Penelope Cruz Sanchez, born in April 28, 1974, better known as
Penelope Cruz all over world, is a Spanish actress. She made her acting debut at 16 on television, and her feature film debut the following year in
Jamón, jamón (1992), to critical acclaim. Her subsequent roles in the 1990s and 2000s included
Open Your Eyes (1997),
The Hi-Lo Country (1999),
The Girl of Your Dreams (2000) and
Woman on Top (2000). Cruz achieved recognition for her lead roles in
Vanilla Sky and
Blow.
She was the first Spanish actress in history to receive an Academy Award, and the sixth Spanish actor overall. Cruz has modeled for companies such as Mango, Ralph Lauren and L'Oréal. Cruz and her younger sister Mónica Cruz have designed items for Mango.
She has donated both her time and money to charities. Cruz has volunteered in Uganda and India, where she spent one week working for Mother Teresa; she donated her salary from The Hi-Lo Country to help fund the late nun's mission.