Penélope Cruz she has been loved by everyone in the world of cinema: audience, directors and colleagues. Among the latter he has even found love several times by undertaking affairs with Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey and finally with Javier Bardem with whom he built his family.
So let’s discover the path that led her to become one of the greatest actresses on the scene.
Who is Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez, known as Penélope Cruz (Alcobendas, April 28, 1974), is a Spanish actress and model. He grew up near Madrid with his father a merchant, his mother running a hairdressing shop and his younger brothers. All three they find their way through art from an early age.
Penélope starts studying ballet since childhood, he also prepares for the National Conservatory of Spain. During adolescence he is intrigued by the world of acting and so he begins to attend Cristina Rota’s school of dramatic art. Before getting jobs as an actress works briefly as a model and then debuted on the big screen in 1992 with “Prosciutto prosciutto” with which she was nominated for the Goya Award for Best Actress.
Already with the first roles demonstrates versatility juggling more or less sensual characters, but always with skill and professionalism.
Among the very first lucky hits he also remembers “Belle Epoque” which turns out to be the winner of the Academy Award for best foreign film.
Who is Penélope Cruz: the first projects
Before he gets parts in the US he has a chance to experiment with some projects in Spain and Italy including “Carne trémula” by Pedro Almodóvar and “La rebelle” by Aurelio Grimaldi. He later gets his first role in an American film entitled “Hi-Lo Country”. To guarantee her a good reputation, however, is “All about my mother” which allows her to get important roles alongside well-known actors such as Johnny Depp in “Blow”.
This is followed by a series of projects not always appreciated by critics or the public, but noteworthy, including “Gioco di donna” and “Sahara” alongside Matthew McConaughey. In the meantime she works on some projects in Europe that allow her to win the the continent’s most contested awards. With “Don’t move” by Sergio Castellitto wins the David di Donatello as best actress and with “Volver” by Pedro Almodóvar gets the award for best female performer at the Cannes Film Festival.
Who is Penélope Cruz: the Academy Award and success
In 2008 he won the Oscar Prize Best Supporting Actress in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” project. Her collaborations with directors inevitably repeat themselves, in fact Allen chooses her again for “To Rome with Love” and Castellitto calls her to adapt a new novel by Margaret Mazzantini entitled “Came to the world”.
In the following decade the film projects increase and in fact Penelope is the protagonist of projects such as “Escobar – The charm of evil”, a film presented at the Venice Film Festival, but also the well-known “Murder on the Orient Express”, “Everyone knows it” and “Dolor y gloria” who continue to see her at European film events with great success.