Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez who was a hairdresser. As a toddler she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting commercials on television for her family's entertainment, but she eventually decided to devote her energy to dancing. After nine years of classical ballet training at Spain's National Conservatory she was able to continue her studies under the supervision of several prominent dancers. Her true calling was discovered at the age of 15, when she topped 300 girls at an audition for a talent agency. The contract she got secured her roles in Spanish television programs as well as music videos. This opened the doors to a promising career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) She then made a brief appearance in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her final film was an Oscar-winning film, Belle Epoque (1992), in which she played one of four sisters competing for the affections of a handsome deserter from the Army. It also won several Goyas in Spain, which is the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. Cruz was a well-known Spanish actress thanks to her average of three to four films per year, which was a growing list. 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 changed completely in 1998, when the industry-related film comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) won her the award for Best Actress Goya. Cruz had a few more ventures into film in the English language, however, her first major international success was Almodovar's All About My Mother (1999) where she played an unassuming but very well-meaning nun. Cruz became highly sought-after on both sides of the Atlantic due to her film winning numerous awards and accolades. Woman on Top (2000) was her next film. The film was an American comedy about a chef with extraordinary culinary abilities and extreme motion sickness. In the US,