Trivia

Her sister,Mónica Cruz,was used as her body double during the filming ofPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)on account of her pregnancy.

Speaks three languages: Spanish, Italian and English. Despite common misconception, she can't speak French. She hired a dialect coach to help her in the French filmFanfan la Tulipe (2003)and learned her lines phonetically. She also needs the help of a translator when she is promoting a film on French television.

Second Spanish performer to win an Oscar for acting. The first wasJavier Bardem.

Married long-term partnerJavier Bardemat a friend's house in the Bahamas in a small ceremony with just family members present.

Was seven months pregnant with her son Leo when she completed filming onPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).

Has been in a relationship withJavier Bardemsince they began filmingVicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)together in July 2007.

Learned Italian because she wanted her role in the movieNon ti muovere (2004)really badly. This paid off and she went on to win the Italian equivalent of the Oscars for Best Actress.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 1, 2011. She was awarded byRob Marshall,accompanied by her husbandJavier Bardem,and herPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)co-starJohnny Depp.

Second Spanish performer to be Oscar-nominated. The first one was Javier Bardem.

Best friends with actressesGoya ToledoandSalma Hayek.

Good friends with ex-boyfriendTom Cruise.She was one of the first people to visit his newborn baby daughter Suri.

Likes to keep stray cats.

She claims her role inBigas Luna'sJamón Jamón (1992)psychologically scarred her for life. She was a teenager when she was cast in the film which required her to do nudity and sex scenes.

After filmingAll the Pretty Horses (2000),she became a vegetarian.

Gave birth to her first child at age 36, a son Leonardo Encinas Cruz on January 22, 2011. Child's father is her husband,Javier Bardem.

Greatly admiresJohnny Depp.She worked with him onBlow (2001),Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)andMurder on the Orient Express (2017).

Was originally cast as Justine inMelancholia (2011),but dropped out before filming began in order to pursuePirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).As a result,Kirsten Dunstwas cast instead.

Two of her ex-boyfriends have been named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine:Tom Cruise(in 1990) andMatthew McConaughey(in 2005).

In 2006, she was earning $2 million per year representing L'Oreal cosmetics.

Gave birth to her second child at age 39, a daughter Luna Encinas Cruz on July 22, 2013. Child's father is her husband,Javier Bardem.

Is a huge fan of Indian cinema and has expressed interest in working with Bollywood actorShah Rukh Khansomeday.

Was in a relationship withMatt Damon(June-December 2000).

Was accompanied byMatthew McConaugheyto the Grammy Awards in 2005. The couple met on the set ofSahara (2005).

She is the only actress who has won acting awards from the five main European Film Academies: three Goyas (the Spanish "Oscar" ), one David di Donatello (the Italian "Oscar" ), one Bafta (the British "Oscar" ) one Cesar (the French "Oscar" ) and two Felix (the European "Oscar" ) as well as from the USA Motion Picture Academy (one "Oscar" ).

She was named after the song "Penélope" byJoan Manuel Serrat.

She founded a non-government organisation (NGO) called Sabera Foundation. Together withNacho Canoand 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.

Was in a relationship withTom Cruise(July 2001-January 2004).

Her role-model is Academy Award winnerMeryl Streep.

She spoke Italian in the filmPer amore, solo per amore (1993),then again in the filmAlegre ma non troppo (1994).

MetJavier Bardemfor the first time on the set ofJamón Jamón (1992),but they wouldn't become a couple until working together inVicky Cristina Barcelona (2008).They also worked together onCarne trémula (1997),but didn't share any on-screen time.

She is the only person to win an acting Oscar (Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)) and appear in two Oscar-winning Best Foreign Language Films (Todo sobre mi madre (1999)and Belle Epoque).

Was the 133rd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar forVicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)atThe 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009)on February 22, 2009.

Claims thatVictoria Abril's powerful performance in Pedro Almodóvar'sÁtame! (1989)made her want to become an actress.

Academic curriculum: Finished 2º B.U.P. (second year of secondary school). Had four years of dance performance withCristina Rota,several dance courses at New York, nine years of classic ballet at the Conservatorio Nacional and three years of Spanish ballet with Ángela Garrido. Also had Jazz Dance course with Raúl Caballero.

Resided withNacho Cano,Spanish musician, part of the trio (famous in Spain) called "Mecano", a pop music group. Penelope appeared in one of the band's video-clips "la Fuerza del Destino".

Bigas Lunawas determined to have her starring as the lead character in the torridThe Ages of Lulu (1990),but Penélope was only age 14. They agreed that she was too young for the role andFrancesca Neriwas cast instead. Two years later, Luna's fixation with Cruz resulted in her breakthrough performance inJamón Jamón (1992),her first film, famous for her somewhat erotic scenes. They eventually collaborated again inVolavérunt (1999).

Half-sister of Salma Cruz Moreno (born February 24, 2012) via her father Eduardo Cruz and his second wife, Carmen Moreno.

She was included in FHM magazine's list of '100 Sexiest Women in the World' in 2002 (#48), 2003 (#79), 2004 (#75), 2005 (#51) and 2006 (#72); Stuff magazine's '102 Sexiest Women in the World' in 2002 (#23); Maxim magazine's Hot 100 Women in 2000 (#15), 2006 (#81), 2007 (#58), 2008 (#82), 2009 (#30) and 2016 (#82); and was named Esquire magazine's 'Sexiest Woman Alive' in 2014.

She and husbandJavier Bardemare huge fans ofGlee (2009).

Named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World (2005).

Older sister of singerEduardo Cruz(born 1986) and actressMónica Cruz(born March 16, 1977).

She was the visual inspiration for the illustrations of super-villain Power Ring/Jessica Cruz, eventually turned in the first Green Lantern's woman from planet Earth (created in 2014). Cruz was 40 years old at the point. It matches with the same year that Penelope Cruz was named Esquire magazine's Sexiest Woman Alive.

Launched the new clothing line which she created with her younger sister,Mónica Cruz,in Spain. (July 2007)

It was rumored that she donated her entireThe Hi-Lo Country (1998)salary to theMother Teresa's children's sanctuary in Calcutta after spending a week there volunteering. This was later denied by Cruz, according to a Reuters news article in 2001.

Daughter-in-law ofPilar Bardem.

Aunt of Antonella Cruz Sánchez (born May 14, 2013), via sisterMónica Cruz.

Daughter of Eduardo Cruz (a merchant) and Encarna Sánchez (a hairdresser).

Her sisterMónica Cruzis now a television star in Spain. She starred inUn paso adelante (2002)as a young dancer with a famous aunt.

Voted the 7th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire magazine. (September 2002)

Her Oscar nomination forParallel Mothers (2021)coincided with husbandJavier Bardem's nomination forBeing the Ricardos (2021),a first for the couple. Neither took home the statuette.