Penelope Cruz Biography
The Spanish Enchantress

I first saw Penelope Cruz on her movie "Women on Top" way back in 2000 and was immediately captivated by the Spanish enchantress. She would not be called by that name outside of Spain for nothing.

With her pretty face and voluptuous body, it would not be hard to understand why two of the sexiest man alive (Tom Cruise and Mathew McConaughey) fell head over heels for the award winning actress

She is the first Spanish actress to bag the prestigious Oscars in 2009 for the movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" where she played the role of a mentally unstable woman.

Growing up Penelope was surrounded by expressive art. She studied classical ballet at Spain's National Conservatory for almost a decade. But it was after seeing Pedro Almodovar's film "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down" in 1990 when she started to be interested in acting.

The acting career of Penelope Cruz Sanchez, her real name, started at the age of 15. "Jamón, jamón" directed by Bigas Luna (1992), a movie that was critically acclaimed, is her feature film debut. From then on there was no stopping her as Penelope Cruz movies were on a yearly production.

Her other two Oscar winning movies for Best Foreign Language Films were 1999's "All About My Mother" and 1992's "Belle Epoque."

2001 is perhaps the turning point of her career as she was able to achieve recognition worldwide as she played the lead roles in the movies "Vanilla Sky" and "Blow." Both of these films were favorable at the box office.

Many more movies followed, but she achieves international recognition only in 2006 after playing Maria Alvarez in the film "Bandidas" alongside Salma Hayek.

The Spanish Enchantress is also a sex symbol. Penelope Cruz pictures were widespread on almost every major magazine publications worldwide as she became the endorser of famous brands like Ralph Lauren, Mango and the cosmetics line L' Oreal.

Many magazines were publishing articles or a mini Penelope Cruz biography even before she won an Oscar. She is a star worth following because of her charity works. She has a pretty heart as well. In fact, she was able to help Mother Teresa for a week and donated her earnings from the movie "The Hi-Lo Country" (1999) to support and help fund the saint's mission.

Her work assisting in a leprosy clinic with Mother Teresa inspired her to help open a foundation for homeless girls in India

Acting and photo shooting are not the only activities that keep her busy as she also owns a clothing store located in Madrid called Amarcord.

She is a versatile woman. She also designs a jewelry line as well as handbags for the Japanese retail chain Samantha Thavasa.

With her younger sister Monica she designed a clothing line for Mango as well. Besides fashion, acting and dancing she is able to speak four languages which are Spanish, English Italian and French. This Penelope Cruz biography gives just a small window into the life of this Hispanic actress that for sure will keep achieving many successes.