: Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress born on April 28, 1974, in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain. She trained as a ballet dancer from age nine before entering acting in Spanish television and cinema. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her fiery, magnetic performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), directed by Woody Allen, becoming the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar. Her acclaimed filmography includes All About My Mother, Vanilla Sky, Blow, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Volver, Bandidas, Broken Embraces, and The 355. She is also a prominent Chanel ambassador and one of Europe's most internationally celebrated actresses.