Alberto Ammann

José Alberto Ammann Rey is an Argentine and Spanish actor who works across feature films, television projects, and theater productions. He gained widespread recognition for his breakout performance in Spanish cinema and is well known internationally for portraying real-life drug lord Hélmer "Pacho" Herrera in the television dramas Narcos and Narcos: Mexico.

Born in Córdoba, Argentina, in 1978, Ammann is the son of author, journalist, and politician Luis Alberto Ammann and Nélida Rey. When he was just one month old, his family relocated to Spain, spending time in Madrid and the Canary Islands to flee the military dictatorship in Argentina. They moved back to Argentina in 1982. Ammann later traveled to Spain again to pursue higher education. His formal performing arts training took place at the Jolie Libois Theater Seminary in Córdoba under instructors including Ruben Andalor, Willy Lanni, and Ricky Ceballos, as well as at Juan Carlos Corazza's acting academy.

Ammann made his feature film debut in the 2009 suspense film Cell 211. To prepare for his role as Juan Oliver, a correctional officer caught in a prison uprising and forced to impersonate an inmate, he conducted interviews with both prisoners and guards. His work in the movie earned him the Goya Award for Best New Actor at the 24th Goya Awards ceremony.

Following his screen debut, Ammann took on the title role of young soldier and playwright Lope de Vega in the 2010 historical drama Lope: The Outlaw. His subsequent film appearances include roles in the sci-fi feature Eva in 2011, Invader in 2012, Thesis on a Homicide in 2013, and Betibú in 2014. He later appeared in feature productions such as The Year of Fury in 2020, Presencias in 2022, and Upon Entry in 2022. Beyond feature-length movies, he co-starred with Keira Knightley in a Chanel advertisement broadcast in Hispanic territories starting in April 2011.

On television, Ammann joined the cast of the Netflix crime series Narcos in 2015, portraying Cali Cartel leader Pacho Herrera, a role he continued in Narcos: Mexico. In 2016, he played hydrologist and geochemist Javier Delgado in the National Geographic miniseries Mars. He also starred as Miguel, a young journalist, in the 2017 Netflix series Apaches, adapted from the book by Miguel Saez Carral.

In his personal life, Ammann has been in a relationship with Clara Méndez-Leite since 2010. Together, the couple established an acting school in the Malasaña neighborhood in 2017.