Penelope Cruz Biography

Biography One of Spain's foremost leading ladies of the 1990s, Penelope Cruz has managed to make her mark with international audiences as well. Born in Madrid on April 28, 1974, Cruz was one of three children of a merchant and a hairdresser. After years of intensive study in ballet and jazz, she broke into acting in 1992. That year, she had starring roles in Jamón Jamón and Belle Epoque, two very disparate films. The former cast her as the desperately poor daughter of a village prostitute, while the latter featured her as one of four lusty daughters of a wealthy man in pre-Franco Spain. Belle Epoque proved to be a huge success, winning nine Goya Awards (the Spanish equivalent of an Academy Award) and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Its success gave Cruz a dose of international recognition, and after starring in a number of Spanish films, she enhanced this recognition in 1997 with the Sundance entry Abre los Ojos. That same year, she had a brief but memorable role in Pedro Almodóvar's Carne Trémula. In 1998, Cruz had her first starring role in an English language film, playing Billy Crudup's Mexican-American love interest in Stephen Frears' The Hi-Lo Country. She had another go at English later that year in the Spanish-British romantic comedy Twice Upon a Yesterday, which cast her as a Spanish barmaid living in London. In 1999, she returned to Spain to collaborate once again with Almodóvar on Todo Sobre Mi Madre, a wildly acclaimed film that premiered at Cannes that year. The next two years would prove to be a critical turning point in both Cruz's personal and professional life, with increasingly visible roles in large-scale Hollywood productions as well as a developing relationship with one Tinseltown's most popular leading men. Gaining notice for her roles in All the Pretty Horses in 2000 and Blow the following year, it appeared as if Cruz's career had suddenly kicked into overdrive. After starring alongside Nicholas Cage in Captain Corelli's Mandolin in 2001, Cruz dove back into familiar territory with director Cameron Crowe's re-make of Abre Los Ojos, Vanilla Sky (2001). Developing a close relationship with lead Tom Cruise as his much publicized break-up with Nichole Kidman drew to a close, the pair soon found themselves the center of considerable speculation as rumors flew and they soon became Hollywood's hottest new couple. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide Here is her Filmography 1. Head in the Clouds (2003) .... Mia 2. Fanfan la tulipe (2003) .... Adeline La Franchise 3. Masked & Anonymous (2003) .... Pagan Lace 4. Waking Up in Reno (2002) .... Brenda (Spanish Woman) 5. Vanilla Sky (2001) .... Sofia Serrano 6. Sin noticias de Dios (2001) .... Carmen Ramos... aka Bendito infierno (2001) (Mexico) (Spain) ... aka Nessuna notizia da Dio (2001) (Italy) ... aka No News From God (2002) (USA) ... aka Without News of God (2002) (USA) 7. America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Herself 8. Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) .... Pelagia (The Greeks)... aka Capitaine Corelli (2001) (France) 9. Blow (2001) .... Mirtha Jung 10. 73rd Annual Academy Awards, The (2001) (TV)(uncredited) .... Herself 11. All the Pretty Horses (2000) .... Alejandra de la Rocha 12. Woman on Top (2000) .... Isabella Oliveira 13. Volavérunt (1999) .... Pepita Tudó... aka Volavérunt (1999) (France) ... aka Volavérunt: La maja desnuda (1999) (Spain) 14. Todo sobre mi madre (1999) .... Sister Rosa... aka All About My Mother (1999) (Europe: English title) (USA) ... aka Tout sur ma mère (1999) (France) 15. Hi-Lo Country, The (1998) .... Josepha O'Neil... aka Hi-Lo Country - Im Land der letzten Cowboys (1999) (Germany: TV title) 16. Niña de tus ojos, La (1998) .... Macarena... aka Girl of Your Dreams, The (1998) 17. Talk of Angels (1998) .... Pilar 18. Man with Rain in His Shoes, The (1998) .... Louise... aka If Only... (1998) (Australia) (France) (UK: video box title) ... aka Lieber gestern als nie (1999) (Germany) ... aka Lluvia en los zapatos (1999) (Spain) ... aka Twice Upon a Yesterday (1999) (USA) 19. Don Juan (1998) .... Mathurine... aka Don Juan (1998) (Spain) 20. Abre los ojos (1997) .... Sofía... aka Apri gli occhi (1998) (Italy) ... aka Open Your Eyes (1999) (USA) ... aka Ouvre les yeux (1998) (France) 21. Carne trémula (1997)(as Penelope Cruz) .... Isabel... aka En chair et en os (1997) (France) ... aka Live Flesh (1997) (USA) 22. Hjørne af paradis, Et (1997) .... Doña Helena... aka Corner of Paradise, A (1997) (USA) ... aka Doft av paradiset, En (1999) (Sweden) ... aka Rincón en el paraíso, Un (1997) (Costa Rica) 23. Amor perjudica seriamente la salud, El (1996) .... Diana (30 años más joven)... aka Amour nuit gravement à la santé, L' (1998) (France) ... aka Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health (1996) ... aka Love Causes Serious Harm to Your Health (1996) 24. Más que amor, frenesí (1996) ... aka Not Love, Just Frenzy (1996) 25. Celestina, La (1996) .... Melibea 26. Brujas (1996/I) .... Patricia 27. Entre rojas (1994) .... Lucía 28. Todo es mentira (1994) .... Lucía... aka It's All Lies (1994) ... aka Life's a Bitch (1994) 29. Alegre ma non troppo (1994) .... Salomé 30. Per amore, solo per amore (1993) .... Mary... aka For Love, Only for Love (1993) 31. Ribelle, La (1993) .... Enza... aka Rebel, The (1993) 32. Jamón, jamón (1992) .... Silvia... aka Ham Ham (1992) ... aka Salami, Salami (1992) ... aka Tale of Ham and Passion, A (1994) (USA: video title) 33. Belle époque (1992) .... Luz... aka Age of Beauty, The (1992) 34. Framed (1992) (TV)(as Penelope Cruz Sánchez) .... Lola Del Moreno 35. Laberinto griego, El (1991) .... Elise... aka Greek Labyrinth, The (1991) But here are the movies that are revealing 1. All the Pretty Horses (2000) 2. Woman on Top (1999) 3. Open Your Eyes (1997) 4. Jamón, jamón (1992) 5. BLOW 6. Captain Corelli's Mandolin 7. Vanilla Sky