 His parents moved to Barcelona when he was young, and he graduated in English Literature from the city's university, before coming to London to study in summer 1989, and live from 1992 onwards.There, in a relationship with the film maker Constantine Giannaris he acted in the films "Jean Genet is Dead" (1989) and "Trojans" (1990) credited as Rafael Peñas.After completing an MA in Hispanic studies at Birkbeck University of London, he worked at schools and colleges teaching Spanish and Hispanic culture.