Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and Encarna Sanchez, hairdresser. She was an obsessive performer as a young girl and even reenacted commercials on TV to keep the family entertained. However, she decided to devote her time to dancing. After nine years of classical ballet instruction at Spain's National Conservatory she was able to further her education under the guidance of a variety of prominent dancers. When she turned 15 she followed her call when she topped over 300 other girls in a talent agency audition. The resulting contract landed her a variety of roles in Spanish television shows as well as music videos. This in turn opened the door to an acting career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) and then briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). The Oscar-winning Belle Epoque (1992) was her third film. In the film she played one of the four sisters competing for the affection of a handsome Army deserter. This film won many Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. Cruz became a prominent Spanish actress after 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 luck changed when she won a Best Actress Goya for the industry-related movie comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). Cruz made a few more forays into English-language film, but her first big international success was the film of Almodovar All About My Mother (1999), in which she played an unchaste , but thoughtful nun. When the film was lavishly adorned with accolades and awards Cruz quickly found herself highly sought-after across both sides of the Atlantic. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001), which was her next major film, tells the story of a chef who has both incredible culinary skills as well as severe motion sickness. When she was living in the US,