Penelope Cruz Sanchez was the daughter
of Eduardo Cruz (a retailer) and Encarna Sanchez (a hairdresser). She was a
compulsive performer when she was a kid and even reenacted commercials on TV
for family amusement. However, she chose to devote her time to dance. She
continued to study by working with several well-known dancers after she had
spent 9 years studying classical ballet at Spain's National Conservatory. She
realized her true calling at the age of 15 when she beat more than 300 other
girls in an audition with an agency for talent. The resulting contract landed
her numerous roles on Spanish TV shows and music videos. This in turn led to a
successful career on the big screen. Cruz made her film debut in 1993's The
Greek Labyrinth (The Greek Labyrinth). After that, she briefly was in Framed
(1992) the Timothy Dalton thriller. Her third film was an Oscar-winning film,
Belle Epoque (1992), in which she played one of the four sisters competing for
the affections of a beautiful army deserter. It also won several Goyas in Spain
that is the Spanish equivalent to the Academy Awards. Her film resume continued
to expand by about three or four films every year, and before long Cruz was an
established star of 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). Her luck turned
around in 1998 when her movie-industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) won
her the award for the Best Actress Goya. After a few more attempts in
English-language films her first international success was Almodovar's All
About My Mother (1999), where she played the unchaste and very well-meaning
nun. As the film was showered with accolades and awards, Cruz became highly
sought-after across both sides of the Atlantic. The American comedy Woman on Top
(2001) is her next major project, is about the chef who is able to combine
amazing culinary skills and extreme motion sickness. In the US,
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