Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was the daughter of Eduardo Cruz (a retailer) and Encarna Sanchez (a hairdresser). As a child and a devoted performer and would re-enact commercials from the television to entertain of her family. However, she decided to devote her energies to dance. After studying classical ballet for nine years in Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her education under a number of highly acclaimed dancers. She discovered her true calling at the age of 15 when she defeated more than 300 contestants in an audition for an agency for talents. The contract that resulted in her being signed secured her several roles in Spanish TV shows and music videos. This set the stage for a career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut with The Greek Labyrinth (1993). (The Greek Labyrinth). After that she appeared in a brief scene in Framed (1992) directed by Timothy Dalton. The third film she starred in was the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque (1992), where she played one of four sisters fighting for the love of a handsome deserter from the army. This film won many Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. Her film resume continued to expand by the number of films she acted in each year, and before long Cruz became a star 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 luck changed when she won the Best Actress Goya for the movie-industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). After several more attempts in English-language films her first international hit was Almodovar’s All About My Mother (1999), where she played an unchaste but well-meaning nun. After the film was flooded with accolades and awards, Cruz suddenly found herself sought-after on both sides of the Atlantic. The American comedy Woman on Top (2001), which was her next major project, is about the chef who is able to combine amazing culinary skills and severe motion sickness. In America,