SARDÁ, ROSA MARÍA

(1941- )

A diva ofCatalantheater who debuted on stage with the Spanish version of Ann Jellicoe'sThe Knack, Rosa María Sardá has also had a substantial career on film. After years playing serious roles in plays by Moliere and Bertolt Brecht in independent theater, she became atelevisionhostess and cultivated a wry, dead-pan humor that became the secret of her early success. She debuted on film in the forgottenEl certificado(The Certificate, Vicente Lluch, 1970), but no director used her as lovingly asVentura Pons, who chose her for an early comedy role as a part of the ensemble cast ofEl vicari d'Olot(Olot's Vicar, 1980), the real starting point of her film career.

Sardá's collaborations with Pons constitute a detailed catalogue of her moods and a tribute to her range and authority: she was very good inActrius(Actresses, 1997), playing a role very close to her-self as a person and inspired by her TV career; a brief appearance in the ensemble pieceCaricies(Caresses, 1998) as a mother; another mother inAmic/Amat(1999), in which she was allowed to show emotional vulnerability; and exceptionally good inAnita no perd el tren(Anita Won't Miss the Boat, 2001), as a mature woman who discovers sexuality.Their last collaboration to date isBarcelona(un mapa) (Barcelona[a Map], 2007), in which she vividly portrayed a disappointed teacher.

In addition to her Pons collaborations, she gave a touching, delicate performance as a mature woman who shocks her daughters by coming out as gay and developing a relationship with a pianist inA mi madre le gustan las mujeres(My Mother Likes Women, Daniela Féjerman and Inés Paris, 2002). She was very funny as an actress inFernandoTrueba'sLa niña de tus ojos(The Girl of Your Dreams, 1999). Otherwise she has specialized in broader, dominating mother types, as inAlegre ma non troppo(Gay, But Not That Gay,Fernando Colomo, 1994),Airbag(Juanma Bajo Ulloa, 1997),Te doy mis ojos(IGive You My Eyes,Icíar Bollaín, 2003), andChuecatown(Juan Flahn, 2007) a film in which, unsurprisingly, she played mother to a closet gay man.