PENELOPE CRUZ BIOGRAPHY

Born: 28 April 1974
Where: Madrid, Spain
Awards: 1 Oscar, 1 BAFTA ,1 Golden Globe nomination
Height: 5' 6"

By 2002, Penelope Cruz had become one of the most famous actresses in the world. Aside from her cinematic output, she stared down from Ralph Lauren posters everywhere, and there was the small matter of a relationship with Tom Cruise, then daily tabloid fodder following his split from Nicole Kidman. Unfortunately for Cruz, everyone knew who she was, but few knew what she did. Her huge success in Europe, where she'd appeared in two movies awarded Oscars as Best Foreign Language film and a slew of other notable productions, had passed most people by. To them, she was simply Tom's latest glamorous squeeze. So, having toiled to achieve Hollywood success (not easy for a non-English speaker), then been totally overshadowed by her illustrious partner, 2004's split from Cruise would see Penelope battling to maintain her position and win the respect she should have already received. The road had not been long - she was still only 30 - but it had been bumpy, indeed.

She was born Penelope Cruz Sanchez in Madrid on the 28th of April, 1974, her first name being inspired by a song by Joan Manuel Serrat. Her father Eduardo was a retailer, her mother, Encarna, a hairdresser, the family living in the working-class suburb of Alcobendas, about five kilometres north of Madrid. She has one younger sister, Monica, a professional flamenco dancer and TV star (she'd break through in Un Paso Adelante in 2002), and one brother, also younger, named after his father. Penelope was a natural performer, mimicking TV ads as soon as she could walk but, from the age of 4, it was dance that captured her imagination and dominated her life. She spent 9 years studying classical dance at Spain's National Conservatory, including three years of ballet with Angela Garrido, and a period of jazz dance with Raul Caballero. There were also four years of courses with Cristina Rota in New York City. Dropping out of secondary education early, at 15 she beat off the 300-strong competition at an agency audition and became a part-time fashion model. Pursuing drama studies in Madrid, she also appeared in music videos, one being for the popular band Mecano with whose singer, Nacho Cano, she'd have a relationship till 1996.