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Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born April 28, 1974), better known as Penélope Cruz

is a two-time Golden Globe-, two-time SAG-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-nominated Spanish actress. She gathered critical acclaim as a young actress for films such as Jamón, Jamón, La Niña de tus ojos and Belle époque. She has also starred in several American films such as Blow, Vanilla Sky, and Bandidas.

Cruz has been awarded two Goyas, two European Film Awards and the Coppa Volpi for her work. She is the first Spanish actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Pedro Almodóvar’s 2006 Spanish film Volver.

Cruz was born in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and personal manager, and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic.In May 2007, it was announced that Penelope and her sister Mónica would be designing a 25-piece collection for the Barcelona-based fashion chain, Mango. On July 7, 2007, Cruz presented at Live Earth. In late 2007, she starred in the Jaume de Laiguana-directed video for her brother’s first single, named “Cosas que contar”, along with her friend Mía Maestro and her sister Mónica. Cruz had previously shown a keen interest in fashion and is a model for L’Oreal and its “Telescopic” mascara. In July 2007, the British Advertising Standards Authority rapped L’Oréal for a television advert on its “Telescopic” mascara, featuring Penélope Cruz, for failing to state that the model was wearing false eyelashes.

In 2008, she starred in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona as María Elena, Javier Bardem’s mentally-unstable ex-wife. Her performance has received much praise, and many critics are also predicting she might win an Oscar for this role. 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.

Source [ Wikipedia ]