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Trivia
Birth name: Penélope Cruz Sánchez
Date of birth: 28 April 1974
Place of birth: Madrid, Spain
Nickname: Madonna of Madrid, Spanish enchantress
Height: 5' 5½" (1.66 m)
After filming All the Pretty Horses (2000),
she became a vegetarian.
She donated her entire The Hi-Lo Country
(1998) salary to the Mother Teresa's children's sanctuary in Calcutta
after spending a week there volunteering.
Daughter of Eduardo (merchant) and Encarna
(hairdresser).
Brother, Eduardo.
Academic curriculum: Finished 2º B.U.P. (2nd.
year of secondary school). Had 4 years of dance performance with Cristina
Rota, several dance courses at New York, 9 years of classic ballet at the
Conservatorio Nacional and 3 years of Spanish ballet with Ángela Garrido.
Also had Jazz Dance course with Raúl Caballero.
Volunteered in Uganda for 2 months in 1997
with then boyfriend Faiz Ahmad.
She founded a non-government organisation
(NGO) called Sabera Foundation. Together with Nacho Cano and other Spanish
entertainers, they have set up a home, a school and a clinic for homeless
girls and people suffering from tuberculosis in Calcutta. Two documentary
programs were made for Spanish TV on this project. Unfortunately
differences of opinion caused a collapse in the project and Sabera
Foundation tragically no longer exists.
Dated Tom
Cruise. [2001-January 2004]
She was named after the song "Penélope"
by Joan Manuel Serrat.
Her sister 'Monica Cruz' is now a TV star in
Spain. She starred in "Paso adelante, Un" (2002) as a young
dancer with a famous aunt.
Voted the 7th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the
Australian Empire Magazine September 2002.
Lived with Spanish musician Nacho Cano.
Best friends with actresses Goya Toledo and Salma
Hayek.
Ranked #23 in Stuff magazine's "102
Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).
Likes to keep stray cats.
Learned Italian because she wanted her part in
the movie Non ti muovere (2004) really badly. It paid off and she went on
to win the Italian equivalent of the Oscars for Best Actress.
Speaks four languages: Spanish, Italian,
French and English.
Was accompanied by Matthew McConaughey to the
Grammy Awards in 2005. The couple met on the set of Sahara (2005).
Shares her birthday with Jessica
Alba & Jay Leno
Spanish citizen.
Two of her boyfriends have been named
"Sexiest Man Alive" by People Magazine: Tom
Cruise (in 1990) and Matthew McConaughey (in 2005). |
