José Martins was born in Lisbon in February 1952. He studied at the Lycée Français Charles Lepierre and earned a degree in Philosophy from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon. He worked as a journalist for newspapers such as O Século, Cinéfilo, and Musicalíssimo, among others, and also worked in advertising. As an actor, he performed in theatre plays, films, series, and soap operas. As a stage director, he has staged over 50 plays since 1973. With the film "The Scent of Things Remembered" (2025), he won the Best Actor Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival and the Sophia Award for Best Leading Actor from the Portuguese Academy of Cinema.