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Biography

Penelope Cruz (born Penelope Cruz Sanchez, 28.4.1974)
Penelope Cruz is a Spanish actress who has successfully made the transition into mainstream Hollywood films.

Childhood: Penelope Cruz was born to Encarna Sanchez and Eduado Sanchez in Madrid, in Spain. She would perform re-enactments of TV commercials as a child, for her family's amusement. Cruz studied Spanish Ballet for three years, as well as learning jazz dance at Cristina Rota's school in Madrid.

At the age of 15, Penelope Cruz beat 300 other girls at a talent audition. It was at this point that she decided to focus more on acting.

Career: Penelope Cruz first hit the limelight when she appeared in a pop video for the Spanish pop group La Mecano. She also worked as a presenter on the teen programme La Quinita Marcha, as well as appearances in the French erotic series Serie Rose.

Cruz's debut film appearance came in Jamon, Jamon, a Spanish comedy, also starring Javier Bardem. She then starred in Belle Époque, which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1997, Cruz then appeared in Open Your Eyes, alongside Eduardo Noriega.

The first film in a lengthy working relationship with the director Pedro Almodovar came in 1999, when she appeared in All About My Mother (another Academy Award winner). The following year, she starred alongside Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses. This was followed, in 2001, with a performance in Vanilla Sky, alongside Tom Cruise. The film was a remake of Open Your Eyes.

Having already mastered three languages (Spanish, English and French), Penelope Cruz learned Italian so that she could star in Don't Move, earning herself a David di Donatello award (the Italian Oscars).

2006 saw Cruz star in Bandidas with Salma Hayek, followed by a highly revered performance in Pedro Almodovar's Volver, which landed her an Oscar nomination, making her the first Spanish actress to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award.

Two years later, Penelope Cruz starred with Ben Kingsley in Isabel Coixet's Elegy, an English-speaking role that earned her a lot of praise. That year, she also starred in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, a Woody Allen film, with Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson. Penelope Cruz won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first Spanish actress to win the award. In 2009, Cruz worked with Almodovar once again, in Los Abrazos Rotos, along with Rossy de Palma and Blanca Portillo.

Personal Life: Penelope Cruz dated Tom Cruise for three years after they starred in Vanilla Sky together. She then dated Matthew McConaughey, after appearing in Sahara together in 2005. In 2007, she started dating Javier Bardem.

Cruz and Bardem shocked celebrity news sites everywhere when they married in a secret wedding ceremony in 2010.

Biography by Contactmusic.com

Hugh Grant And Penelope Cruz Chat At Playgroup Gates

By Charlotte Court in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 14 November 2018

Hugh Grant Penelope Cruz

The father of five young children described his life as 'chaotic'

Having remained childfree for 51 years, British actor Hugh Grant has caught up in earnest in the intervening seven and is now a father to five children - and has described his family life as 'chaotic'. Giving a rare insight into his new life as dad of many, Grant revealed he sees fellow A-Lister, actress Penelope Cruz, at playgroup where their children 'try to kill each other'.

Hugh Grant and Anna Eberstein Hugh Grant is friends with Penelope Cruz at the playground

Speaking during the promotional tour of A Very English Scandal, the 58-year-old described a life very far removed from that of his childfree bachelor days.

Continue reading: Hugh Grant And Penelope Cruz Chat At Playgroup Gates

Murder On The Orient Express Review

Very Good

The latest adaptation of Agatha Christie's 83-year-old classic whodunit, this lavish, star-studded film is old-style entertainment. Director-star Kenneth Branagh lets the story unfold with attention to detail while filling the screen with eye-catching images, from the spectacular mountain settings to the opulent costumes. And while the story is too familiar to stir up too much suspense, it's played with a strong sense of emotional resonance. And the moral question is provocative.

The Orient Express sets off from 1934 Istanbul with a colourful collection of passengers. A last-minute addition is noted detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh), who has just solved a thorny mystery in Jerusalem and is now heading to London. Even though he shouldn't be working, he begins to weigh up the odd collection of passengers around him, including a gangster (Johnny Depp), countess (Judi Dench), widow (Michelle Pfeiffer), governess (Daisy Ridley), maid (Olivia Colman), salesman (Wille Dafoe), assistant (Josh Gad), butler (Derek Jacobi) and doctor (Leslie Odom Jr.). Then in the middle of the night, one of them is violently murdered. And when the train becomes lodged in a snowdrift, Poirot has the time to dig further into each person's clearly suspicious back-story.

Continue reading: Murder On The Orient Express Review

Zoolander 2 - Relax Trailer

Though Derek and Hansel have left the world of fashion modelling behind them, a part of both of them still has the wish to return to the stage and once again be crowned as the king of the runway. When some of the world's most famous celebrities are found murdered (all of whom have died pulling Derek's trademark Blue Steel pout) Interpol decide to recruit the two fashion veterans in a bid to infiltrate the current world of modelling - an industry that's evolved beyond the one they were originally accustom to.

Continue: Zoolander 2 - Relax Trailer

Penelope Cruz - Goya Cinema Awards 2016 at Madrid Marriott Auditorium - Arrivals - Madrid, Spain - Saturday 6th February 2016

Penelope Cruz - Zoolander No. 2 Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square in London, England. 4th February 2016. - London, United Kingdom - Friday 5th February 2016

Penelope Cruz - 'Zoolander No 2' UK Premiere held at the Empire Leicester Square - Arrivals. at Empire Leicester Square - London, United Kingdom - Thursday 4th February 2016

Grimsby Trailer

Nobby is a good ol' northern lad who loves nothing more than spending time with his family and mates down at the local pub but there's something missing from his life - his brother. When Nobby and his brother were young boys, they were separated and the two haven't seen one another since.

Being separated for so many years has led the two grown men down very different lives. Nobby has multiple children and lives with the love of his life whilst his brother, Sebastian is a loner who doesn't have a personal life at the cost of his job, a professional spy.

When Nobby manages to track down his brother, the two are reunited and it instantly leads to Noddy making costly mistakes for his brother. The spy's mission is ruined and he must go into hiding and re-evaluated his plan. Ever the thinker, Noddy comes up with the perfect place for Sebastian to lay low. Grimsby - the boys home town.

Continue: Grimsby Trailer

Grimsby - Red Band Teaser Trailer

Nobby and Sebastian are long lost brothers who live completely different lives. Sebastian is a highly skilled MI6 assassin whilst his brother, Norman Grimsby - affectionately known as Nobby - leads a much simpler life.

Football loving Nobby lives in North England with the love of his life Lindsey and their eleven children. Their life is good and they're all very happy together - yet Nobby longs to reconnect with his brother. When Nobby's search finally returns a positive result, he doesn't realise how much danger he's putting both himself and his brother in.

The brothers are finally reunited but unbeknownst to Nobby, Sebastian has exposed a deadly plot that could scale to a global disaster. With both brothers on the run, Nobby must put some of his northern traits to one side and help his brother protect the world.

Continue: Grimsby - Red Band Teaser Trailer

Zoolander 2 - Teaser Trailer

After a disastrous return to the fashion industry following his retirement, which almost ended in the death of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Derek Zoolander is once again ready to make a comeback. This time he has his former rival turned best friend Hansel by his side, and a better reputation after he exposed the evil behind the fashion industry and went on to work with children. Life may be good; he has a wife and son, and a bucket load of runway talent; but things are about to get messy once again. Derek and Hansel aren't as relevent as they used to be in the industry, and their careers face series threats when it becomes clear that a rival organisation is planning to take down their new modelling agency. Can the duo save the day once again? Or will they be forced to give up the strut for good?

Continue: Zoolander 2 - Teaser Trailer

First 'Zoolander 2' Trailer Leaks Online And Shows Us Inside Derek's Brain

By Stephanie Chase in Movies / TV / Theatre on 02 August 2015

Ben Stiller Owen Wilson Christine Taylor Justin Bieber Penelope Cruz

The sequel to the 2001comedy is due out in February.

The first teaser trailer for Zoolander 2 has leaked online and let’s just say it’s really, really good-looking. In the two minute clip we're taken on a dark journey inside the mind of male model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) who also poses one of life’s greatest questions, “If God exists, then why did he make ugly people?”

Ben Stiller is reprising his role as the male model in Zoolander 2.

The trailer is narrated by a Stephen Hawking-esque voiceover who charts the history of the universe and mankind, before going deep inside the brain of Derek. Inside the model’s mind there many special nods to the first film for fans to look out for including a wind-up toy monkey, a mer-man and a dictionary definition of ‘eugoogly’.

Continue reading: First 'Zoolander 2' Trailer Leaks Online And Shows Us Inside Derek's Brain

Penelope Cruz Set To Join Ben Stiller In 'Zoolander 2'

By Elinor Cosgrave in Movies / TV / Theatre on 22 November 2014

Penelope Cruz Ben Stiller Owen Wilson Will Ferrell Justin Theroux Alexander Skarsgard

Penelope Cruz is reportedly in talks to star in 'Zoolander 2'.

Penelope Cruz is reportedly set to star in Zoolander 2. The 40-year-old actress will join Ben Stiller in the sequel to the hit comedy.

Penelope Cruz at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March.

Continue reading: Penelope Cruz Set To Join Ben Stiller In 'Zoolander 2'

Esquire Magazine Name Penelope Cruz 2014's 'Sexiest Woman Alive'

By Nick Hill in Movies / TV / Theatre on 13 October 2014

Penelope Cruz

The Spanish actress is the 11th starlet to earn the accolade, previous winners include Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Rihanna, Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson.

Despite the fact that Penelope Cruz turned 40 years-old in April and is a mother of two children, whom she shares with husband Javier Bardem, the veteran actress still remains one of Hollywood's most beautiful women.

Penelope Cruz
Cruz has been named Esquire magazine's 2014 "Sexiest Woman Alive"

However, Esquire thinks Cruz's beauty deserves to be recognized on a global scale, therefore the magazine has named her 2014's "Sexiest Woman Alive." The Spanish star is the 11th female to earn the accolade, previous winners include Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Rihanna, Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson.

Continue reading: Esquire Magazine Name Penelope Cruz 2014's 'Sexiest Woman Alive'

Ryan Kavanaugh Joins In With Criticism Against Cruz, Bardem Over Pro-Palestine Stance

By Victoria Pavlova in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 05 August 2014

Penelope Cruz Javier Bardem Ryan Kavanaugh Jon Voight

While the Gaza conflict enters a brief cease-fire, Hollywood stars are generating headlines.

Several Hollywood big names have already spoken out on Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem’s open letter on the Israel-Palestine conflict, including Jon Voight, and now, Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh.

Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz
Bardem [l] and Cruz [r] had to defend themselves against accusations of anti-semitism.

Last week, the Hollywood power couple gave their backing, along with Pablo Almodover and other luminaries of the Spanish entertainment industry to the letter, which denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza and the resulting civilian casualties as “genocide”. In the following days, Cruz and Bardem each released a statement, clarifying their intentions.

Continue reading: Ryan Kavanaugh Joins In With Criticism Against Cruz, Bardem Over Pro-Palestine Stance

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz - 'The Counselor' - Press junket and photocall held at The Dorchester - London, United Kingdom - Saturday 5th October 2013

Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz - Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz Cannes, France - 2011 Cannes International Film Festival - Day 4 - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Premiere Saturday 14th May 2011