Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, as well as Encarna Sanchez, a hairdresser from Madrid. When she was a child she was already a voracious performer who would recreate TV commercials for her family's amusement. However, she chose to concentrate on dancing. After studying ballet for nine years in the Spanish National Conservatory, she continued her education under a variety of highly acclaimed dancers. When she was 15 she discovered her true calling when she bested over 300 other girls in an audition at a talent agency. She was offered roles in Spanish video and television. This resulted in a variety of roles, and opened the doors to a successful career on the world of big screens. Cruz made her movie debut in The Greek Labyrinth (1993). (The Greek Labyrinth). Then she appeared in a brief scene in Framed (1992) directed by Timothy Dalton. Her final film was an Oscar-winning film, Belle Epoque (1992), where she played one of the four sisters who compete for the affection of a beautiful army deserter. This film won many Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. Cruz became a renowned Spanish actress 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). Her luck changed completely in 1998, when the industry-related film comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) earned her the award for Best Actress Goya. After a few more tries to make a film in English her first international success was Almodovar’s All About My Mother (1999) where she portrayed an unchaste but well-meaning nun. Cruz was suddenly in high demand throughout the Atlantic and west coast, as the film received many awards and praises. Woman on Top (2000) was her next major project. It was an American comedy about a chef who has extraordinary culinary skills and extremely motion sickness. In America,