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Eduardo Noriega Gómez was born in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, as the youngest of seven siblings. He showcased exceptional artistic talent from a young age, taking piano lessons and studying at the Santander Music Conservatory for five years. Despite his natural aptitude, his music professors pushed him to practice for hours, eventually leading to his disinterest.
After completing high school, Noriega pursued a career in law, enrolling at the University of Santander. However, he soon discovered his true passion for acting and relocated to Madrid to attend the R.E.S.A.D. (Madrid Acting Conservatory). He also continued his law studies at the U.N.E.D., but eventually quit due to the demanding schedule of his acting classes.
Noriega's breakthrough came when he collaborated with Mateo Gil and Alejandro Amenábar on several short films. His starring role in Amenábar's opera prima, Thesis (1996),catapulted him to stardom in Spain. He went on to appear in numerous films, including Pedro Olea's Más allá del jardín (1996) and the main role in Question of Luck (1997).
The 1997 film Open Your Eyes, directed by Amenábar, earned Noriega his first Goya Award nomination. He continued to take on diverse roles, including comedy in Cha Cha Cha (1998) and drama in Burnt Money (2000),which won the Goya Award in 2001.
In the 2000s, Noriega appeared in films across Europe, France, and Spain. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Txema in El Lobo (2004) and Che Guevara in 2007. His most challenging role to date was as identical twins in Canciones de amor en Lolita's Club (2007),for which he won the GQ award as the "Actor of the Year".
Noriega has also ventured into American cinema, starring in Vantage Point (2008) and Transsiberian (2008). He reunited with Amenábar as a producer for El mal ajeno (2010) and made his western debut in Blackthorn (2011). In 2011, he returned to television with the suspense series Homicidios, which premiered on Tele5.