Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, as well as Encarna Sanchez. When she was a young girl, she was already a compulsive performer who would recreate TV commercials for her family's entertainment, but she eventually decided to devote her energy to dance. She continued her training with a number of well-respected dancers, after having spent nine years studying classical ballet in Spain's National Conservatory. Her true calling was discovered at the age of 15, when she topped 300 girls in an audition for an agency for talents. The contract she signed secured her a variety of roles in Spanish television shows as well as music videos, which set the stage for a successful career on the big screen. Cruz was first seen in a movie in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) and then briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her final film was an Oscar-winning film, Belle Epoque (1992), where she played one of four sisters vying for the love of a beautiful army deserter. The film received numerous Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. The actress continued adding films to her resume, increasing by three to four per year. Soon Cruz was the leading lady 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). The luck of her life changed dramatically in 1998, when the movie-industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) brought her the title of Best Actress Goya. Cruz also made a few ventures into film in the English language, however, her first major international hit was Almodovar's All About My Mother (1999) where she played a sexy but thoughtful nun. Cruz found herself highly sought-after on both sides of the Atlantic due to her film winning numerous awards and praises. Her next film was Woman on Top (2000) A comedy from the United States. American comedy about a cook who is enchanting in her cooking skills and a serious case of motion sickness. When she was in America,