Date of Birth: Sunday, April 28, 1974

Place of Birth: Madrid, Spain

Height: 5'6

Penelope Cruz was born in Madrid, Spain to Eduardo Cruz, a merchant and and Encarna, a hairdresser. Her name came after an inspiration from Joan Manuel Serrat song.

Penelope did not complete her high school studies, chosing instead to focus upon ballet and jazz. She has ten years of classic ballet and three years of Spanish ballet experience. She also attended Cristina Rota's school in New York for four years.

Penelope Cruz started her career when she landed a role in Jamón Jamón and the Oscar-winning Belle Epoque. Her roles have varied for playing the poor daughter of a village prostitute, to a lusty daughter of a wealthy man in pre-Franco Spain. Belle Epoque was a critical hit, winning nine Goya Awards and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

In 1998, Penelope starred in her first English language film. She played the Mexican-American love interest in Stephen Frears' The Hi-Lo Country. All of the money she made from this film was donated to Mother Theresa's charity after spending a week there volunteering.

Cruz's other movies including Vanilla Sky alongside Tom Cruise, Gothika and Head in the Clouds.

Get more info on Penelope Cruz