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| Birth Name(s) : Penelope Cruz S醤chez |
Date of Birth: April 28, 1974 |
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| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Penelope Cruz Biography
Known outside her native country as the "Spanish enchantress," Penelope Cruz S醤chez was born in Madrid to Eduardo (a retailer) and Encarna (a hairdresser). As a toddler she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to focus her energies on dance.
After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. At 15, however, she heeded her true calling when she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition. The resulting contract landed her several roles in Spanish TV shows and music videos, which in turn paved the way for a career on the big screen.
Cruz made her movie debut in _ Laberinto griego, El (1991)_ (The Greek Labyrinth), then appeared briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992) (TV). Her third film was the Oscar-winning Belle epoque (1992), in which she played one of four sisters vying for the love of a handsome army deserter. The film also garnered several Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. Her resume continued to grow by three or four films each year, and soon Cruz was a leading lady of Spanish cinema. Carne tremula (1997) (Live Flesh) offered her the chance to work with renowned Spanish director Pedro Almod髒ar (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 Abre los ojos (1997), a huge hit in Spain that earned eight Goyas (though none for Cruz).
Her luck finally changed in 1998, when the movie-industry comedy Ni馻 de tus ojos, La (1998) won her a Best Actress Goya. Cruz made a few more forays into English-language film, but her first big international hit was Almod髒ar's Todo sobre mi madre (1999) (All About My Mother), in which she played an unchaste but 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), an American comedy about a chef with bewitching culinary skills and a severe case of motion sickness.
While in the US, she also signed up to star opposite Johnny Depp in the drug-trafficking drama Blow (2001) and opposite Matt Damon (her rumored paramour) in Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses (2000). Cruz says she's wary of being typecast as a beautiful young damsel, but it's hard to imagine disguising her wide-eyed charms and generous nature (she once donated an entire paycheck to Mother Teresa's children's sanctuary). Fortunately, with Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (2001) (a remake of Abre los ojos (1997)) and a John Madden collaboration looming in her future, Damsel Penelope isn't likely to disappear just yet. |
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Additional Penelope Cruz Biography
Pen茅lope Cruz S谩nchez (pronounced ) (born April 28, 1974, in Madrid), better known as Pen茅lope Cruz, is a Golden Globe- and Academy Award-nominated Spanish actress. Originally a dancer, she soon moved into Spanish television, and since then she has appeared in a string of films in Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese.
Cruz was born in San Sebasti谩n de los Reyes, Madrid, Spain. Her parents are Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna S谩nchez, a hairdresser. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to focus her energies on dance. After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. At 15, however, she followed another calling after she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition. She received three years of Spanish Ballet training with 脕ngela Garrido. She also had jazz dance training with Ra煤l Caballero and she studied at Cristina Rota (mother of Juan Diego Botto) school in Madrid. She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Italian fluently.
Cruz first achieved fame when she appeared in the video clip La fuerza del destino for the Spanish synthpop group Mecano. She later started a relationship with Nacho Cano, a member of the group. .
She was a TV presenter for the teen-oriented program La Quinta Marcha . She also had early exposure in S茅rie Rose, a French erotic TV serial in which she played the role of a blind prostitute. She also directed Nacho Cano's video of "El waltz de los locos", in 1994.
Cruz's first major films were Jam贸n, jam贸n and Belle Epoque, a film which won an Academy Award for Foreign Language Film.
In 1997, she starred as Sof铆a Pangia, alongside Eduardo Noriega in Abre los ojos, directed by Alejandro Amen谩bar, and in 2000 she appeared with Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses. In 1999, she appeared in Pedro Almod贸var's Todo sobre mi madre, which won an Academy Award for Foreign Language Film.
In early 2001, she appeared in the film Vanilla Sky, the Hollywood remake of Abre los ojos. She played the same role in both films.
In 2006, Cruz received highly favourable reviews for her performance in Pedro Almod贸var's Volver. She won a Best Actress ensemble award at the Cannes Film Festival and has been nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award. She is the first Spanish Actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
In May, 2007, it was announced that Penelope and her sister Monica would be designing a 25-piece collection for the Barcelona-based fashion chain, Mango.
Cruz claims to be a vegetarian since 2000, though this fact is disputed . She speaks four languages: Spanish, Italian, French and English. Cruz has also donated a considerable amount of money and time to charity. In 1997 she volunteered in Uganda for two months.
After appearing in 2001 in the film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise, they had a three-year relationship. They split up in January 2004.
Apart from being a close personal friend of the actress, Salma Hayek, Cruz is also a good friend of the Colombian singer Shakira.
Academy Awards
- 2007 Nominated Academy Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for: Volver (2006)
ALMA Awards
- 1999 Nominated ALMA Award Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film for: The Hi-Lo Country (1998)
- 2002 Nominated ALMA Award Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for: Vanilla Sky (2001)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
- 2001 Nominated Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Actress - Drama/Romance for: All the Pretty Horses (2000)
David di Donatello Awards
- 2004 Won David Best Actress (Migliore Attrice Protagonista) for: Non ti muovere (2004)
European Film Awards
- 1999 Nominated European Film Award Best Actress for: La Ni帽a de tus ojos (1998)
- 2001 Nominated Audience Award Best Actress for: Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
- 2003 Nominated Audience Award Best Actress for: Fanfan la tulipe (2003)
- 2004 Nominated European Film Award Best Actress for: Non ti muovere (2004)
- 2004 Won Audience Award Best Actress for: Non ti muovere (2004)
- 2006 Won European Film Award Best Actress for: Volver (2006)
Goya Awards
- 1993 Nominated Goya Best Lead Actress (Mejor Actriz Principal) for: Jam贸n, jam贸n (1992)
- 1999 Won Goya Best Lead Actress (Mejor Actriz Principal) for: La Ni帽a de tus ojos (1998)
- 2005 Nominated Goya Best Lead Actress (Mejor Actriz Principal) for: Non ti muovere (2004)
- 2007 Won Goya Best Lead Actress (Mejor Actriz Principal) for: Volver (2006)
Razzie Awards
- 2002 Nominated Razzie Award Worst Actress for: Blow (2001), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) and Vanilla Sky (2001).
Spanish Actors Union
- 1993 Nominated Newcomer Award for: Jam贸n, jam贸n (1992)
- 1993 Won Award of the Spanish Actors Union Film: Supporting Performance (Secundario Cine) for: Belle epoque (1992)
- 1998 Nominated Award of the Spanish Actors Union Film: Performance in a Minor Role (Reparto Cine) for: Carne tr茅mula (1997)
- 1999 Won Award of the Spanish Actors Union Film: Lead Performance (Protagonista Cine) for: La Ni帽a de tus ojos (1998)
- 2007 Won Award of the Spanish Actors Union Film: Lead Performance (Protagonista Cine) for: Volver (2007) |
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Penelope Cruz Quote(s)
| The most difficult thing in the world is to start a career known only for your looks, and then to try to become a serious actress. No one will take you seriously once you are known as the pretty woman. |
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