Francesc Orella i Pinell is a Spanish actor born on 11 June 1957 in Barcelona, Catalonia. He studied acting at the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona and later continued his training at the Herbert Berghof Studio in New York. Active in film, television, theatre and voice acting since the early 1980s, he is especially known for playing philosophy teacher Merlí Bergeron in the television series Merlí. His work also includes El ministerio del tiempo, Los ojos de Julia and The Invisible Guest, and he received the Max Award for Best Actor for An Enemy of the People.

Filmography

• Ravalear: Not for Sale — Lluís
• 2025Emergency Exit
• Shared Custody — Alberto
• Terra alta
• 2024Checkmates — Emilio
• 2024From Good to the Hood — Zamora
• The Asunta Case — Juanjo
• 2024Where the pines lament — Ignacio
• 2023Bye Bye Boy
• 2023Teoria dels cossos
• Santa Evita — Dr. Pedro Ara
• 2022Toscana — Ramón
• When You Least Expect It — Luis Fábregas
• 2021Chasing Wonders — Cosme
• 2021The Good Boss — Alejandro
• Inés of My Soul — Pizarro
• La unidad — Jesús Jiménez
• 2020Offering to the Storm — Fermín Montes
• 2020The Barcelona Vampiress — Salvat
• 20197 Reasons to Run Away (from Society) — Família: El pare
• 2019Elisa & Marcela — Padre Marcela
• 2019I Know Nothing About You — Pare
• 2019L'enigma Verdaguer — Pare Pinyol
• 2019Love Me Not
• Merlí. Sapere Aude — Merlí Bergeron Calduch
• 2019The Legacy of the Bones — Fermín Montés
• 2018Mirage — Dr. Fell
• 2017Brava
• 2017Killing God — Padre
• 2017The Invisible Guardian — Fermín Montés
• 2017The Invisible Guest — Félix Leiva
• 2016The Best Option — Antonio
• Carlos, rey emperador — Adriano VI
• Merlí — Merlí Bergeron Calduch
• The Ministry of Time — Alberto Díaz Bueno
• 2015Truman — Restaurant Actor
• Barefoot on Red Soil — Dom Aloisio
• El rey — Carlos Arias Navarro
• 2014Falling Star — The Bishop
• 2014Interior. Familia
• 2014Lasa & Zabala — Enrique Rodríguez Galindo
• 2014Prim: el asesinato de la calle del Turco — Prim
• Mario Conde: los días de gloria — Juan Abelló
• 2012Frozen Silence — Reyes Zarauza
• 2012Radiacions
• 2012The Wild Children — Àngel
• 2012Tocant el mar — Edu
• 2011A Thousand Fools
• Alakrana — Patrón
• Ermessenda — Ramon Borrell
• 2011Terra baixa — Sebastià
• 2010Julia's Eyes — Inspector Dimas
• Tres días de abril
• Les veus del Pamano — Targa
• 2009Tres dies amb la família — Toni
• 2008Shiver — Dimas
• 2008The Pianist's Hands
• 2007Caravaggio — Peterzano
• 2006Captain Alatriste: The Spanish Musketeer
• 2006La silla — Artista
• 2005Mentiras — Mauricio
• 2005The Good Boy — Mendiri
• 2004El año del diluvio — Cabo Lastre
• 2003Nudos — Mario
• 2003Sleeping luck — Miguel Ángel
• 2003Utopia — Padre Ochoa
• 2002Smoking Room — Martínez
• 2001Clara y Elena — Eddy
• Cuéntame cómo pasó — Helio
• Jet Lag
• 2001Mi dulce — Antonio
• 2001The Journey of Arián
• 2000To Die (Or Not) — Víctima
• 2000Yoyes — Hombre del mechero
• El comisario — Subinspector Telmo Chacón
• 1998Subjúdice — Martí
• 1998The Pianist — Quintana
• 1997La moños — Ricardo
• 1995Laia, el regal d’aniversari — Joan
• 1995Land and Freedom — Casado
• 1995What's It All About — Egotist
• Estació d'enllaç — Arnau Manovens
• 1990Boom boom — Ramón
• 1990La teranyina — Obrer
• 1990Warsaw Bridge — Professor's colleague
• Crònica negra — Ulleres fosques
• 1984Victòria! 3: El seny i la rauxa
• 1983Assault at Central Bank
• 1983Victòria! 2: La disbauxa del 17
• 1983Victòria! La gran aventura d'un poble
• En el círculo del asesino
• Lo vent
• Todo arde — Ponzano

Appearances as themselves (4)

• El llop — Self - Guest
• La gran il·lusió, relat intermitent del cinema català — Self - Narrator (voice)
• Al cotxe! — Self - Interviewee
• Còmics Show — Self