For Sale £15 original sketch plus print (£4 print only) incl. UK P&P
Born in Alcobendas, part of Madrid, Spain, better known as Penelope Cruz she became the first Spanish Actress to win an Academy Award for her role in the 2008 film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
With her early years focussed on dance, it wasn’t until her mid-teens that she became interested in acting and having found work in television, debuted in her first film at 17yrs in which she also appeared topless. In the same film appeared Javier Bardem, who she married in July of this year … she is expecting their first child in March 2011.
Over the next three years she appeared in many Spanish and Italian films, appearing in her first American film, The Hi-Lo Country in 1998. A significant turning point in her career came in 2001 with roles in Vanilla Sky, opposite Tom Cruise and Blow, opposite Johnny Depp. Playing roles in a variety of genres some of the films had negative reviews but did well at the box office. Along the way she picked up numerous Awards.
Cruz has donated a considerable amount of time to charity works in Nepal, Uganda and India, where she spent a week working for Mother Teresa. With a clothing store in Madrid, she has designed for Mango, worked for Ralph Lauren and has an exclusive contract for L’Oreal.

A couple of quotes by her: ‘I don’t know if I believe in marriage. I believe in family, love and children’ and ‘I like roles that people don’t recognise me in’.