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Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz

Highest Rated: 98% All About My Mother (1999)

Lowest Rated: 11% Waking Up in Reno (2002)

Birthday: Apr 28, 1974

Birthplace: Madrid, Spain

Academy Award-winning Spanish actress Penelope Cruz became best known for her roles in "Vanilla Sky" (2001), "Volver" (2006), "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008), and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011). Cruz, who was born Penelope Cruz Sanchez, grew up in the town of Alcobendas, Madrid. A lively and extroverted young girl, Cruz loved to reenact commercials for her family, and dreamt of one day becoming an actress. Her dreams of acting stardom took a bit of a detour, however, when she began studying classical ballet at a very young age. Cruz studied dance for 9 years, but by her mid-teens her love of film grew so strong that she decided to give up on ballet and embark on an acting career. Although she never had any formal acting training, Cruz did have an "it factor" that casting and talent agents immediately took notice of. When she was 15, Cruz beat out over 300 girls during an audition to win a spot with a Spanish talent agency. From there, she began appearing in Spanish TV shows and music videos, thus slowly learning the chops she needed to be in front of a camera. Then in 1992, Cruz landed her first big break with a supporting role in the romance-drama "Jamon, Jamon" (1992). Also appearing in the film was a young actor and Cruz's future husband, Javier Bardem. "Jamon, Jamon" was a big hit in Spain, thus making Cruz a star in her native country. As a result, more Spanish film roles followed, including "The Rebel" (1993), "Brujas" (1996), and "Live Flesh" (1997). In 1998 Cruz appeared in her first American film, a western called "The Hi-Lo Country" (1998). That film, however, was unsuccessful at the box office. Despite the failure of "The Hi-Lo Country," by the early 2000s Cruz was becoming more of a presence in mainstream American films. She appeared in critically-acclaimed films like "All the Pretty Horses" (2000), "Blow" (2001), and "Vanilla Sky" (2001), the latter of which also starred her then-boyfriend Tom Cruise (the couple split in 2004). By the mid-2000s, Cruz's acting career was gaining steam both in her native Spain as well as in America. In 2007 she earned her first Academy Award nomination for her role in director Pedro Almodóvar's comedy-drama "Volver" (2006), and two years later, went on to earn her first Oscar for her supporting role in Woody Allen's romantic comedy "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Cruz earned another Oscar nomination for her supporting role in 2009's "Nine," making it her third nomination in four years. If the 2000s were a breakout decade for Penelope Cruz, the 2010s would prove to be just as good. In 2012 she re-teamed with Woody Allen to appear in his music comedy "To Rome with Love" (2012), and would also go on to appear in the broad comedies "Zoolander 2" (2016) and "The Brothers Grimsby" (2016). Then in 2018 Cruz made her American TV debut by playing fashion mogul Donatella Versace on "American Crime Story" (FX, 2016- ). The series, which was about the assassination of the iconic 90s fashion designer Gianni Versace, was critically acclaimed, while earning Cruz an Emmy nomination. After her acclaimed television performance, Cruz returned to film acting in 2019 with a part in Pedro Almodóvar's "Pain and Glory" (2019). The film, which was Cruz's sixth collaboration with the director, was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards.

Highest rated movies

98% 93% All About My Mother
96% 80% Official Competition 96% 78% Parallel Mothers 96% 91% Pain and Glory
95% 78% Belle Epoque
91% 89% Volver
87% 88% Open Your Eyes
85% 67% L'immensità

Filmography

Movies

Credit
87% 73% High & Low - John Galliano Self $66.5K 2023
73% 74% Ferrari Laura Ferrari (Character) $18.5M 2023
85% 67% L'immensità Clara (Character) $102.5K 2022
24% 86% The 355 Graciela Rivera (Character) $14.6M 2022
82% 79% On the Fringe Unknown (Character) - 2022
96% 80% Official Competition Lola Cuevas (Character),
Executive Producer
- 2021
96% 78% Parallel Mothers Janis (Character) $2.3M 2021
40% 38% Wasp Network Olga Salanueva (Character) - 2019
96% 91% Pain and Glory Jacinta (Character) $4.6M 2019
78% 60% Everybody Knows Laura (Character) $2.6M 2018
33% 56% Loving Pablo Virginia Vallejo (Character) $16.6K 2017
60% 54% Murder on the Orient Express Pilar Estravados (Character) $101.5M 2017
30% 33% The Queen of Spain Macarena Granada (Character),
Producer
- 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Soy Unoentrecienmil Self,
Director,
Writer
- 2016
36% 41% The Brothers Grimsby Rhonda George (Character) $6.9M 2016
22% 20% Zoolander No. 2 Valentina (Character) $28.8M 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Brothers Grimsby With Hilarious Outtakes Kate (Character) - 2016
25% 46% Ma ma Magda (Character),
Producer
$46.5K 2015
34% 24% The Counselor Laura (Character) $16.9M 2013
48% 37% I'm So Excited! Jessica (Character) $1.4M 2013
17% 68% Twice Born Gemma (Character) $14.9K 2012
47% 40% To Rome With Love Anna (Character) $16.7M 2012
91% 88% Woody Allen: A Documentary Self - 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Looking Back on Love: Making Black and White America Unknown (Character) - 2011
33% 54% Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Angelica (Character) $241.1M 2011
15% 43% Sex and the City 2 Carmen Garcia Carrion (Character) $95.3M 2010
39% 37% Nine Carla Albanese (Character) $19.7M 2009
82% 75% Broken Embraces Lena (Character) $5.0M 2009
22% 40% G-Force Juarez (Voice) $119.4M 2009
No Score Yet 38% A Matador's Mistress Lupe Sino (Character) - 2008
80% 74% Vicky Cristina Barcelona María Elena (Character) $23.2M 2008
75% 61% Elegy Consuela Castilo (Character) $3.6M 2008
30% 33% The Good Night Anna/Melodia (Character) $22.2K 2007
91% 89% Volver Raimunda (Character) $12.9M 2006
56% 43% Bandidas Maria Alvarez (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet 100% Viva Pedro Unknown (Character) - 2006
38% 53% Sahara Eva Rojas (Character) $68.6M 2005
31% 53% Chromophobia Unknown (Character) - 2005
46% 80% Don't Move Italia (Character) - 2004
28% 48% Noel Nina (Character) - 2004
17% 61% Head in the Clouds Mia (Character) $398.2K 2004
25% 45% Masked and Anonymous Pagan Lace (Character) $533.3K 2003
15% 45% Gothika Chloe Sava (Character) $59.6M 2003
14% 43% Fanfan la Tulipe Adeline La Franchise (Character) $28.4K 2003
11% 32% Waking Up in Reno Brenda (Spanish Woman) (Character) $261.6K 2002
38% 66% No News From God Carmen Ramos (Character) $77.3K 2001
42% 72% Vanilla Sky Sofia Serrano (Character) $100.6M 2001
28% 50% Captain Corelli's Mandolin Pelagia (Character) $25.5M 2001
56% 87% Blow Mirtha Jung (Character) $53.1M 2001
32% 42% All the Pretty Horses Alejandra (Character) $15.5M 2000
35% 42% Woman on Top Isabella Oliveira (Character) $5.0M 2000
98% 93% All About My Mother Rosa (Character) $8.3M 1999
No Score Yet 51% Volaverunt Pepita Tudó (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 68% The Girl of Your Dreams Macarena Granada (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 32% Don Juan Mathurine (Character) - 1998
No Score Yet 60% Talk of Angels Pilar (Character) $15.5K 1998
29% 56% Twice Upon a Yesterday Louise (Character) $258.5K 1998
54% 48% The Hi-Lo Country Josepha O'Neil (Character) $163.8K 1998
80% 87% Live Flesh Isabel (Character) - 1997
87% 88% Open Your Eyes Sofia (Character) $368.2K 1997
No Score Yet 35% Celestina Melibea (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet 71% Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health Diana Balaguer joven (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet El amor perjudica seriamente la salud Diana Balaguer joven (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet La Celestina Melibea (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet 60% Not Love, Just Frenzy Unknown (Character) $6.1K 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Brujas Patricia (Character) - 1996
No Score Yet No Score Yet Entre rojas Unknown (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet It's All Lies Lucía (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alegre ma non troppo Salomé (Character) - 1994
No Score Yet 33% The Rebel Enza (Character) - 1993
69% 64% Jamon Jamon Silvia (Character) $14.8K 1992
95% 78% Belle Epoque Luz (Character) $943.5K 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Framed Lola Del Moreno (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet No Score Yet Softly From Paris VI Unknown (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bigas x Bigas Self -

TV

Credit
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Variety Studio: Actors on Actors Guest 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Graham Norton Show Guest 2016 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2018 2022
No Score Yet 19% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2022
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2016 2021
84% 90% American Crime Story Donatella Versace (Character) 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Guest 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Celebrated Self 2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Guest 2012
No Score Yet 41% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest 2011
31% No Score Yet The Jay Leno Show Guest 2009