Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, and Encarna Sanchez. When she was a baby, she was already an avid performer, who would reenact commercials from the television for her family's amusement. However, she chose to focus her energies on dance. After pursuing classical ballet for nine years in Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her education under a variety of highly acclaimed dancers. When she was 15, she heeded her true purpose when she beat over 300 other dancers at an audition for a talent agency. She was then offered roles on Spanish TV and music videos. The contract brought her many roles, and opened the way to a future in the big screen. Cruz was first seen in a movie in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) Then she appeared briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her final film, Belle Epoque (1992) was an Oscar-winning production where she played one of four sisters who were trying to win the affection of a handsome deserter army soldier. The film received numerous Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. She continued to add more films to her resume, increasing by three or four each 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 fortunes changed when she won a best Actress Goya for the movie-industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). Cruz has made a few other attempts at English-language films, however, her first major international success was the film of Almodovar All About My Mother (1999) where she played an unchaste but very well-meaning nun. Cruz was in hot demand throughout the Atlantic as well as the west coast, as the film received numerous awards and accolades. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001) was her next major film, follows Chefs who have incredible culinary skills as well as extreme motion sickness. In the US,