Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez who was a hairdresser. She was a performer with a passion when she was a kid and even reenacted commercials on TV to entertain the family. However, she decided to concentrate her energy on dancing. After pursuing classical ballet for 9 years in Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her education under a variety of highly acclaimed dancers. She discovered her true passion at 15 years old when she smashed more than 300 other girls during an audition for an agency for talent. The resulting contract landed her a variety of roles in Spanish television shows and music videos. This in turn led to a career on the big screen. Cruz made her debut in a film with The Greek Labyrinth (1993). (The Greek Labyrinth). After that she appeared in a brief scene in Framed (1992) directed by Timothy Dalton. Her next film, Belle Epoque (1992) was an Oscar-winning film in which she was one of the four sisters that were fighting to win the heart of the handsome deserter soldier. It also received several Goyas in Spain that is the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. The actress continued to add more films to her resume, increasing by three or four per year. Soon Cruz became the most prominent 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 took home the award for best Actress Goya for her role in the film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). After a few more chances to make a film in English, Cruz's first international success was the film of Almodovar All About My Mother (1999), where she played the unchaste and well-meaning nun. Cruz was soon in high demand in both the Atlantic and the west coast, since the film garnered many awards and praises. Woman on Top (2000) was her next major film. The film was an American comedy about a chef who has extraordinary culinary skills and extremely motion sickness. When she was in the US,