For years, Hollywood tried to turn this Madrid-born beauty into a star (or at least, a star's girlfriend). But after a slew of big-budget flops (
All the Pretty Horses,
Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Sahara) Cruz finally made her breakthrough stateside in her native tongue, with her turn as a strong and sexy mama in the 2006 Spanish dramedy
Volver, her third collaboration with fellow countryman Pedro Almodóvar. Although U.S. audiences had long dismissed her as gamine window dressing, the director knew what Cruz was capable of from her spunky performances in his films
Live Flesh and
All About My Mother. Initially a dancer, Cruz was still a teen when she landed a pair of career-making roles in her homeland: a pregnant shop girl in the campy comedy
Jamón, Jamón and a hopeless romantic in
Belle Epoque. Throughout the '90s, Cruz worked consistently in Spain, but by the end of the decade she was ready to try her luck in the U.S. Unfortunately, she appeared in one bomb after another. Even her turn as a free-spirited looker in
Vanilla Sky—the 2001 remake of the 1999 Spanish film
Open Your Eyes, in which she played the same role—was a critical dud. Yet the film did thrust her into spotlight when she began dating costar Tom Cruise. For three years their relationship eclipsed her career, and when they split, her romance with her
Sahara costar Matthew McConaughey continued the trend. After her Hollywood struggles, the chance to work with Almodóvar again must have seemed like a career-saving grace. Indeed, her turn in
Volver deservedly earned her rave reviews and myriad accolades, including Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG nods. In 2008, the Academy honored Cruz when her fiesty role in Woody Allen's
Vicky Cristina Barcelona gained her the Best Supporting Actress trophy; and her star continued to rise with Globe and Oscar nominations for her sensual turn in the 2009 musical adaptation of the Broadway hit
Nine.
Penélope Cruz Fast Facts:
- Parents named her after the song "Penelope," by famed Spanish singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat.
- Studied ballet at Spain's Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
- Is expert at cutting and coloring hair, skills acquired in her mother's hairdressing salon.
- Volunteered at Mother Theresa's mission in Calcutta in the mid-1990s. Donated her salary from the film The Hi-Lo Country to the late nun's children's charity.
- Won a Goya, the Spanish Oscar, for the 1999 film The Girl of Your Dreams and Italy's highest film honor, the David di Donatello, for 2004's Don't Move.
- Penélope Cruz Relationships:
- Eduardo Cruz - Brother
- Eduardo Cruz - Father
- Encarna Sanchez - Mother
- Matthew McConaughey - Ex-significant Other
- Mónica Cruz - Sister
- Tom Cruise - Ex-significant Other
- Javier Bardem - Husband
- Leo - Son
- Salma - Half Sister
- Carmen Moreno - Stepmother
- Penélope Cruz Awards:
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2006 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2009 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 2008 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Winner
- 2010 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 2009 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 2008 BAFTA Awards: Best Supporting Actress - Winner
- 2006 BAFTA Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2006 Cannes Film Festival: Best Actress - Winner
- 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee