Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born April 28, 1974), better known as Penélope Cruz, is a Spanish actress who was signed by an agent at age 15. She was the first Spanish actress in history to receive an Academy Award. She made her acting debut at 16 on television, and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón (1992), to critical acclaim. Her subsequent roles in the 1990s and 2000s included Open Your Eyes (1997), The Hi-Lo Country (1999), The Girl of Your Dreams (2000) and Woman on Top (2000). Cruz achieved recognition for her lead roles in Vanilla Sky and Blow. Both films were released in 2001 and were commercially successful worldwide. In the 2000s she has appeared in films from a wide range of genres, including the comedy Waking Up in Reno (2002), the thriller Gothika (2003), the Christmas movie Noel (2004), the action adventure Sahara (2005), the animated G-Force and the musical drama Nine. Her most notable films to date are Volver (2006), for which she earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), for which she received an Academy Award. Cruz has modeled for companies such as Mango, Ralph Lauren and L'Oréal. Cruz and her younger sister Mónica Cruz have designed items for Mango. She has donated both her time and money to charities. Cruz has volunteered in Uganda and India, where she spent one week working for Mother Teresa; she donated her salary from The Hi-Lo Country to help fund the late nun's mission. In 2006, she became spokesmodel for the French beauty company, L'Oréal, to promote products such as the L'Oréal Paris hair dye Natural Match and L'Oreal mascara products. Cruz appears in television and print ads for the company. She receives $2 million a year for her work for the company. Cruz has appeared in print ads for Mango and had a contract with Ralph Lauren in 2001. Cruz and her sister designed their second collection for Mango in 2007. It was inspired by Brigitte Bardot and summers in St Tropez. Cruz said: "It's been a really good collaboration because they're a great Spanish company and they give us a lot of [creative] freedom. My sister and I have a great time working on the designs." Cruz ranked as No. 58 in Maxim's Hot 100 of 2007 list, and was chosen by Empire magazine as being one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the world. Penelope 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, Penélope Cruz replaced Kate Winslet as the new face and ambassador of Lancôme's Trésor fragrance. Lancôme has signed Cruz as the brand’s third superstar spokesmodel, along with Julia Roberts and Kate Winslet. The campaign was shot by Mario Testino at Paris's Hotel de Crillon and will debut fall 2010. In 2010, Cruz was a guest editor for the French Vogue magazine, focusing on larger-size models in a provocative photo shoot. Vanity Fair asked them to pose for a Hollywood issue in 2010. Almodovar described her as his muse. On the cover of Spanish Vogue's December 2010 issue she agreed to be photographed by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh only if her pregnancy not be shown. In 2011 The Telegraph 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 Penelope Cruz, known for her voluptuous figure, was voted as having the top body with Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Aniston finishing the top three. Cruz had a three-year relationship with Tom Cruise after they appeared together in Vanilla Sky. It ended in January 2004. In April 2003, she filed a lawsuit against the Australian magazine New Idea for defamation over an article about her relationship with Cruise. After filming Sahara in February 2005, she began dating actor Matthew McConaughey. In June 2006, they told People that they "have decided to take time off as a couple" and that "due to busy work schedules and so much time apart" they decided that "separating was the best thing to do." In April 2007, Cruz who was single, told the Spanish edition of Marie Claire said she would like to adopt children. Cruz began dating co-star Javier Bardem in 2007. They married in early July 2010 in a private ceremony at a friend's home in the Bahamas, with a rep speaking only to confirm the ceremony, and to reveal the bride wore a dress by Galliano. After photos emerged of Cruz appearing to be pregnant on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, representatives said the couple expect a child in March 2011. Cruz gave birth to her first child, a boy named Leo, on January 22, 2011 at the Cedars Sinai Hospital, just three days before Javier was nominated for an Oscar.
