Penelope Cruz
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-29 13:45
Alternate Names: Penelope Cruz | Penelope Cruz Sanchez | Penelope Cruz Sánchez | Penélope Cruz Sánchez
Date of Birth: April 28th. 1974
Birth Place: Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, Spain
Awards: Cruz has been awarded three Goyas, two European Film Awards, and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2009, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Goya, and a BAFTA for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She is Spain's first female Oscar winner and also becomes the sixth Hispanic person to win an Oscar.
Father: Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and personal manager.
Mother: Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic.
Schooling: As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement. Initially, Cruz decided to focus on dance. After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. She received three years of Spanish Ballet training with Ángela Garrido. She also had jazz dance training with Raúl Caballero and studied at Cristina Rota (mother of Juan Diego Botto) school in Madrid. At 15, however, she followed another calling after beating more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition.
Start of career: Cruz first achieved fame when she appeared in the video for "La fuerza del destino" for the Spanish synthpop group Mecano.
Films:
1992 Jamón, jamón
1993 For Love, Only for Love
The Greek Labyrinth
The Rebel
1994 Alegre ma non troppo
Todo es mentira
1995 Entre rojas
El Efecto mariposa
1996 La Celestina
Brujas
1997 Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health
Open Your Eyes
Live Flesh
1998 The Girl of Your Dreams
1999 All About My Mother
2000 All the Pretty Horses
Woman on Top
2001 Blow
Don't Tempt Me
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Vanilla Sky
2002 Waking up in Reno
2003 Fanfan la tulipe
2004 Head in the Clouds
Don't Move
2005 Sahara
2006 Chromophobia
Bandidas
Volver
2007 The Good Night
2008 Elegy
Vicky Christina Barcelona
2009 G-Force (voice)
Broken Embraces
Nine post-production
2010 Sex and the City
