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 as well as myriad accolades, including Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG nods.
Penelope 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.
- Volunteered at Mother Theresa's mission in Calcutta in the mid-'90s. Donated her salary from the film The Hi-Lo Country (1998) to the late nun's children's charity.
- Won a Goya Award (the Spanish Oscar) for the 1999 dramedy The Girl of Your Dreams.
- Earned Italy's highest film honor, the David di Donatello, for 2004 drama Don't Move.
- Is an expert at cutting and coloring hair, having learned both in her mother's beauty salon.
- Penelope Cruz Relationships:
- Eduardo Cruz - Brother
- Eduardo Cruz - Father
- Encarna Sanchez - Mother
- Javier Bardem - Significant Other
- Matthew McConaughey - Ex-significant Other
- Mónica Cruz - Sister
- Tom Cruise - Ex-significant Other
- Penelope 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
