Penelope Cruz
Penelope Cruz Biography
Name : Penelope Cruz
Name At Birth : Penélope Cruz Sánchez
Date of Birth : 28 April 1974
Place of Birth : Madrid, Spain
Height : 5' 6''
Weight : 47Kg
Nickname : Pe
Eyes : Hazel
Hair : Brown
Father : Eduardo Cruz (auto mechanic)
Mother : Encarna Cruz (hairdresser manager)
Sister : Monica (professional flamenco dancer)
Brother : Eduardo Jr
Education : -Secondary Studies (dropped out) National Conservatory Madrid Spain (majored in Classical Ballet) Cristina Rota's School in Nueva York (4 years
Penelope Cruz Detailed Biography
Penelope Cruz was born on April 28, 1974 to Eduardo, a merchant and a hairdresser in Madrid, Spain. Penelope was one of three children, brother Eduardo and sister Mónica. She was named in memory of a Joan Manuel Serrat song.
Penelope attended High School, but didn't finish, choosing to concentrate more on ballet and jazz. She had ten years of classic ballet and three years of Spanish ballet. Her studies took her to four years of Theatre at Cristina Rota's school in New York.
She broke into acting in 1992. That year, she had starring roles in Jamón Jamón and Belle Epoque. Jamón Jamón (Ham Ham is the English title) cast her as the desperately poor daughter of a village prostitute, while Belle Epoque featured her as one of four lusty daughters of a wealthy man in pre-Franco Spain. Belle Epoque was a critical smash, winning nine Goya Awards, which is essentially the Spanish equivelant of the Oscars, and it did win an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. The success of this film thrust Cruz into the International spotlight, proving to be a huge stepping stone towards success.
It wasn't until 1998, however, that Cruz had her first starring role in an English language film. She played the Mexican-American love interest in Stephen Frears' The Hi-Lo Country. Cruz donated her entire salary from this film to Mother Theresa's charity. Later in the year, she had another English film in the romantic comedy Twice Upon a Yesterday.
She returned to Spain in 1999, to work again with Almodovar on Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother), a critically acclaimed film that landed in Cannes that year. She also began work on her biggest project to date, All the Pretty Horses, which costars Matt Damon. The movie debuted in the year 2000.
PENELOPE CRUZ FILMOGRAPHY
Suddenly, she's right there at the top of the Hollywood tree. First, she starred alongside Matt Damon in All The Pretty Horses, then Nicolas Cage in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, then Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky - directed by the hip and happening Cameron Crowe. Then she became famous beyond her dreams when, (apparently) after Vanilla Sky wrapped, she began a relationship with Cruise. She stares down too from posters for Ralph Lauren - second only to J.Lo in the Latin Love Goddess stakes. Yet though she's only in her mid-twenties, Cruz has a CV lengthier and far more gem-studded than most of her peers. Making movies since her mid-teens, she has hitherto appeared in thirty, including several Oscar-winners.
Passion India (2007)
Manolete (2007)
The Good Night (2007)
The Loop (2006)
Volver (2006)
Bandidas (2005)
Chromophobia (2005)
Sahara (2005)
Don't Move (2004)
Noel (2004)
Head in the Clouds (2004)
Gothika (2003)
Punk'd (TV series, one episode, as herself) (2003)
Fanfan la tulipe (2003)
Masked and Anonymous (2003)
Waking Up In Reno (2002)
Vanilla Sky (2002)
No News From God (2001)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
America: A Tribute to Heroes (TV) (2001)
Blow (2001)
All The Pretty Horses (2000)
Woman On Top (2000)
Volaverunt (1999)
All About My Mother (1999)
The Hi-Lo Country (1998)
The Girl Of Your Dreams (1998)
Twice Upon A Yesterday (1998)
Don Juan (1998)
Live Flesh (1997)
A Corner Of Paradise (1997)
Open Your Eyes (1997)
Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health (1996)
Talk Of Angels (1996)
Framed (1996)
Not Love, Just Frenzy (1996)
La Celestina (1996)
Brujas (1996)
The Butterfly Effect (1995)
Entre Rojas (1996)
It's All Lies (1994)
Allegre Ma Non Troppo (1994)
For Love, Only For Love (1993)
The Rebel (1993)
Jamon Jamon (1993)
La Belle Epoque (1992)
Framed (TV) (1992)
The Greek Labyrinth (1991)
La Quinta Marcha (host, TV series) (1990)
Sources : netglimse.com, tiscali.co.uk