Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was the daughter of Eduardo Cruz (a retailer) and Encarna Sanchez (a hairdresser). As a toddler, she was already a voracious performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's entertainment, but she eventually decided to concentrate on dancing. After nine years of ballet classes in Spain's National Conservatory she was able to continue her studies under the guidance of a variety of prominent dancers. When she turned 15 she followed her call when she topped more than 300 other girls at an audition for a talent agency. The contract she signed secured her roles in a variety of Spanish television shows as well as music videos, which opened the door to a career on the big screen. Cruz made her debut in a film with The Greek Labyrinth (1993). (The Greek Labyrinth). After that she appeared briefly in Framed (1992) directed by Timothy Dalton. The third film she starred in, Belle Epoque (1992), was an Oscar-winning production in which she played one four sisters who were fighting to win the heart of an attractive deserter army soldier. It also won several Goyas in Spain, which is the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. She continued to add more films to her list of credits, growing by three to four per year. Soon Cruz was the most sought-after actress 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 fortunes changed when she took home the Best Actress Goya for her role in the film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). After a few more attempts at English-language film her first international hit was Almodovar’s All About My Mother (1999) in which she played an unchaste but very well-meaning nun. When the film was lavishly adorned with accolades and awards, Cruz was suddenly highly sought-after across both sides of the Atlantic. Woman on Top (2000) was her next major film. It was an American comedy about a chef who has extraordinary culinary skills and extremely motion sickness. While living in the US,