Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, as well as Encarna Sanchez. When she was a baby she was already a voracious performer, re-enacting commercials on TV for her parents' amusement, but she ultimately decided to concentrate on dancing. She continued her training by working with several well-known dancers following her 9 years studying classical ballet at Spain's National Conservatory. She realized her true calling at 15 years old when she defeated more than 300 other girls at an audition for an agency for talent. The contract she received landed her roles in Spanish TV programs as well as music videos. This opened up the doors to a promising career on the big screen. Cruz made her debut in a film in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) and then briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her third film, Belle Epoque (1992) was an Oscar-winning movie in which she played one four sisters who were seeking to win the love of the handsome deserter soldier. The film also garnered many Goyas which is the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. She continued to add more films to her list of credits, growing by three or four per year. Soon Cruz was the most sought-after actress in Spanish cinema. Live Flesh (1997) (Live Flesh) offered her the chance to work with renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodovar (who would later be her ticket to international fame), and the same year she was the lead actress in the thriller/drama/mystery/sci-fi film Open Your Eyes (1997), a huge hit in Spain that earned eight Goyas (though none for Cruz). In 1998, her luck changed when she took home an award for the best Actress Goya for the industry-related movie comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). Cruz has made a few other ventures into film in the English language, but her biggest international hit was Almodovar's All About My Mother (1999) where she played an unchaste but thoughtful nun. After the film was flooded with awards and praises, Cruz became in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001) is her next major film, tells the story of a chef who has both amazing culinary skills and serious motion sickness. While in the US,