Penelope Cruz Sanchez
Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid
to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez, hairdresser. When she was a
little girl, she was an obsessive performer who would recreate TV commercials
for the amusement of her parents. However, she decided to devote her energies
to dancing. After nine years of ballet classes at Spain's National Conservatory
she was able to continue her studies under the direction of a number of famous
dancers. She realized her true calling at the age of 15, after she defeated over
300 other girls at an audition with an agency for talent. She was then offered
roles in Spanish music videos and TV. This contract led to many more roles,
opening the door to a career in the big screen. Cruz made her debut in a film
in The Greek Labyrinth (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth) She then made a brief
appearance in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992). Her third film, Belle
Epoque (1992) was an Oscar-winning movie where she played one of four sisters
who were trying to win the affection of the handsome deserter soldier. This
film won many Goyas, Spanish equivalent of Academy Awards. Her film resume
continued to expand by about three or four films every year. Soon Cruz was an
established star 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). The luck of her
life changed dramatically in 1998, when the film-industry comedy La Nina De Tus
Ojos (1998) earned her a award for the Best Actress Goya. After a few more
tries to make a film in English her first international success was Almodovar's
All About My Mother (1999) where she portrayed a unchaste, but very
well-meaning nun. As the film was showered with awards and accolades, Cruz
suddenly found herself in demand on both sides of the Atlantic. Her next big
project was Woman on Top (2000) which is an American comedy about a chef who is
enchanting in her cooking skills and a serious case of motion sickness. In the
US,
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