Penelope Cruz - 80th Annual Academy Awards

Penelope Cruz Profile

Name: Penelope Cruz

Birth Name - Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Born - April 28, 1974, Madrid, Spain

Height - 5' 5½''

Nationality - Spanish

Profession - Actress, Model

Relationship - Matthew McConaughey (actor; November 4, 1969; dating since summer 2004, met while filming Sahara; broke up in May 2006), Tom Cruise (actor; dated 2001-January 2004)

Father - Eduardo Cruz (auto mechanic)

Mother - Encarna Cruz (hairdresser, manager)

Sister - Monica Cruz (professional flamenco dancer; TV star; born in 1977)

Brother - Eduardo Jr (born in 1985)

Claim to fame - As Alejandra in All the Pretty Horses (2000)

Penelope Cruz Biography

Penelope Cruz Sanchez (born April 28, 1974, in Madrid), better known as Penelope Cruz, is a Golden Globe- and Academy Award-nominated Spanish actress. Originally a dancer, she soon moved into Spanish television, and since then she has appeared in a string of films in Spanish, English, French and Italian.

Cruz was born in San Sebastian de los Reyes, Madrid, Spain. Her parents are Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sanchez, a hairdresser. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to focus her energies on dance.

After studying classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. At 15, however, she followed another calling after she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition.

She received three years of Spanish Ballet training with Angela Garrido. She also had jazz dance training with Raúl Caballero and she studied at Cristina Rota (mother of Juan Diego Botto) school in Madrid. She speaks Spanish, English, French, and Italian fluently.