Penelope Cruz Sanchez was born on April 28, 1974 in Madrid, Spain. She has been twice nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, although she has never won either. Her film debut was in the Spanish Film Jamon, Jamon in 1992, in which she played the role of Silvia. Jamon, Jamon was so successful, it went on to win the Academy Award in 1997 for Best Foreign Language Film. She received critical acclaim for her work and quickly grew in popularity, allowing her to work on two more movies, La Nina de tus Ojos and Belle Epoque. Her success in Spain allowed her to then move into American Film, where she is most famous for her work in the movies Blow, Vanilla Sky, and Bandidas.Penelope was a very promising actress from a very young age. Born to Encara Sanchez, who worked as a personal manager and hairdresser, and Eduardo Cruz, who worked an auto mechanic and a retailer, Penelope would re-enact commercials she saw on the television. Despite her promise in acting, she instead chose to focus on dancing in her early career. Penelope studied classical ballet for nine years at the Spanish National Conservatory, and then received specialized training from Angela Garrido in Spanish Ballet. However after beating 300 other girls in an acting audition, Penelope gave up dance to further her acting career.