, after which he began his career in film with major lead roles in Academy Award-nominated movies.

1. Gael’s parents are actors José Angel García and Patricia Bernal so it runs in the family.

2. He was a liar when he was younger because “I would think that another reality was much more interesting than mine.”

3. Gael dreamed about being a professional soccer player and claims he would’ve been the best one of all time.

4. He debuted in 1989 in the Mexican telenovela “Teresa” starring Salma Hayek.

5. He first costarred with Diego Luna in the telenovela “El Abuelo y Yo” in 1992 and they’ve been friends ever since.

6. In 1994, he was involved with the Chiapas uprising.

7. He was the first Mexican to be accepted at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama.

8. Was named one of 'People en Español's' 25 Most Beautiful in their June 2002 issue.

9. In 2005, he, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz formed the production company Canana Films.

10. He married Dolores Fonzi, an Argentinian film and television actress, in 2009 and divorced in September of this year.

11. He has a son named Lázaro and a daughter named Libertad.

12. His favorite actor is Javier Bardem and would love to work with him in the future.

13. He supports Amnesty International and co-directed the short-film collection "The Invisibles" to shed light on Mexican immigrants' plight and journey.

14. Gael earned intrenational fame when he starred in Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Amores Perros".

15. Rumors say his latest roll in Jon Stewart's "Rosewater" as Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari might earn him at least an Academy Award nomination.