PHOTO/VIDEO: Penelope´s Long Path to Oscars

Penelope has captured the hearts and the critics and public for a long time, and her role as Marie Elene won her, her first Oscar.

After 50 or so recorded films and series, many nominations and awards, Penelope Cruz has finally won the prestige Oscar award for supporting female actress in the film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. Many will agree that she fully earned it.

The Spanish actress, whose full name is Penelope Cruz Sanchez, was born in Madrid on April 28, 1974, as the oldest of three children. Her mother was a hairdresser and her father was a mechanic, so since the beginning Penelope had to fight for everything that she wanted by herself.

As a small girl she discovered her great talent and love for dancing. Nine years of school for classic ballet, and three years of jazz ballet under the mentorship of the Spanish dancer Angela Garrido and Raul Caballero, were not enough to dedicate her career to dancing. At only 15 years old, she beat 300 other girls at a new talent audition, which was the decisive moment in her life when she decided to dedicate herself to acting, not dancing.

Pedro Almodovar’s muse and inspiration

She acted in her first noticed role in 1997 as Sofia Pangia in the film “Able Los Ojos” (Open Your Eyes), which was somehow the role that pushed her to the American market. Two years later, in 1999, she recorded “Todo sobre mi madre” (All About My Mother) with the director Pedro Almodovar. After 2000 her career started to grow rapidly.

The film “All About My Mother” won the Oscars for best foreign film, and what Uma Thurman is to Tarantino, Penelope is to Amodovar. He called her his muse from which he gets inspiration, and later recorded a few films with her in the main role.

The greatest success was achieved in the remake of the film “Abre Los Ojos”, called “Vanilla Sky” with Tom Cruise, where she acted as the beautiful Sofia Serrano. Once she made her way to the American starry sky, nothing could stand in her way.

Oscar for the role of psychotic ex wife

In 2006 she recorded the film “Bandidas” with her best friend Salma Hayek, and the same year she received praise for her acting in Almodovar’s film “Volver”. She shared an award for best actress at the Cannes Film Festival with the other five main actresses in the film, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, BAFTA, and received her first Oscar nomination.

Two years later she recorded a film that would be a great step in her career. In Allen’s film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” she played the part of Barden’s unstable ex wife, and it was here that she gained an opportunity to show everything that she knows.

This Spanish sweetheart surprised many people with her psychotic outbursts and rage, that we have not had an opportunity to see so far in her films. For that role she received an Oscar nomination, and went on to win that Oscar. It is interesting to mention that she is the first Spanish actress that has had the honour of winning that prestige award.

New cooperation with Almodovar

Film experts predict that Penelope Cruz could win another Oscar, because Amodovar’s new film “Broken Embraces” awaits us, with her in the lead role, and there are already great expectations for the film. Little is known about the film, but we will soon have the opportunity to see it when it starts showing in Europe, and in the end of the year in the USA. However, according to past experiences, Penelope and Almodovar is a combination that will certainly not disappoint us.

Only a few weeks later, we will have the opportunity to se Penelope in the musical “Nine”, by the director of “Chicago” Rob Marshall, with Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench and Sophia Loren, so experts also predict that this film will also collect some Oscar nominations.

Take a look at the photo gallery: Penelope Cruz, and the videos: Interview With Penelope Cruz After Oscar Nomination and Interview With Penelope Cruz After Winning Oscar.