Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez who was a hairdresser. When she was a toddler she was an obsessive performer who would recreate commercials on television for the enjoyment of her family. However, she decided to dedicate her time to dance. After pursuing classical ballet for nine years in the Spanish National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of highly acclaimed dancers. Her true calling was discovered at the age of 15 when she beat more than 300 other girls at an audition at a talent agency. The contract she got secured her roles on Spanish television programs as well as music videos. This opened up the way to a promising career in the world of film. Cruz made her film debut in 1993's The Greek Labyrinth (The Greek Labyrinth). After that, she briefly appeared in Framed (1992) the Timothy Dalton thriller. The Oscar-winning Belle Epoque (1992) was her third film. In the film she played one of the four sisters that were fighting for the attention of a handsome Army deserter. The film also garnered several Goyas which is the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. Cruz was a well-known Spanish actress with her three-to-four films per year that she added to her resume. 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). The luck of her life changed in 1998 when her film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) received her a Best Actress Goya. Cruz went on to make several more journeys into films with English subtitles, but All About My Mother (1999) was her first major international hit. She played a non-challenging, but well meaning nun. Cruz was highly sought-after on both sides of the Atlantic because her film was awarded numerous awards and praises. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001) was her next major project, is about an American chef with remarkable culinary talents and extremely motion sickness. In the US,