Penélope Cruz

Aunt of Antonella Cruz Sánchez (born May 14, 2013), via sister Mónica Cruz.

Half-sister of Salma Cruz Moreno (born February 24, 2012) via her father Eduardo Cruz and his 2nd wife, Carmen Moreno.

Was originally cast as Justine in Melancholia (2011), but dropped out before filming began in order to pursue Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011). As a result Kirsten Dunst was cast instead.

She and husband Javier Bardem are huge fans of Glee (2009).

Ranked #82 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2008 list.

Ranked #58 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women of 2007 list.

Named #72 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement.

Was accompanied by Matthew McConaughey to the Grammy Awards in 2005. The couple met on the set of Sahara (2005).

Was in a relationship with Tom Cruise (July 2001-January 2004).

Speaks three languages: Spanish, Italian and English. Despite common misconception, she can't speak French. She hired a dialect coach to help her in the French film Fanfan (2003) and learned her lines phonetically. She also needs the help of a translator when she is promoting a film on French television.

Her sister Mónica Cruz is now a television star in Spain. She starred in Un paso adelante (2002) as a young dancer with a famous aunt.

While in the US, she also signed up to star opposite Johnny Depp in the drug-trafficking drama Blow (2001) and opposite Matt Damon in Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses (2000). Cruz says she's wary of being typecast as a beautiful young damsel, but it's hard to imagine disguising her wide-eyed charms and generous nature.

Her next big project was Woman on Top (2000), an American comedy about a chef with bewitching culinary skills and a severe case of motion sickness.

Cruz made a few more forays into English-language film, but her first big international hit was Almodóvar's All About My Mother (1999), in which she played an unchaste but well-meaning nun. As the film was showered with awards and accolades, Cruz suddenly found herself in demand on both sides of the Atlantic.

Her luck finally changed in 1998, when the movie-industry comedy La niña de tus ojos (1998) won her a Best Actress Goya.

Live Flesh (1997) (Live Flesh) offered her the chance to work with renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (who would later be her ticket to international fame), and the same year she was the lead actress in the thriller/drama/mystery/sci-fi film Open Your Eyes (1997), a huge hit in Spain that earned eight Goyas (though none for Cruz).

Known outside her native country as the "Spanish enchantress", Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Madrid to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to focus her energies on dance. After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. At 15, however, she heeded her true calling when she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition. The resulting contract landed her several roles in Spanish TV shows and music videos, which in turn paved the way for a career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut in El laberinto griego (1993) (The Greek Labyrinth), then appeared briefly in the Timothy Dalton thriller Framed (1992).

Her third film was the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque (1992), in which she played one of four sisters vying for the love of a handsome army deserter. The film also garnered several Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. Her resume continued to grow by three or four films each year, and soon Cruz was a leading lady of Spanish cinema.

Two of her ex-boyfriends have been named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine: Tom Cruise (in 1990) and Matthew McConaughey (in 2005).

Claims that Victoria Abril's powerful performance in Pedro Almodóvar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989) made her want to become an actress.

Older sister of singer Eduardo Cruz (born 1986) and actress Mónica Cruz (born March 16, 1977).