Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, and Encarna Sanchez, a hairdresser from Madrid. As a child, she was an obsessive performer. She would even re-enact commercials on TV for the entertainment of her family. However, she decided to devote her energies to dancing. After pursuing classical ballet for 9 years in Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her studies under a group of prominent dancers. At the age of 15 she followed her purpose when she beat over 300 girls at an audition at a talent agency. The agency offered her roles in Spanish music videos and TV. The contract led to many more roles, and opened the doors to a successful career on the world of big screens. 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 was an Oscar-winning film, Belle Epoque (1992), where she played one of the four sisters fighting for the love of a beautiful army deserter. The film has won numerous Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. Cruz continued to add more films to her resume, increasing by three or four each year. Soon Cruz was the leading lady 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). It all changed in 1998 when her movie-industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) won her the title of Best Actress Goya. Cruz went on to make several more journeys into English-language films, but All About My Mother (1999) was her first big international success. She played an unchaste however well-meaning nun. After 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) is her next major film, tells the story of a chef who has both remarkable culinary talents and severe motion sickness. In America,