Actress. Born Penelope Cruz Sanchez on April 28, 1974 in Madrid, Spain. The daughter of an auto mechanic and a hairdresser, Cruz began dancing at a young age. She dropped out of school at age 15 to train in classical ballet at the National Conservatory in Madrid and in New York City.
Cruz's dance career eventually parlayed into acting, with the young actress landing enviable roles in the Spanish films Belle Epoque and All About My Mother, both of which won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Her American films include The Hi-Lo Country (1998), All the Pretty Horses (2000), Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), and Sahara (2005). In 2006, Cruz won Best Actress (an award she shared with her female costars) at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in Volver, a Spanish film by acclaimed director Pedro Almodovar.
Cruz has been romantically linked with actors Matt Damon, Tom Cruise and, most recently, Matthew McConaughey. |