Penelope Cruz Sanchez
Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of
Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, and Encarna Sanchez, a hairdresser from
Madrid. She was a compulsive performer in her youth and often reenacted TV
commercials to amuse the family. But she chose to concentrate on dance. She
continued her training alongside a group of highly respected dancers after she
had spent nine years studying classical ballet in Spain's National
Conservatory. At the age of 15 she realized her real destiny when she
outclassed over 300 other girls in an audition at a talent agency. The
resultant contract secured her several roles in Spanish television shows and
music videos, which opened the door to an acting career on the big screen. Cruz
made her debut film in 1993's The Greek Labyrinth (The Greek Labyrinth). After
that, she briefly made an appearance in Framed (1992), a Timothy Dalton
thriller. The third film she starred in, Belle Epoque (1992) was an
Oscar-winning production where she played one of four sisters who were seeking
to win the love of a handsome deserter army soldier. It also won several Goyas
in Spain, which is the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. Her film
resume continued to expand by 3-4 films per year, and before long Cruz was the
leading lady of 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). Her luck changed
completely in 1998 when the film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998)
brought her the Best Actress Goya. Cruz had a few more forays into
English-language film, but her first big international success was Almodovar's
All About My Mother (1999), in which she played an unassuming but very
well-meaning nun. Cruz was in hot demand both on the Atlantic as well as the
west coast. The film received numerous awards and accolades. The American
comedy Woman on Top (2001) is her next major film, tells the story of Chefs who
have extraordinary culinary abilities and extremely motion sickness. While she
was in the US,
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