In January , Bardem became the ambassador of Greenpeace for the protection of Antarctica. He changed jobs more than 10 times, leading to evictions and the children going hungry. The two separated shortly after Javier's birth. His father died of leukemia in Bardem comes from a long line of filmmakers and actors dating back to the earliest days of Spanish cinema.
As a child, he spent time at theatres and on film sets. Bardem came to notice in a small role in his first major motion picture, The Ages of Lulu , when he was 21, in which he appeared along with his mother, Pilar Bardem. He also appeared in minor roles in Amo tu cama rica and High Heels. Bardem's talent did not go unnoticed in the English-speaking world. In , John Malkovich was the first to approach him, then a year-old, for a role in English, but the Spanish actor turned down the offer because his English was still poor.
After starring in about two dozen films in his native country, he gained international recognition in Julian Schnabel 's Before Night Falls in , portraying Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas.
Malkovich originally had Bardem in mind for the role of the detective's assistant, but the movie's time trying to find financing gave Bardem time to learn English and take on the lead role of the detective. He made his Hollywood debut in a brief appearance as a crime lord who summons Tom Cruise 's hitman to do the dirty work of dispatching witnesses in the crime drama Collateral. Bardem's rendition of Chigurh's trademark word, "What business is it of yours where I'm from, friendo?
In , Belgian psychiatry professor Samuel Leistedt and 10 associates watched movies over the course of three years and identified psychopathic characters: Bardem's rendition of Chigurh was voted the most realistic psychopath.
