Who is Javier Bardem? Jose Menendez actor breaks silence on Erik and Lyle’s case

JAVIER Ángel Encinas Bardem is an academy award-winning actor known for his big screen roles, including his portrayal of Jose Menendez in the Netflix series Monsters.

The actor, who played the brothers’ murdered father, recently broke his silence on the news that the Menendez brothers might be resentenced. 

A family of actors

Javier was born on March 1, 1969 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands, Spain. 

Acting clearly ran in his family, as his mother, Pilar, was also an actress. 

His father, José, came from a family of cattle ranchers. 

Pilar’s memoirs claimed that her husband had a “capricious and violent will” which led him to shoot their front door.

Javier’s parents separated after he was born and his father passed away from leukemia in 1995.

Because of his family background, Javier spent a lot of time at theaters and on film sets as a child. 

His grandparents, Rafael Bardem and Matilde Muńoz Sampedro, were famous actors in Spain and he is the nephew of Juan Antonio Bardem.

Javier’s incredible career

Javier starred in several Spanish-language films, including The Ages of Lulu and Amo tu cama rica. 

He became known internationally in 1992 for his role in Jamón Jamón, which he starred in with his soon-to-be-wife Penélope Cruz.

The actor’s star continued to rise after he portrayed Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls.

He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and was even praised by his idol Al Pacino, who left a message on Javier’s answering machine. 

Javier later won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in No Country for Old Men and a Golden Globe Award, a SAG award, a Critics’ Choice Award, and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

The actor continued to star in some massive Hollywood productions, including the James Bond film Skyfall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Dune and Mother!

Javier and the Menendez Brothers

The actor also appeared in Netflix’s series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story which dramatized the lives of the Menendez brothers. 

The two brothers murdered their parents, Kitty and José, on August 20, 1989, before using their inheritance to fund their lavish lifestyle. 

Erik and Lyle were eventually caught, because Erik told his therapist, Jerome Oziel, about their crime. 

The therapist then told his mistress, Judalon Smyth, about the crime and she later went to the police. 

After a fierce court battle, the brothers were jailed.

Their team of lawyers, comprised of Leslie Abramson, Jill Lansing, and Charles Gessler, had alleged during the court case that the brothers had been the victims of sexual abuse by their father.

In the TV series dramatizing their life, Javier plays the Menendez brothers’ father José. 

In November 2024, he publicly responded to the news that the Menendez brothers’ case would be re-examined following the discovery of new evidence that supported their claims of abuse.

Javier told IndieWire: “Well, I think the reaction has been big.” 

“There’s lots of people every day that come to tell me how much they like the show and how much they thought about it and follow the real case afterwards [and] by documentaries.”

“The thing is the fact that the case can be reopened because of how the show has reached the audience and has put the case onto the table, it speaks volumes about the quality of the show and the quality of the research that Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan did as artists and also as very responsible people knowing that they are dealing with very, very sensitive material.”

Javier’s family life

Javier began dating Penélope Cruz in 2007, but the couple have chosen to keep a low profile. 

They tied the knot in July 2010 in The Bahamas and eventually had two children together. 

Their first, a boy named Leo Encinas Cruz, was born on January 23, 2011. 

Their second child, Luna Encinas Cruz, was born on July 22, 2013.