Penelope Cruz is the only Spanish actress who has managed to stabilize and work continuously in the Anglophone cinema. It is also occasional singer . In 2006 was the first Spanish actress nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe Awards for Best Leading Actress, for her role in the Spanish film Volver, directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar , this time did not get the Oscar, but in 2008 became the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar as best supporting actress by the film Vicky Cristina Barcelona directed by Woody Allen. this film also won the BAFTA Award and his third Goya, and was nominated for Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Award .
Penelope was again nominated for an Oscar as best supporting actress in 2009 for her role in Nine.
Penelope Cruz was born in a family of Alcobendas (Madrid), formed by Eduardo Cruz, a trader who worked at a car dealer and from Alconchel (Extremadura), and Encarnacion Sanchez, an Andalusian who ran a hair salon. Its name derives from a favorite song of his parents, "Penelope", composed and performed by Joan Manuel Serrat. It is larger than her two brothers: Monica Cruz, actress (television) and Eduardo Cruz (singer). It also has another sister, Salma, born in 2012, the result of his father's relationship with his current partner Carmen Moreno.
