"Pe," as she is nicknamed, may not have her high school diploma, but she is very much educated. Before making the transition to acting, Penelope had completed nine years of classical ballet training, three years of Spanish ballet training and four years of theater at Cristina Rota's New York school.
Penelope Cruz's her big break in Spanish film came in 1992's Jamon, jamon. 1992 also witnessed her first foray onto international screens, with her role in Belle epoque -- a massive success that garnered eight Goya Awards (Spanish Oscars), as well as an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It was with Belle epoque that Penelope's star power received its first worldwide exposure.
After starring in other Spanish films such as Alegre ma non troppo (1994) and La Celestina (1996), Penelope resurfaced in America again in Abre los ojos (a.k.a. Open Your Eyes), which screened at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. Penelope took on a few English-language films in the late '90s, but it was a production from her native land that finally launched her into the spotlight.
Pedro Almodvar's Todo sobre mi madre (a.k.a. All About My Mother) (1999) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews, then went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Penelope stood out in this project as a pregnant nun, and shortly thereafter made her American film debut, Woman on Top (2000).
Next Penelope starred alongside Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses (2000). This movie flopped, but that didn't hinder Penelope's rise to fame.
2001's Blow, starring Johnny Depp, wasn't a commercial hit, but both projects gave Penelope the visibility she needed at the time. 2001's Captain Corelli's Mandolin was panned by critics, but it was her role in Vanilla Sky that same year that catapulted her into the spotlight.
Vanilla Sky was an American adaptation of 1997's Abre los ojos, and while Penelope played the same character, Tom Cruise replaced the Spanish leading man. By the time the film was released, word had spread that Tom and Penelope were an item, hot off the heels of Tom's separation from Nicole Kidman.
2003 saw Penelope alongside Halle Berry in Gothika and a host of talent that should have known better in Bob Dylan's vanity-disaster, Masked and Anonymous.
In 2004, Penelope took on roles in Chazz Palminteri's Noel and with Charlize Theron in Head in the Clouds. She was also cast opposite Matthew McConaughey (one of her many co-stars turned boyfriends) in Sahara (2005).
In 2005, she can add Chromophobia, Bandidas (with Salma Hayek) and Tu vida en 65 minutos to her resume. She was also cast in Pedro Almodvar's Volver (2006).
Extremely active in social causes, Penelope has volunteered for NGOs overseas and donated her proceedings from certain films to charities. She also likes to keep stray cats.
On the romantic front, Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz broke up in March 2004.
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