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 who would recreate commercials on television for her family's entertainment, but she eventually decided to concentrate on dancing. After pursuing classical ballet for nine years at the Spanish National Conservatory, she continued her education under a variety of prominent dancers. She realized what she wanted to do at the age of 15 when she beat more than 300 girls in an audition for an agency for talent. The contract she signed secured her a variety of roles in Spanish television shows as well as music videos, which in turn paved the way for a successful career on the big screen. Cruz made her film debut in 1993's The Greek Labyrinth (The Greek Labyrinth). Then she briefly made an appearance in Framed (1992) in a Timothy Dalton thriller. The Oscar-winning Belle Epoque (1992) was her third film. In the film, she played one of the four sisters fighting for the attention of a handsome deserter from the Army. The film also won numerous Goyas that are the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. Cruz became a renowned Spanish actor with her three to four films per year increasing 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). In 1998, her fortunes changed when she took home an award for the best Actress Goya for her role in the film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). Cruz made a few more forays into English-language film, but her first international success was the film of Almodovar All About My Mother (1999) where she played an unchaste but well-meaning nun. Cruz became extremely sought-after across both sides of the Atlantic as her film received many awards and praises. Her next major project was Woman on Top (2000), an American comedy about a cook who is enchanting in her cooking skills and a severe bout of motion sickness. In America,