Joaquim de Almeida Movies
A prominent international screen presence whose Golden Globe-nominated performance in the hit Fox series 24 has only served to cement his success in the United States, Joaquim de Almeida has found equal success on both American and European screens. Though he would tend the gardens at the Embassy of Zaire in Austria before testing his mettle as an actor, the Lisbon-born future star eventually set his sights on New York City. It was there that de Almeida first began to achieve fame as a performer in numerous New York Shakespeare Festival productions, with early roles in Miami Vice and The Soldier first bringing him to the attention of American viewers. Though indeed a skilled English-language performer, it was de Almeida's proficiency in Spanish, German, Italian, and French (in addition, of course, to his native Portuguese), that truly helped him to expand into the international film market. Throughout the 1990s, de Almeida's career continued to pick up steam thanks to performances in such widely seen efforts as Robert Rodriguez's Desperado and the sprawling miniseries Nostromo. In 1997, the actor found his continued efforts before the camera finally beginning to pay off when he was awarded a Portuguese Golden Globe for his spellbinding performance in the romantic drama Tentação. Though few would have the opportunity to see de Almeida exchange gunfire with Emilio Estevez in the hybrid spaghetti Western-Hong Kong action flick A Dollar for the Dead when the film proved dead on arrival, subsequent roles in Behind Enemy Lines and the 2003 miniseries Kingpin served well to keep him a recognizable international player.In the early 2000s, it began to appear as if television was the medium in which de Almeida truly shined. If a recurring role as Ramon Salazar on Fox's 24 wasn't enough for viewers, de Almeida could also be spotted on The West Wing and Wanted. Subsequent performances in such features as The Celestine Prophecy and Moscow Zero -- as well as voice-over work in the controversial video game Saints Row -- preceded a particularly heartfelt turn as painter Óscar Domínguez in the 2007 biopic Óscar -- El Color del Destino. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG13
The always innovative Taviani Brothers pay homage to another unique filmmaker, D. W. Griffith, in Good Morning, Babylon. Vincent Spano and Joaquim de Almeida star as Nicola and Andrea Bonnano, the latest in a long line of Tuscany-born cathedral builders. Emigrating to America, the brothers settle in Los Angeles in 1915, even as director Griffith (Charles Dance) is preparing his epic production Intolerance. The boys are hired to help construct the massive sets for the film's Babylonian sequence (hence the title), for no other reason than the fact that Griffith is impressed by Italian craftsmanship. As the film progresses, Nicola and Andrea assimilate to their new surroundings, even launching a romance with a pair of pretty movie extras. On the verge of continuing the family tradition, the boys' ambitions are cut short by events well beyond their control. Still, their past artistic accomplishments, like those of their forebears, survive the ages -- but only on the ethereal silver screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Joaquim de Almeida, (more)
- 1987
Isabelle Huppert stars in this thriller as Sarah, a woman who has settled into a more or less normal life in Milan after her lover, a much-wanted terrorist, left the scene. Her life becomes complicated indeed when she becomes aware that he is about to return. The difficulty is that not only is she aware of this, but the police and various underworld groups are also. How is she to protect her own life under the circumstances, much less keep her lover from falling prey to the various traps that are being set for him? ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Joaquim de Almeida, (more)
- 1987
This independently-produced feature concerns a New York woman (Mila Burnette) who's fed up with her marriage and her life. Leaving her comfortable mid-town environs, she takes up residence in the far less attractive South Bronx. Here she falls in love with a Puerto Rican attorney (Joaquim de Almeida) and becomes swept up in social activism. Jose Ferrer is the most recognizable cast member, at least so far as American audiences are concerned; in Portugal, Joaquim de Almeida was considered a much bigger star than Ferrer -- or practically anyone else. Director Kevin Conway shows up in a brief supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mila Burnette, Joaquim de Almeida, (more)
- 1986
Filled with a collage of characters and incidents, this mystery story exceeds in ambience and mood. "Reporter X" has come home to Portugal, sick and drugged up with pain killers. Neverthless, he intends to unravel the mystery of a headless corpse and a mask in a box. Once on that trail, he talks to what might be a Moroccan spy and develops a relationship with a Jewish woman. The woman's mother is quite an off-the-wall character who knows how to concoct a disease that could destory life as we know it. All told, Reporter X might have enough reason to go back on the pain killers again. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1983
John Mackenzie directed this schematic adaptation of Graham Greene's best-selling thriller The Honorary Consul. Richard Gere stars as Dr. Eduardo Plarr, a brilliant doctor who has chosen to practice in the provinces rather than the teeming city of Buenos Aires because his father remains a political prisoner in Paraguay. As the story begins, Plarr is awaiting word from his father after years of silence. One day Leon (Joaquim de Almeida), an old childhood friend, contacts him. Leon was a priest who had left the church and is now working for the Paraguayan underground. Leon blackmails Plarr into obtaining information on an upcoming visit to the province by the United States Ambassador. Leon's plan is to kidnap the ambassador and hold him for ransom in order to obtain the release of Paraguayan political prisoners -- including Plarr's father. The source for the information is an alcoholic has-been, Charley Fortnum (Michael Caine), the province's honorary British counsel, whose wife Clara (Elpidia Carrillo) also happens to be Plarr's mistress. When the kidnapping goes wrong, Plarr is forced to re-examine his relationship with Clara and with Charley, whose betrayal by Plarr has put Charley's life in jeopardy. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Richard Gere, (more)
- 1982
- R
Soviets steal a cache of plutonium leaving one rogue super CIA agent to steal it back and save the world. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Wahl, Klaus Kinski, (more)
