Penelope Cruz Sanchez
Penelope Cruz Sanchez is the daughter of
Eduardo Cruz, a Madrid hairdresser, as well as Encarna Sanchez. When she was a
baby she was already a voracious performer, re-enacting commercials on TV for
her parents' amusement, but she ultimately decided to concentrate on dancing.
She continued her training by working with several well-known dancers following
her 9 years studying classical ballet at Spain's National Conservatory. She
realized her true calling at 15 years old when she defeated more than 300 other
girls at an audition for an agency for talent. The contract she received landed
her roles in Spanish TV programs as well as music videos. This opened up the
doors to a promising career on the big screen. Cruz made her debut in a film in
The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) and then briefly in the
Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her third film, Belle Epoque (1992) was
an Oscar-winning movie in which she played one four sisters who were seeking to
win the love of the handsome deserter soldier. The film also garnered many
Goyas which is the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. She continued to
add more films to her list of credits, growing by three or 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 luck changed when she took home an award for the best
Actress Goya for the industry-related movie comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998).
Cruz has made a few other ventures into film in the English language, but her
biggest international hit was Almodovar's All About My Mother (1999) where she
played an unchaste but thoughtful nun. After the film was flooded with awards
and praises, Cruz became in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. The American
comedy Woman on Top (2001) is her next major film, tells the story of a chef
who has both amazing culinary skills and serious motion sickness. While in the
US,
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