Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez was the daughter of Eduardo Cruz (a retailer) and Encarna Sanchez (a hairdresser). When she was a toddler, she was an obsessive performer who would recreate commercials from the television to entertain of her family. But, she decided to concentrate on dance. After nine years of ballet classes in Spain's National Conservatory she was able to continue her studies under the direction of a number of famous dancers. She found her calling at the age 15 when she beat more than 300 contestants in an audition for a talent agency. The agency offered her roles in Spanish television and music videos. This contract led to many more roles, opening the doors to a successful career in the big screen. Cruz was first seen in a movie in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) She then made a brief appearance in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her next film was the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque (1992), where she was one of the four sisters vying for the love of a beautiful army deserter. It also won several Goyas in Spain, which is the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. Her film resume continued to expand by about three or four films every 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). In 1998, her luck changed when she was awarded the award for Best Actress Goya for the industry-related movie comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998). After several more attempts at English-language film her first international hit was the film of Almodovar All About My Mother (1999) where she portrayed an unchaste but well-meaning nun. As the film was showered with awards and praises, Cruz quickly found herself highly sought-after across both sides of the Atlantic. The next major film she worked on was Woman on Top (2000) A comedy from the United States. American comedy about a chef who is enchanting in her cooking skills as well as a severe case motion sickness. While in the US,