Penelope Cruz

Penelope was born April 28, 1974, in Madrid, Spain. Raised in Madrid, Penelope is the daughter of an auto mechanic and a hairdresser, and the elder sister of her brother Eduardo and sister Monica. She was named in memory of a Joan Manuel Serrat song. Eduardo is a soccer player, and M?nica is a flamingo dancer.

Penelope was always fond of the arts, particularly ballet and jazz. Her passion for dance led to her decision to not graduate high school and instead focus her time and energy on the graceful art of dance.
She spent four years under the direction of Cristina Rota and three years learning Spanish ballet from ?ngela Garrido. Professionally educated in Spain at the National Conservatory in Madrid, Penelope majored in classical ballet.

At 15, however, she heeded her true calling when she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition. The resulting contract landed her several roles in Spanish TV shows and music videos, which in turn paved the way for a career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut in Laberinto griego, El, 1991 (The Greek Labyrinth), then appeared briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed, 1992. Her third film was the Oscar-winning Belle poque, 1992, in which she played one of four sisters vying for the love of a handsome army deserter. The film also garnered several Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards.
It wasn't until 1998, however, that Cruz had her first starring role in an English language film. She played the Mexican-American love interest in Stephen Frears' The Hi-Lo Country. Cruz donated her entire salary from this film to Mother Theresa's charity. Later in the year, she had another English film in the romantic comedy Twice Upon a Yesterday.
Her role in the film All About Mother by Pedro Almodovar brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Premiering at Cannes, the film ushered rave reviews and took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

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