Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and Encarna Sanchez, a hairdresser. She was a compulsive performer as a child and would reenact TV commercials to keep the family entertained. But she chose to concentrate on dance. After studying classical ballet for 9 years at the Spanish National Conservatory, she continued her education under a number of highly acclaimed dancers. Her true calling was discovered at the age of 15 when she smashed more than 300 other girls at an audition at a talent agency. The resultant contract secured her numerous roles on Spanish television shows and music videos. This in turn led to an acting career on the big screen. Cruz was first seen in a movie in The Greek Labyrinth (1993). (The Greek Labyrinth). Then, she appeared briefly in Framed (1992) by Timothy Dalton. Her third film, Belle Epoque (1992) was an Oscar-winning film where she played one of the four sisters trying to win the affection of an attractive deserter army soldier. It also won many Goyas that are the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. Her resume continued to grow by the number of films she acted in each year. Soon Cruz was a 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). Her luck finally changed in 1998 when the film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) won her the award for Best Actress Goya. After a few more tries at English-language film her first international hit was Almodovar’s All About My Mother (1999), where she played a unchaste, but very well-meaning nun. Cruz was in hot demand across the Atlantic as well as the west coast, since the film received numerous awards and accolades. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001), which was her next major film, tells the story of an American chef with incredible culinary skills as well as severe motion sickness. While in the US,