Penelope Cruz has become Hollywood’s most renowned Spanish Actress. During her acting career, she has dipped her feet into international and domestic feature length films and proven herself through a handful of impressive acting performances.
Born and raised in the Alcobendas Community of Madrid Spain, Cruz, the eldest of three siblings, has stated that she had a happy childhood and was raised in a good family.Before giving acting a shot, she trained in classical ballet at Cristina Rota’s New York school. Although Cruz would ultimately end up doing
Before giving acting a shot, she trained in classical ballet at Cristina Rota’s New York school. Although Cruz would ultimately end up doing film, ballet instilled in her a discipline that would be important in her future acting career.When Cruz was a teenager, she began having an interest in acting after seeing the film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. She began doing casting calls for an agent but was rejected multiple times because the agent felt that she was too young.
When Cruz was a teenager, she began having an interest in acting after seeing the film Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. She began doing casting calls for an agent but was rejected multiple times because the agent felt that she was too young.
After appearing in scattered roles in Spanish television, Cruz made her feature film debut at age seventeen as the lead female role in the comedy drama art house film Jamón, jamón. The film received broadly favorable reviews, and Cruz was nominated for a Spanish Actors Union Newcomer Award and a Goya Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.
For the next few years, Cruz starred in Spanish and Italian films before making the leap to Hollywood in 1997 with the film T he Hi-Lo Country. Although the film was received poorly at the box office, Cruz still garnered a nomination for the ALMA Award for Best Actress.
The year 2001 marked a turning point when Cruz starred in the feature films Vanilla Sky and Blow. Both films were the first time audiences were introduced to Cruz as a full-length feature film actress. It initiated her into Hollywood as a household name and would lead to bigger roles in the future.
Over the next decade, Cruz starred in a variety of major roles, but none bigger than her role in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver. For her performance as the lead character, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role. She was the first Spanish Actress to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress with this performance. The next year she took her efforts one step further and ended up winning the first academy award ever by a Spanish Actress in a leading role for her performance in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The victory cemented her place in history, and broke a big boundary in Hollywood Cinema
The victory cemented her place in history, and broke a big boundary in Hollywood Cinema
In addition to her superb acting career, Cruz had been consistently ranked as one of the most beautiful women in the world. Under the category of the most sought-after body shape, Penélope Cruz, known for her voluptuous figure, was voted as having the top body.
FILM BY LAURA CRUMBLIN
EDITED BY MICHAEL GIGANTE
