Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz(born April 28, 1974),is a Spanish actress. She gathered critical acclaim as a young actress for films such as Jamon, La Nina de tus ojos, and Belle epoque. She has also starred in several American films such as Blow, Vanilla Sky, and Bandidas. Cruz has been awarded three Goyas, two European Film Awards, the Golden Palm for Best Actress, and a BAFTA. In 2009, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Penelope Cruz first achieved fame when she appeared in La fuerza del destino for the Spanish synthpop group Mecano. She later started a relationship with Nacho Cano, a member of the group. A TV presenter for the teen-oriented program La Quinta Marcha, she also had early exposure in Série Rose, an erotic French TV serial. In one episode she played the role of a blind prostitute and in another played a young noblewoman pretending to be a young nobleman in a comedy of errors. She also directed Nacho Cano's video of "El waltz de los locos", in 1994.

For Penelope Cruz, the early 2000s were a period of mediocre reviews and mixed commercial success. In late 2001, she appeared in the film Vanilla Sky, the Hollywood remake of Abre los ojos. In 2006, she co-starred with her best friend, Salma Hayek, in the film Bandidas. That same year, Cruz received highly favourable reviews for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver. She shared a Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival with five of her co-stars, and was nominated for the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role. The latter of these nominations made her the first Spanish actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In May 2007, it was announced that Penelope and her sister Mónica would be designing a 25-piece collection for the Barcelona-based fashion chain, Mango. On July 7, 2007, Cruz presented at Live Earth. In late 2007, she starred in the Jaume de Laiguana-directed video for her brother's first single, named "Cosas que contar", along with her friend Mía Maestro and her sister Mónica. Cruz had previously shown a keen interest in fashion and is a model for L'Oreal and its "Telescopic" mascara. In July 2007, the British Advertising Standards Authority rapped L'Oréal for a television advert on its “Telescopic” mascara, featuring Penélope Cruz, for failing to state that the model was wearing false eyelashes.

In 2008, she starred in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona as Mariia Elena, Javier Bardem's mentally-unstable ex-wife. Her performance has received much praise, and many critics also predicted she might get an Oscar for the role. On January 22nd, 2009, she indeed received a nomination and subsequently won for Best Supporting Actress, making her the only Spanish Oscar nominee of 2008 and the second Spanish actor to win an Academy Award.