Paulina García


Paulina García Alfonso, better known as Pali García, is a Chilean actress, theatre director and playwright.
García debuted on television with a small role in the telenovela Los títeres, but she was soon known for her theatre direction and for her various performances in films such as Tres noches de un sábado, Cachimba, Casa de remolienda and Gloria.
García has received four nominations for the Altazor Awards, winning on one occasion, and three for the APES Awards — the Chilean Arts and Entertainment Critics Awards—winning twice. In February, 2013 she won the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in the movie Gloria, directed by Sebastián Lelio. In 2016, she appeared in Ira Sachs' film, Little Men.

Biography

Born in Santiago, García studied acting at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where she graduated with a degree in theatre arts and later with diplomas in theatre direction and writing.
García made her debut at Catholic University's theatre in 1983 in ¿Dónde estará la Jeanette? by Luis Rivano, a work for which she received an APES Award for best actress. Since then, she has acted in over thirty productions including Cariño malo, by Inés Margarita Stranger, El tío Vania, by Chekhov, The Trojan Women, by Euripides, El lugar común, Las analfabetas and BBB-Up.
The year following her theatre debut, García appeared on television as Adriana Godán in the TV series Los títeres, a role she shared with actress Gloria Münchmeyer.
The first work she directed was El continente negro by Marco Antonio de la Parra for which she received an APES Award nomination for best director in 1996. A grant from the National Arts Development Fund allowed for the financing of productions such as Lucrecia y Judith by the same author, and Look Back in Anger by John Osborne. She has also directed at national theatre festivals on three occasions, directing works by authors such as Alberto Fuguet and Celeste Gómez.
García has taught acting at the theatre school of the University of Chile, at Fernando González night school, at the University for the Arts, Sciences, and Communication and the University for Development. Between 1997 and 2001, she founded and formed a part of the Theatre Directors Association.
In television, of note is her performance in Cárcel de Mujeres as Raquel, a role for which García received both an APES Award and the Altazor Award for best actress.
In 2002, García received an Andes Foundation grant to undertake research on conjugal violence, Golpes extraños al amor, which led to the work Peso negro, selected for the Unipersonales de Galpón 7 Festival, and Frágil, a work presented at Matucana 100 Cultural Center under her direction.
In film, García debuted in the 2002 movie Tres noches de un sábado by Joaquín Eyzaguirre, receiving a nomination for the Altazor Awards for her interpretation of the character Mathilde. She also appeared in the 2004 film Cachimba by Silvio Caiozzi, in Casa de remolienda by Eyzaguirre in 2007, and in Gloria, by Sebastián Lelio, for which she received the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Filmography

Films

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1984Los títeresAdriana Godán
1986La villaEliana "Eli"
1987La invitaciónLaura del Solar
1989A la sombra del ángelEdith
1989Los VenegasJefa de GuillermoTelevised series
1990El milagro de vivirMaría Pía Santillán
2003'CatalinaEpisode: "Tráfico de órganos"
2006Huaiquimán y TolosaDoña BertaEpisode: "¿La mafia rusa?"
2007HéroesMaría Encarnación de Fernández y PalazuelosEpisode: "Portales, la fuerza de los hechos"
2007–08Cárcel de MujeresRaquel "La Raco" ReinaWinner'—Altazor Awards
2010Los simuladoresMarcelaEpisode: "El secreto de Marcela"
2011Los archivos del cardenalMónica Spencer
2015Narcos''Hermilda Gaviria

Theatre

Actress

APES Award

Altazor Awards

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2003Best ActressFilmTres noches de un sábado
2005Best ActressTheatreEn la Sangre
2008Best ActressTelevisionCárcel de Mujeres
2009Best ActressTelevisionCárcel de Mujeres 2

Silver Bear for Best Actress

Platino Awards

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2014Best ActressFilmGloria

Festival de Cinema de Gramado - Brazil

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2014Kikito for Best ActressFilmIlliterate