Some actors become famous because of one character, but a small percentage can make it almost impossible for audiences to separate the character from their identity.
For many viewers worldwide, Pedro Alonso is Berlín.
The Spanish actor became internationally famous for playing Andrés de Fonollosa, better known as Berlín, in Money Heist (La Casa de Papel). The character was arrogant, sophisticated, unpredictable, and often deeply unpleasant — yet somehow impossible to look away from. Alonso gave him enough charm and vulnerability to become one of the most memorable characters in the series.
But there is much more to Pedro Alonso than Berlín.
From Vigo to the Stage
Pedro González Alonso was born on June 21, 1971, in Vigo, Galicia, Spain. He developed an interest in acting at a young age and eventually moved to Madrid, where he studied at the prestigious Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático (RESAD) and graduated in 1992. He also studied at Teatro de la Danza.
His professional career began long before international audiences knew his name.
Alonso worked extensively in theatre, television and film, particularly in Galician productions. He became a familiar face in Galicia through series such as Rías Baixas and Padre Casares, the latter of which he starred in for several years. He also appeared in productions such as A las once en casa and Gondar.
In other words, when Money Heist arrived, Alonso was hardly a newcomer.
He had already spent more than two decades building his career.
Gran Hotel: The Role Before Berlín
Before becoming Berlín, Alonso gained wider recognition in Spain through Gran Hotel, the period drama that ran from 2011 to 2013.
He played Diego Murquía, a character very different from Berlín, but one that gave audiences a chance to see his ability to play complicated, morally questionable characters.
This is one of the interesting things about looking back at Alonso's career.
His success as Berlín wasn't completely out of nowhere. He had already developed a reputation for playing characters with darker or more complicated personalities.
Then came La Casa de papel.
Becoming Berlín
When Pedro Alonso first appeared as Andrés de Fonollosa, the character who would become known as Berlín, audiences were immediately given someone difficult to categorize.
Berlín is intelligent, cultured, and extremely confident. He has impeccable manners and an almost theatrical elegance, but underneath that sophistication is someone capable of extraordinary cruelty.
Alonso doesn't play Berlín as a simple villain. Instead, he gives him contradictions. He can be charming and horrifying within the same scene. He can appear completely narcissistic and then suddenly reveal genuine loyalty or vulnerability.
That contradiction became one of the character's greatest strengths.
La Casa de Papel originally premiered in Spain in 2017 before becoming a global phenomenon, and Alonso's performance turned Berlín into one of the show's defining characters.
Interestingly, Alonso has spoken about finding inspiration for Berlín in a strange encounter with a man he met in Mexico—someone he described as capable of changing from an angel into a devil within seconds. That idea of someone containing radically different sides seems to fit Berlín perfectly.
Berlín Gets His Own Story
The character's popularity eventually led to Berlín, the Money Heist spin-off released in 2023.
Rather than continuing the original series, the show explores Berlín during an earlier period of his life, allowing Alonso to return to the character in a completely different context. The first season consists of eight episodes.
It is also interesting from an actor's perspective.
When a character becomes this iconic, there is always a danger that the actor will become trapped by it.
Alonso, however, seems to have embraced Berlín without allowing the role to completely define his career.
Pedro Alonso the Artist
Alonso is more than an actor, and his creative endeavors go beyond acting.
He is also a writer and painter, working under the artistic name Pedro Alonso O'choro. He published Libro de Filipo, a novel inspired by Ancient Rome, and has spoken extensively about his interest in painting and other forms of artistic expression.
He seems interested in creating worlds himself, and that may help explain some of the unusual quality of his performances. There is something slightly unpredictable about Alonso's screen presence, as though he is always interested in exploring what is happening underneath the obvious version of a character.
More Than Just Berlín
The international success of Money Heist arrived relatively late in Pedro Alonso's career. By the time the rest of the world discovered him, Pedro Alonso had already spent years working in theatre, television and film.
Berlín didn't make him an actor. It gave the world a reason to finally pay attention.
Since then, he has continued exploring different creative roles, including writing and directing. In 2025, he presented En la nave del encanto, a documentary that marked his debut as a creator and director and followed a journey through Mexico exploring traditional medicine and spirituality.
So, while Berlín may always be the character most associated with Pedro Alonso, it would be a mistake to reduce his career to one incredibly successful role.
Pedro Alonso is an actor, writer, and artist who spent decades working before international fame arrived, and that hard work is probably why Berlín feels so convincing.
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