Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Prolific in Spanish and English-language films, she has received
various accolades, including an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
,
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
, a
David di Donatello and three
Goya Awards
The Goya Awards () are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain.
The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Ar ...
.
Cruz made her acting debut on television at age 16, and her feature film debut the following year in ''
Jamón Jamón
''Jamón jamón'' (; ) is a 1992 Spanish Romance film, romantic tragicomedy film directed by Bigas Luna and starring Javier Bardem, Jordi Mollà and Penélope Cruz in her debut film. It centers on a young woman named Silvia (Cruz) who becomes pr ...
'' (1992). Her subsequent roles included ''
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...
'' (1992), ''
Open Your Eyes'' (1997), ''
Don Juan
Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women.
The original version of the story of Don Juan appears in the 1630 play (''The Trickster of Seville and t ...
'' (1998), ''
The Hi-Lo Country'' (1999), ''
The Girl of Your Dreams
''The Girl of Your Dreams'' () is a 1998 Spanish drama film produced and directed by Fernando Trueba. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it centers on a fictional Andalusian actress ( Penélope Cruz) making a film in Nazi Germany who becomes the ob ...
'' (2000) and ''
Woman on Top'' (2000). She is known for her frequent collaborations with Spanish director
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
in ''
Live Flesh'' (1997), ''
All About My Mother'' (1999), ''
Volver'' (2006), ''
Broken Embraces'' (2009), ''
I'm So Excited!'' (2013), ''
Pain and Glory'' (2019), and ''
Parallel Mothers'' (2021).
For her role in
Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
's romantic drama ''
Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' (2008), Cruz won the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 9th Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performanc ...
. Her other Oscar-nominated roles are in ''Volver'' (2006), ''
Nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
'' (2009), and ''Parallel Mothers'' (2021). Other notable films include ''
Vanilla Sky'' (2001), ''
Blow'' (2001), ''
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' (2011), ''
The Counselor'' (2013), ''
Murder on the Orient Express
''Murder on the Orient Express'' is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the U ...
'' (2017), ''
Everybody Knows'' (2018), ''
Official Competition'' (2022), ''
L'immensità'' (2022), and ''
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
'' (2023). For her role as
Donatella Versace in the miniseries ''
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'' (2018), she received a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nomination. She is the only Spanish actress to have won an Academy Award and to have received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
. In 2007 she won the
David di Donatello for the leading role in ''
Don't Move''.
Cruz has also modelled for
Mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
,
Ralph Lauren and
L'Oréal, and designed clothing for Mango with her younger sister
Mónica Cruz. She has been a house ambassador for
Chanel since 2018. She volunteered in Uganda and India, where she spent one week working with
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...
, and donated her salary from ''The Hi-Lo Country'' to help fund the late nun's mission.
Early life
Cruz was born on 28 April 1974 in the town of
Alcobendas,
province of Madrid, Spain, to Encarna Sánchez, an
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
n hairdresser and personal manager, and Eduardo Cruz, an
Extremadura
Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...
n retailer and car mechanic.
She has two siblings,
Mónica, also an actress, and Eduardo, a singer. She also has a paternal half-sister, Salma.
She was raised
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
. Cruz grew up in Alcobendas, and spent long hours at her grandmother's apartment.
She said she had a happy childhood.
Cruz remembers "playing with some friends and being aware that I was acting as I was playing with them. I would think of a character and pretend to be someone else."
Initially, Cruz focused on dance:
she studied
classical ballet
Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as en pointe, pointe work, turnout (ballet), turnout of the legs, ...
for nine years
at Spain's
National Conservatory.
She took three years of Spanish ballet training and four years of theatre at
Cristina Rota's school.
She said that ballet instilled discipline that proved important in her acting career.
When she became a
cinephile
Cinephilia ( ; also cinemaphilia or filmophilia) is the term used to refer to a passionate interest in films, film theory, and film criticism. The term is a portmanteau of the words '' cinema'' and ''philia'', one of the four ancient Greek words ...
at ten or eleven, her father bought a
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, and stylized as the Greek letter Beta, β in its logo) is a discontinued consumer analog Videotape, video cassette recording format developed by Sony. It was one of the main competitors in the videotape format war ag ...
machine, which was then quite rare in her neighborhood.
As a teenager, Cruz became interested in acting after seeing the film ''
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'' (1990) by Spanish director
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
.
She did
casting calls for an
agent but was rejected several times because the agent felt that she was too young.
Cruz commented on the experience, "I was very extroverted as a kid.... I was studying when I was in high school at night, I was in ballet and I was doing castings. I looked for an agent and she sent me away three times because I was a little girl but I kept coming back. I'm still with her after all these years."
In 1989, at the age of fifteen, Cruz won an audition at a talent agency at which more than 300 other girls had applied.
In 1999,
Katrina Bayonas, Cruz's agent, commented, "She was absolutely magic
t the audition It was obvious there was something ... impressive about this kid.... She was ... green, but there was a presence. There was just something coming from within."
Her father, Eduardo, died at his home in Spain in 2015, aged sixty two, from a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
.
Career
1989–1997: Early work
In 1989, 15-year-old Cruz made her acting debut in a music video for the Spanish pop group
Mecano's song "La Fuerza del Destino". Between 1990 and 1991, she hosted the Spanish TV channel
Telecinco
Telecinco is a Spanish free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset España. The channel was previously known as Tele 5, because it had first begun its experimental transmissions on 10 March 1989, and a year later, it was officially laun ...
's talk show ''La Quinta Marcha'', a programme that was hosted by teenagers, aimed at a teenage audience.
She also played in the "''Elle et lui''" episode of an erotic French TV series called ''
Série rose'' in 1991, where she appeared nude. In 1991, Cruz made her feature film debut as the lead female role in the comedy drama art house film ''
Jamón, jamón''.
In the film, she portrayed Silvia, a young woman who is expecting her first child with a man whose mother does not approve of the relationship and attempts to sabotage it by paying
Javier Bardem's character to seduce her. ''
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' magazine noted that after Cruz appeared topless in the film, she became "a major sex symbol".
In an interview with the ''
Los Angeles Daily News
The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California, after the unrelated ''Los Angeles Times'', and the flagship newspaper of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado ...
'' in 1999, Cruz commented that "it was a great part, but...I wasn't really ready for the nudity.
..But I have no regrets because I wanted to start working and it changed my life."
Charlie Rose of ''60 Minutes'' noted that Cruz "became an overnight sensation as much for her nude scenes as for her talent".
When Rose asked Cruz if she was concerned about how she would be perceived after her role in the film, Cruz replied, "I just knew I had to do the complete opposite."
''Jamón, jamón'' received favorable reviews, with Chris Hicks of the ''
Deseret News
The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
'' describing Cruz's portrayal of Silvia as "enchanting". Writing for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'', film critic
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
wrote "it stars actors of considerable physical appeal, most particularly Penélope Cruz as Silvia". For her performance, Cruz was nominated for a Spanish Actors Union Newcomer Award and a
Goya Award for Best Actress. The same year she appeared in the Academy Award-winning ''
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...
'' as the virginal Luz.
''People'' magazine noted that Cruz's role as Luz showed that she was versatile.
From 1993 to 1996, Cruz appeared in ten Spanish and Italian films. At 20, she went to live in New York for two years at
Christopher
Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
and
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
to study ballet and English between films. She recalls learning English "kind of late", previously knowing only the dialogue she had learned for the casting and the phrases "How are you?" and "Thank you".
In 1997, Cruz appeared in the Spanish comedy film ''
Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health''. She portrays Diana, a fan of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
band member
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
; she tries unsuccessfully to meet him. Years later, after many failed relationships, Diana re-unites with an acquaintance under unusual circumstances. That same year, she appeared in the opening scene of
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
's ''
Live Flesh'' as a prostitute who gives birth on a bus
and in ''Et hjørne af paradis'' (A Corner of Paradise) as Doña Helena. Cruz's final appearance in 1997 was the Amenabar-directed Spanish sci-fi drama, "Abre Los Ojos"/ ''
Open Your Eyes''. She plays Sofia, the love interest of
Eduardo Noriega's lead character. ''Open Your Eyes'' received positive reviews, and was later remade by U.S. director Cameron Crowe as "Vanilla Sky" (who cast Cruz in the same role and Tom Cruise in Noriega's role), but "Open Your Eyes" was not commercially successful. Kevin N. Laforest of the Montreal Film Journal commented in his September 2002 review that Cruz "has been getting some really bad reviews for her recent American work, but I personally think that she's a more than decent actress, especially here, where she's charming, moving and always believable.
..There's one shot in particular, where Cruz enters a room in a greenish glow, which is right out of Hitchcock's picture
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'']."
1998–2000: Early American film roles
In 1998, Cruz appeared in her first American film as Billy Crudup's consolation-prize Mexican girlfriend in Stephen Frears' western film ''
The Hi-Lo Country''.
Cruz stated that she had difficulties understanding people speaking English while she was filming ''The Hi-Lo Country''.
The film was critically and commercially unsuccessful. Kevin Lally of the ''
Film Journal International
''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of '' Adweek'', '' Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodical ...
'' commented in his review for the film that "in an ironic casting twist, the Spanish actress Penélope Cruz
..is much more appealing as Josepha
han in her previous roles. For her performance in the film, she was nominated for an
ALMA Award for Best Actress.
Also in 1998, Cruz appeared in ''
Don Juan
Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women.
The original version of the story of Don Juan appears in the 1630 play (''The Trickster of Seville and t ...
'' and the Spanish period drama ''
The Girl of Your Dreams
''The Girl of Your Dreams'' () is a 1998 Spanish drama film produced and directed by Fernando Trueba. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it centers on a fictional Andalusian actress ( Penélope Cruz) making a film in Nazi Germany who becomes the ob ...
''. In ''
The Girl of Your Dreams
''The Girl of Your Dreams'' () is a 1998 Spanish drama film produced and directed by Fernando Trueba. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it centers on a fictional Andalusian actress ( Penélope Cruz) making a film in Nazi Germany who becomes the ob ...
'' (La niña de tus ojos), Cruz portrayed Macarena Granada, a singer who is in an on-and-off relationship with
Antonio Resines's character Blas. They are part of a Francoist film troupe that travels from Spain during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
to
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
for a joint production with
UFA. Cruz's performance in the film was praised by film critics, with Jonathan Holloland of ''
Variety'' magazine writing "if confirmation is still needed that Cruz is an actress first and a pretty face second, then here it is". A writer for ''
Film4'' commented that "Cruz herself is the inevitable focus of the film" but noted that overall the film "looks great". Cruz's role as Macarena has been viewed as her "largest role to date".
For her performance, Cruz received a Goya Award and Spanish Actors' Union Award, and was nominated for a
European Film Award. In 1999, Cruz worked with Almodóvar again in ''
All About My Mother'', playing Sister María Rosa Sanz, a pregnant nun with AIDS.
The film received favorable reviews, and was commercially successful, grossing over $67 million worldwide, although it performed better at the box office internationally than domestically.
In 2000, she appeared in ''
Woman on Top'' in the lead female role as Isabelle, a world-class chef who suffered from motion sickness since birth, her first American lead role.
Lisa Nesselson of ''Variety'' magazine praised the performances of both Cruz and her co-star,
Harold Perrineau, saying they "burst off the screen", and added that Cruz has a charming accent.
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
film critic Jane Crowther said that "Cruz is wonderfully ditzy as the innocent abroad" but remarked that "it's Harold Perrineau Jr as Monica who pockets the movie". Annlee Ellingson of ''
Box Office
A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...
'' magazine wrote "Cruz is stunning in the role—innocent and vulnerable yet possessing a mature grace and determined strength, all while sizzling with unchecked sensuality." Also in 2000, she played Alejandra Villarreal, who is
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
's love interest in
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer and songwriter. He received international attention after writing, directing and starring in the independent film, independent Drama (film and television), drama f ...
's
film adaptation
A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of the western bestselling novel ''All the Pretty Horses''.
Susan Stark of ''
The Detroit News
''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...
'' commented that in the film Thornton was able to guide Damon,
Henry Thomas and Cruz to "their most impressive performances in a major movie yet". However, Bob Longigo of ''
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'' was less enthusiastic about Cruz's and Damon's performance, saying that their "resulting onscreen chemistry would hardly warm a can of beans".
2001–2005: Breakthrough
2001 marked a turning point year when Cruz starred in the feature films ''
Vanilla Sky'' and ''
Blow''. In ''Vanilla Sky'',
Cameron Crowe's interpretation of ''
Open Your Eyes'', she played Sofia Serrano, the love interest of
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
's character. The film received mixed reviews, but made $200 million worldwide. Her performance was well received by critics, with BBC film critic Brandon Graydon saying that Cruz "is an enchanting screen presence", and Ethan Alter of the ''Film Journal International'' noting that Cruz and her co-star Cruise were "able to generate some actual chemistry". Her next film was ''Blow'', adapted from Bruce Porter's 1993 book ''Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All''. She had a supporting role as Mirtha Jung, the wife of
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
's character. The film received mixed reviews, but made $80 million worldwide. Nina Willdorf of the ''
Boston Phoenix
''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the now defunct ''Boston Phoenix'', '' ...
'' described Cruz as "multi-talented" and Mark Salvo of ''
The Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...
'' wrote "I may be one of the last male holdouts to join the Cruz-Rules camp, but her tour de force performance here sucks you right in."
In 2001, she also appeared in ''
Don't Tempt Me'', playing Carmen Ramos. The film received negative reviews. Jeff Vice of the ''Deseret News'' commented that "unfortunately, casting Cruz as a tough girl is a hilariously bad
dea and Michael Miller of the ''
Village Voice'' writing that "as Satan's helper Carmen, Penélope Cruz doesn't hold a candle to her cocaine-huffing enabler in ''Blow''". Cruz's last film in 2001 was ''
Captain Corelli's Mandolin'', film adaption of the
novel of the same name. She played Pelagia, who falls in love with another man while her fiancé is in battle during the Second World War. ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'' was not well received by critics, but made $62 million worldwide. In 2002, she had a minor role in ''
Waking Up in Reno''. It had negative reviews and was a box office failure. The following year, Cruz had a supporting role in the horror film ''
Gothika'' as Chloe Sava, a patient at a mental hospital. David Rooney of ''Variety'' wrote that Cruz "adds a serviceably malevolent edge to Chloe's apparent madness". Cruz's performance in ''
Fanfan la Tulipe'', also in 2003, was not well received, Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' commenting that Cruz "deserves a special Cannes Razzie for a performance of purest teak".
In 2004, Cruz appeared in the Christmas film ''
Noel'' as Nina, the girlfriend of
Paul Walker's character and as Mia in the 1930s set romantic drama ''
Head in the Clouds'', set in the 1930s.
Bruce Birkland of ''
Jam! Canoe'' wrote, "The story feels forced and the performances dreary, with the notable exception of Cruz, who seems to be in a different film from the rest of the cast." Desson Thompson of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' was more critical; his comment about the character's "pronounced limp" was that "Cruz (hardly the world's greatest actress) can't even perform without looking fake".
The film performed poorly at the box office. She also starred in
Sergio Castellitto's melodrama ''
Don't Move'', competing with
Sabrina Impacciatore for the leading role
Cruz, who learned Italian for the role, won the
David di Donatello for her performance. She also won the European Film Award for Best Actress for the film in 2004.
In 2005, Cruz appeared as Dr. Eva Rojas in the action adventure ''
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
''. She earned $1.6 million for her supporting role. The film grossed $110 million worldwide but did not recoup its $160 million budget.
Moviefone
Moviefone is an American-based moving pictures listing and information service. Moviegoers can obtain local showtimes, cinema information, film reviews, and advance tickets, as well as TV content and a comprehensive search tool that allows users ...
dubbed the film "one of the most famous flops in history" and in 2007, listed it at 24 on its list of "Biggest Box-Office Turkeys of All Time". Lori Hoffman of the ''
Atlantic City Weekly'' felt Cruz put her "considerable
ctingskills on cruise control as Dr Eva Rojas" and James Berardnelli of
ReelViews described Cruz's performance as a "black hole", that she "lacks screen presence". Also in 2005, Cruz appeared in ''
Chromophobia'', screened at the
2005 Cannes Film Festival
The 58th Cannes Film Festival took place from 11 May and ran until 22 May 2005. Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica served as jury president for the main competition. Cécile de France hosted the opening and closing ceremonies.
Belgian filmmakers D ...
and released the following year. Mathew Turner of ''View London'' said Cruz's character Gloria, a cancer-riddled prostitute, is "actually more interesting than the main storyline" while Time Evan's of ''
Sky Movies'' wrote, "The Cruz/Ifans storyline—featuring the only two remotely sympathetic characters—never really fuses with the main plot." Her final 2005 film was ''Don't Move'' playing Italia. Eric Harrison of the ''
Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' noted that Cruz "goes all out" with her appearance and Patrick Peters of ''
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' magazine commented that the film's director, who also appears in the film, was able to draw a "sensitive performance" from Cruz.
2006–2009: Worldwide recognition
Cruz appeared alongside her good friend
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...
in the 2006
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
comedy film ''
Bandidas''. Randy Cordova of ''
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain.
History
Early years
The newspap ...
'' said the film "sports" Cruz and her co-star Salma Hayek as the "lusty dream team" and that they were the "marketing fantasy" for the film. Also in 2006, Cruz received favourable reviews for her performance as Raimunda, a working-class woman forced to go to great lengths to protect her 14-year-old daughter Paula, in
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
's ''
Volver''.
A.O. Scott of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' remarked, "With this role Ms. Cruz inscribes her name near the top of any credible list of present-day flesh-and-blood screen goddesses, in no small part because she manages to be earthy, unpretentious and a little vulgar without shedding an ounce of her natural glamour." Likewise, Carina Chocano of ''The Los Angeles Times'' wrote, "Cruz, who has remarked that in Hollywood she's rarely allowed to be anything more than pretty, instills her with an awesome resoluteness and strength of character." She shared a
Best Actress award at the
2006 Cannes Film Festival with five of her co-stars, as well as receiving a Goya Award and European Film Award, and was nominated for the
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
, the
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
, the
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
, and the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...
in a leading role. With this nomination, Cruz became the first Spanish actress ever nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
.
In 2007, Cruz appeared in the lead female role in ''
Manolete'', a
biopic of
bullfighter
A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...
Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez, playing Antoñita "Lupe" Sino. The film was critically panned, and ''
Variety'' felt that Cruz has "clearly been cast to play the kind of red-hot drama queen she's pulled off infinitely better in the films of Pedro Almodovar". After being shelved since 2007, ''Manolete'' (originally shot in 2005) released
on demand
On-demand or on demand may refer to:
Manufacturing
* Build-on-demand
* Just-in-time manufacturing, a methodology for production
* Print on demand, printing technology and business process in which new copies of a document are not printed until ...
via cable, satellite, telco and online on 7 June 2011 under the title ''A Matador's Mistress''. She also appeared in ''
The Good Night'', playing two characters, Anna and Melody.
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
film critic Maitland McDonagh noted that in the film Cruz "expertly mines the contrast between chic, compliant, white-clad Anna and funky, street-wise Melody, who treats
artin Freeman's characterGary like the world-class drag he is".
In 2008, Cruz starred alongside
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...
in
Isabel Coixet's film ''
Elegy
An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, and in English literature usually a lament for the dead. However, according to ''The Oxford Handbook of the Elegy'', "for all of its pervasiveness ... the 'elegy' remains remarkably ill defined: sometime ...
'', which was based on the
Philip Roth story ''
The Dying Animal'', as the lead female role, Consuela Castillo. Ray Bennett of ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' described Cruz's performance as being "outstanding in an otherwise lame male fantasy
ilm. That same year, Cruz appeared in
Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
's ''
Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' as María Elena, a mentally unstable woman, which was received with critical acclaim. Writing for the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'',
Mick LaSalle noted, "But the revelation is Penélope Cruz, who has never been better in an American film. Suddenly, and for the first time, her stardom makes sense. As Maria Elena, José Antonio's gifted and neurotic ex-wife, Cruz is on fire – hysterically funny, abandoned, passionate, poignant, with a performance full of shading and wide in range. She's as fun and as powerful as Anna Magnani, and beautiful besides. Cruz just needed somebody to turn her loose." Likewise, Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' singled her out for praise, writing: "Cruz, playing Maria Elena, the passionate and crazy ex-wife of a moody Picasso-ish artist, looks as if she has wandered in from a more hefty film entirely; everything she does and says seems to mean more, count for more. This isn't to say that she gets bigger laughs, or perhaps any laughs, but she certainly walks off with the film". Cruz received a Goya Award and her first Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received a Golden Globe and SAG nomination. With her Oscar win, Cruz became the first, and to date only, Spanish actress to ever be awarded an Academy Award,
as well as the sixth Hispanic performer to have received the award.
Cruz's next film was the kid-friendly ''
G-Force
The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
'',
voicing a
guinea pig
The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...
spy named Juarez.
''G-Force'' was a commercial success, making over $290 million worldwide. Also in 2009, she appeared in the film ''
Broken Embraces'' as Lena. Stephanie Zacharek of
Salon.com noted in her review for the film that Cruz "doesn't coast on her beauty in ''Broken Embraces'', and she has the kind of role that can be difficult to flesh out". Cruz received nominations from the Satellite Awards and European Film Awards for her performance in ''Broken Embraces''. Cruz's final 2009 film was the
film version of the musical ''
Nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
'', playing the character Carla Albanese, the lead character's mistress. ''Variety'' reported that Cruz originally auditioned for the role of the film within a film's star, Claudia, which eventually went to
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
. Cruz said that she trained for three months for the dance routine in the film.
Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' commented that while Cruz "does a steamy song and dance", her "acting is strangely caricatured". Cruz's performance as Carla was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards.
2010–2015: Established actress
Cruz's only film in 2010 was ''
Sex and the City 2'', the
sequel to the 2008 film, in which she appeared as a banker in a cameo role. A commercial success, the comedy film was largely panned by critics.
Cruz appeared in her biggest Hollywood turn to date in
Rob Marshall's ''
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'', the fourth installment of the
film series
A film series or movie series is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. It is a type of series fiction.
This article explains what film series are and gives brief examples ...
, opposite
Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...
. In the film, Cruz portrayed
Angelica
''Angelica'' is a genus of about 90 species of tall Biennial plant, biennial and Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous, herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far north as ...
, a former love interest of
Jack Sparrow, who blames him for her corruption. Cruz was the only actress considered for the role, as she fit Marshall's description. He invited her for the role as they wrapped the production of ''
Nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
''.
[ The actress spent two months working out and learning fencing for the role.] During filming, Cruz discovered she was pregnant, leading the costume department to redesign her wardrobe to be more elastic, and the producers to hire her sister Mónica Cruz to double for Penélope in risky scenes. ''On Stranger Tides'' ranks among the highest-grossing films of all time, grossing more than $1.046 billion in box-office receipts worldwide. On 1 April 2011, prior to the film's release, Cruz received the 2,436th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
in front of the El Capitan Theatre
El Capitan Theatre is a fully restored movie palace at 6838 Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States. The theater and adjacent Hollywood Masonic Temple (now known as the El Capitan Entert ...
. She became the first Spanish actress to receive a Star.
In 2012, Cruz appeared in the first ever Nintendo
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles.
The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
commercial to promote '' New Super Mario Bros. 2'' and the Nintendo 3DS XL in which she played the role of Mario
Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...
in the ad. She spoke Italian again, this time in Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
's romantic ensemble comedy film '' To Rome with Love'', in which she portrayed a street-smart prostitute who agrees to pretend to be the wife of a newlywed. Fond to work with her again, Allen compared Cruz's play in the film with that of Italian icons Anna Magnani
Anna Maria Magnani (; 7 March 1908 – 26 September 1973) was an Academy Award-winning Italian actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 3 October 1973, pg. 47 She was known for her explosive acting and earthy, realistic portrayals of ...
and Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...
. While the film received mixed reviews, Cruz was reviewed favourably for her "exuberantly, cartoonishly sexy" performance, which ''The Week
''The Week'' is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The British publication was founded in 1995 and the American edition in 2001. An Australian edition was published from 2008 to 2012. A children's edi ...
'' cited as a stand out. The same year, Cruz also reunited with Italian director Sergio Castellitto in his war tale '' Twice Born'' about an infertile Italian woman who returns to relive her past in Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
. An adaptation of Castellitto's wife Margaret Mazzantini's same-titled bestseller, Cruz portrayed the transitional character at different phases in her life, ranging from her early twenties to her late forties. Despite receiving little praise from critics, Cruz's performance opposite Emile Hirsch earned positive reviews.
In 2013, Cruz appeared in Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
's '' The Counselor'', featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress. Prolific in both comedy and drama, Cameron Diaz filmography, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Her output of romantic comedies in the late 1990s a ...
, Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
, and husband Javier Bardem. The crime thriller follows a lawyer who, tempted by the lure of quick money, finds himself involved in drug dealing with ruthless Mexican cartels. Cruz plays his girlfriend, Laura, the only innocent character in the story. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and became a moderate commercial success at the international box offices. The same year, Cruz, along with Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...
, made a cameo appearance
A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
in Pedro Almodóvar's farcical comedy '' I'm So Excited'', which marked a return to the director's light, campy comedies of the 1980s and 1990s. The film received mixed reviews, but earned a worldwide gross of more than US$11 million.
In 2015, Cruz co-produced and starred in the Spanish drama film '' Ma Ma'', directed by Julio Medem. In it, she plays Magda, a gutsy mother and unemployed teacher, who is diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
, a role which Cruz later cited as "one of the most complex, beautiful characters I've ever been offered, the most difficult." The melodrama was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival
The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and N ...
, where it received generally negative reviews for its weepie story line. However, Cruz was praised for her "aces performance", which earned her an eighth Goya nomination at the 30th awards ceremony.
2016–present
Cruz's first film of 2016 was the American comedy '' Zoolander 2'', co-starring and directed by Ben Stiller. In the sequel film, Cruz portrayed a secret Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
agent who enlists models Derek Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel McDonald, played by Owen Wilson, to help find out who is killing the world's most beautiful people. Specifically written for her persona, Cruz, a fan of the original 2001 film, was one of the first actors to be cast in their parts. Upon its release, the film received generally negative reviews from critics, who felt that it had "more celebrity cameos than laughs." Cruz's other film that year was Louis Leterrier's British spy comedy ''Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...
'', in which she played a powerful philanthropist, opposite Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen ( ; born 13 October 1971) is an English comedian, actor and performance artist. Known for his creation and portrayal of the fictional satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard, and Admiral General Haf ...
and Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963) is a British actor best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in '' RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (200 ...
. Cruz was reportedly offered $400,000 for her role. The film received mixed reviews, with critics suggesting that Cruz was highly underused and "looking even less invested here than she did in ''Zoolander 2''". Also in 2016, Cruz rejoined Fernando Trueba
Fernando Rodríguez Trueba (born 18 January 1955), known as Fernando Trueba, is a Spanish filmmaker, writer, producer and book editor.
Career
Between 1974 and 1979, Trueba worked as a film critic for Spain's leading daily newspaper '' El Paí ...
on his Spanish-language period pic '' The Queen of Spain'', a sequel to Trueba's 1998 drama ''The Girl of Your Dreams
''The Girl of Your Dreams'' () is a 1998 Spanish drama film produced and directed by Fernando Trueba. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it centers on a fictional Andalusian actress ( Penélope Cruz) making a film in Nazi Germany who becomes the ob ...
''. Set in the 1950s, twenty years after the events of the original, Cruz reprised the role of an actress who becomes a Hollywood star and returns to Spain to film a blockbuster about Queen Isabella I of Castile
Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and List of Leonese monarchs, León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon ...
. Selected to be shown in the Berlinale Special section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, the Spanish comedy drama
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
was screened to lukewarm reviews, but received five nominations at the 31st Goya Awards
The 31st Goya Awards were presented at the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel in Madrid on 4 February 2017 to honour the best in Spanish films of 2016. Actor and comedian Dani Rovira was the master of ceremonies for the third time in a row.
Nomina ...
, earning Cruz her ninth nomination.
'' Loving Pablo'', a Spanish drama film directed by Fernando León de Aranoa was released in 2017, starring Cruz in the role of Virginia Vallejo, and her husband, Javier Bardem, in the role of Pablo Escobar
Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...
. Based on Vallejo's bestselling memoir '' Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar'', the film was launched to mixed reviews during the 74th Venice International Film Festival. In order to play the role of the Colombian journalist, Cruz studied hundreds of interviews of Vallejo. Cruz had a supporting role in Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...
's mystery film ''Murder on the Orient Express
''Murder on the Orient Express'' is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club on 1 January 1934. In the U ...
'' (2017), the fourth adaptation of Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...
's 1934 novel of the same name. The mystery–drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
ensemble film follows world-renowned detective Hercule Poirot, who seeks to solve a murder on the famous European train in the 1930s. Cruz plays missionary and passenger Pilar Estravados, a Hispanic version of the novel's Swedish Greta Ohlsson. The film was a financial success but received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with praise for the cast's performances, but criticism for not adding anything new to previous adaptations. In 2018, Cruz made her television debut by co-starring in the role of Donatella Versace in the second season of the FX anthology series '' American Crime Story'' entitled '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace''. Her performance was highly praised by critics and she received a Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In addition, Cruz reteamed with Bardem on the Spanish-language psychological thriller film '' Everybody Knows'', directed by Asghar Farhadi. The film opened the 2018 Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews. Justin Chang of ''The Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
'' praised the performances from the two leads writing, "Bardem and Cruz have such a natural, unforced chemistry".
In 2021, Cruz starred alongside Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received numerous accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award ...
in Gastón Duprat & Mariano Cohn's film '' Official Competition'' and reunited with Almodóvar for the film '' Parallel Mothers'', in which she played Janis, a professional photographer entangled in a relationship with a married man, leading to an affair and resulting in her pregnancy. Both films premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where the latter received rave reviews. ''Parallel Mothers'' also screened at the 59th New York Film Festival, where it was received positively. Her performance in the film was lauded, winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actress and receiving her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, her fourth nomination overall. Stephanie Zacharek from ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' stated that "Cruz is astonishing here, in what may be the best performance of her career so far. Janis' fragility and her fortitude are two sides of one coin, and Cruz can shift from one to the other in the merest breath." Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of '' Variety'' mentioned that "Cruz acts this part with a mood-shifting immediacy that leaves you breathless", with David Rooney of ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' describing her performance as "one of the best roles of her career" and "her most outstanding work since Volver." Following the release of these films, she was honoured at the Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
in New York for her career and achievements in film. Luxury fashion house Chanel returned as the presenting sponsor making for an in-sync affair, as Cruz has served as ambassador for the brand since 2018.
The following year, she appeared in the female-led spy action film '' The 355'', directed by Simon Kinberg
Simon David Kinberg (born August 2, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and produced a number of films in the X-Men (film series), ''X-Men'' film franchise for 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Fox, and had produced a number of other projec ...
and starring alongside Jessica Chastain
Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in projects with Feminism, feminist themes, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Jessica Chastain, various ...
, Lupita Nyongo, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing, Sebastian Stan, and Édgar Ramírez. The film was released by Universal Pictures on 7 January 2022. Also in 2022, Cruz acted in Emanuele Crialese's Italian drama film '' L'immensità'' and Juan Diego Botto
Juan Diego Botto Rota (born 29 August 1975) is an Argentine-Spanish film, stage and television actor.
Born in Argentina, he moved to Spain together with his mother (the actress and acting coach Cristina Rota) in 1978. Following early film appe ...
's Spanish thriller '' On the Fringe'' the later of which she also served as a producer. Guy Lodge of '' Variety'' praised her performance in ''L'immensità'' writing, "If it was through the lens of Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and author. His films are distinguished by Melodrama (film genre), melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular c ...
that Cruz really established herself as her generation’s stand-in for Sophia Loren
Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...
, Crialese takes the likeness one step further, planting the Spaniard in Loren’s hometown of Rome, as the kind of beautifully wounded housewife that the Italian icon perfected in the films of Crialese’s youth." She portrayed Laura, Enzo Ferrari's wife, alongside Adam Driver and Shailene Woodley in the biopic ''Ferrari'', directed by Michael Mann
Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four ...
. The film chronicled the life of Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Anselmo Giuseppe Maria Ferrari (; ; 18 February 1898 – 14 August 1988) was an Italian racing driver and entrepreneur, the founder of Scuderia Ferrari in Grand Prix motor racing, and subsequently of the Ferrari automobile marque. Under h ...
, founder of the Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...
brand.
In 2023, Cruz became a brand ambassador for Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...
appearing in advertisements for the airline, as well as Geox. As a part of a collaboration with performer Residente and Sílvia Pérez Cruz on the track "313", Cruz won a Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 2024.
During the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Cruz was reported to have landed a role in Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's ''La bola negra'', a film about three gay men at different times, due to begin filming in August 2025. Ambrossi stated that they had written Cruz's role specifically for her.
Public image
In 2006, Cruz became a spokesmodel for French cosmetics company L'Oréal to promote products such as the L'Oréal Paris hair dye Natural Match and L'Oreal mascara products. She receives $2 million a year for her work for the company. Cruz has appeared in print ads for Mango
A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...
and had a contract with Ralph Lauren in 2001. Cruz and her sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
designed their second collection for Mango in 2007. It was inspired by Brigitte Bardot and summers in St Tropez.
Cruz ranked as No. 58 in ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
*Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim ...
'' "Hot 100" of 2007 list, and was chosen by ''Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' magazine as being one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the world. Cruz was also ranked on Askmen.com's Most Desirable Women of 2008 at No. 26, in 2009 at No. 25, and in 2010 at No. 7. In April 2010, she replaced Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...
as the new face and ambassador of Lancôme's Trésor fragrance. Lancôme signed Cruz as their third superstar spokesmodel, along with Julia Roberts and Winslet. The campaign was shot by Mario Testino
Mario Eduardo Testino Silva Order of the British Empire, OBE Royal Photographic Society#Distinctions and qualifications, HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer.
His work has featured internationally in ...
at Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
's Hotel de Crillon and debuted in the autumn of 2010.
In 2010, Cruz was a guest editor for the French '' Vogue'' magazine, focusing on larger-size models in a provocative photo shoot. Almodóvar described her as his muse
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
. On the cover of Spanish ''Vogue''s December 2010 issue, she agreed to be photographed by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh
Peter Lindbergh (born Peter Brodbeck; 23 November 1944 – 3 September 2019) was a German fashion photographer and film director.
He had studied arts in Berlin and Krefeld, and exhibited his works before graduation. In 1971, he turned to phot ...
only if her pregnancy was not shown. In 2011, ''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'' reported the most sought after body parts of the rich and famous revealed by two Hollywood plastic surgeons who carried out a survey among their patients to build up the picture of the perfect woman. Under the category of the most sought after body shape, Cruz, known for her voluptuous figure, was voted as having the top body. ''Men's Health
''Men's Health'' (''MH''), published by Hearst Communications, Hearst, is the world's largest men's magazine brand, with 35 editions in 59 countries; it is the bestselling men's magazine on American newsstands.
Started as a men's health magazin ...
'' ranked her at No. 32. on their "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" list. ''Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'' named her the Sexiest Woman Alive in 2014. In May 2023, she was appointed as the brand ambassador for Emirates Airline.
Philanthropy
Cruz has donated money and time to charity. In addition to work in Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
, she has volunteered in Uganda and India, where she spent a week working with Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...
that included assisting in a leprosy clinic. That trip inspired Cruz to help start a foundation to support homeless girls in India, where she sponsors two young women. She donated her salary from her first Hollywood film, ''The Hi-Lo Country'', to Mother Teresa's mission. In the early 2000s, she spent time in Nepal photographing Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
an children for an exhibition attended by the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
. She also photographed residents at the Pacific Lodge Boys' Home, most of whom are former gang members
A gang is a group or society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collecti ...
and recovering substance abusers. She said: "These kids break my heart. I have to control myself not to cry. Not out of pity, but seeing how tricky life is and how hard it is to make the right choices." A pregnant Cruz showed her support for the battle against AIDS by lighting up the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...
with red lights in New York City on 1 December 2010 on International AIDS Day, as part of (RED)'s new awareness campaign, 'An AIDS Free Generation is Due in 2015,' which aims to eradicate the HIV virus from pregnant mothers to their babies. In 2012 and 2018, she posed for ads supporting PETA's anti-fur campaign.
Personal life
Cruz is married to Spanish actor Javier Bardem. They met at the set of ''Jamón jamón
''Jamón jamón'' (; ) is a 1992 Spanish Romance film, romantic tragicomedy film directed by Bigas Luna and starring Javier Bardem, Jordi Mollà and Penélope Cruz in her debut film. It centers on a young woman named Silvia (Cruz) who becomes pr ...
'' (1992), and started dating in 2007 after reuniting for '' Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' (2008). They were also both in the 2013 film '' The Counselor'', as well as in '' Everybody Knows'' in 2018. They married in early July 2010 in a private ceremony at a friend's home in the Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...
. They have a son named Leo Encinas Cruz who was born in January 2011 in Los Angeles, and a daughter named Luna Encinas Cruz who was born in July 2013 in Madrid. She became an advocate of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Infants may suck the milk directly from the breast, or milk may be extracted with a Breast pump, pump and then fed to the infant. The World Health Orga ...
in public following the birth of her children.
Cruz had a three-year relationship with Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...
after they appeared together in '' Vanilla Sky'' (2001). The relationship ended in January 2004. In June 2003, Cruz settled a defamation lawsuit against Australian magazine '' New Idea'' over an article it published about her relationship with Cruise; the publication had to apologize, pay her legal costs, and donate AU$5,000 (US$3,200) to her nominated charity.
She is known to friends as ''Pe''. Cruz owns a clothing store in Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, and designed jewelry and handbags with her younger sister
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to ref ...
for a company in Japan.
Cruz's agent is Hylda Queally, shared with Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...
and Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...
.
Acting credits and accolades
Cruz has been recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
for the following performances:
* 79th Academy Awards: Best Actress, nomination, for '' Volver'' (2006)
* 81st Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress, win, '' Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' (2008)
* 82nd Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress, nomination, ''Nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
'' (2009)
*94th Academy Awards
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The awards were scheduled after their usual late February dat ...
: Best Actress, nomination, '' Parallel Mothers'' (2021)
She has also received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, four Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
s, a Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
, five Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
s, and fourteen Goya Awards. In 2006 she received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for '' Volver'', and in 2021 the Venice International Film Festival's Volpi Cup for Best Actress for '' Parallel Mothers''.
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Penelope
1974 births
Living people
20th-century Spanish actresses
21st-century Spanish actresses
Actresses from Madrid
Actresses from the Community of Madrid
Best Actress Goya Award winners
Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners
Best Supporting Actress Goya Award winners
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress winners
César Honorary Award recipients
Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
David di Donatello winners
European Film Award for Best Actress winners
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners
Latin Grammy Award winners
People from Alcobendas
Spanish child actresses
Spanish expatriates in the United States
Spanish female dancers
Spanish female models
Spanish film actresses
Spanish philanthropists
Spanish Roman Catholics
Spanish stage actresses
Spanish television actresses
Spanish women television personalities
Spanish women television presenters
Spanish voice actresses
Volpi Cup for Best Actress winners
Bardem family