Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez who was hairdresser. When she was a young girl she was already a fervent performer who would recreate commercials on television for her family's entertainment, but she eventually decided to concentrate on dance. After studying ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her education under a number of famous dancers. She realized what she wanted to do at age 15 after she defeated over 300 other girls at an audition held by a talent agency. The agency offered her roles in Spanish music videos and TV. This brought her many roles, which opened the way to a future in the big screen. Cruz made her debut film in 1993's The Greek Labyrinth (The Greek Labyrinth). She also briefly was in Framed (1992) which was a Timothy Dalton thriller. The third film she starred in was an Oscar-winning film, Belle Epoque (1992), in which she played one of the four sisters fighting for the affections of a handsome army deserter. It also took home several Goyas in Spain, which is the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. Her resume continued to grow by the number of films she acted in each year, and soon Cruz was the leading lady of 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 fortunes changed when she received a Best Actress Goya for her role in the film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). Cruz went on to make several more journeys to films in English, but All About My Mother (1999) was her first major international hit. She played a unchaste however well-meaning nun. The film was flooded with accolades and awards Cruz became in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001) was her next major film, tells the story of an American chef with incredible culinary skills as well as serious motion sickness. In America,