Penelope Cruz Sanchez
Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born in Madrid
to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez, hairdresser. When she was a
child she was already a fervent performer, performing TV commercials for her
family's amusement, but she decided to devote her energy to dancing. After nine
years of ballet training in Spain's National Conservatory she was able to
continue her studies under the tutelage of a variety of prominent dancers. She
found her calling at the age of 15, after she defeated over 300 girls at an
audition for an agency that represented talent. The contract that resulted in
her being signed secured her roles in a variety of Spanish television shows as
well as music videos. This in turn set the stage for an acting career on the
big screen. Cruz was first seen in a movie with The Greek Labyrinth (1993).
(The Greek Labyrinth). After that, she appeared briefly in Framed (1992) by
Timothy Dalton. Her final film was an Oscar-winning film, Belle Epoque (1992),
in which she played one of the four sisters fighting for the affection of a
handsome army deserter. The film received numerous Goyas, Spanish equivalent of
Academy Awards. She continued adding films to her list of credits, growing by
three to four per year. Soon Cruz was the most sought-after actress 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). Her luck changed dramatically
in 1998 when her film industry comedy La Nina De Tus Ojos (1998) was awarded a
Best Actress Goya. Cruz has made a few other appearances in English-language
films but her first big international success was the film of Almodovar All
About My Mother (1999), in which she played an unchaste but very well-meaning
nun. The film was flooded with accolades and awards, Cruz was suddenly being
sought after on both sides of the Atlantic. The American comedy Woman on Top
(2001) is her next major film, follows an American chef with incredible
culinary skills as well as serious motion sickness. While she was in the US,
Comments
Post a Comment