ines sastre

Spanish model and actress Inés Sastre has spent most of her life in front of the cameras. From appearing in a McDonald’s commercial, aged 12, to winning the prestigious Elite Look of the Year competition, aged 16, to appearing in numerous films, she has built a deserved reputation as an artist. She remains as busy as ever today and frequently shares her latest ventures with her 72,000 Instagram followers.

Born in Valladolid in 1973, Sastre was 12 years old when she appeared in a television commercial for McDonald’s. Three years later, she won a far more serious acting assignment and appeared in the 1988 historical film El Dorado (no relation to the ill-fated 1990s soap opera), which was shown at that year’s Cannes Film Festival. The following year, she beat thousands of other entrants to win the Elite Look of the Year, a worldwide contest run by the prestigious Elite Model Agency (as of 2022, she remains the only Spaniard to have won it). They offered her a professional modelling contract, but she turned down the offer, preferring to finish her studies instead.

Those studies took place at the world-renowned Sorbonne in Paris (whose alumni also includes leaders of state and history-making scientists). After graduating, she resumed her modelling career, winning awards at Paris Fashion Week and becoming a spokeswoman for Lancome’s exclusive Tresor perfume. She also resumed her acting, most notably in American films such as Sabrina and The Lost City. She also began long working relationships with organisations such as UNESCO and UNICEF, helping to raise awareness and funds for pertinent issues.