Known outside her native country as the "Spanish enchantress," Penelope Cruz Sohez was born in Madrid to Eduardo (a retailer) and Encarna (a hairdresser).

As a toddler she was already a compulsive performer, reenacting TV commercials for her family's amusement, but she decided to focus her energies on dance. After studyingclassical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory, she continued her training under a series of prominent dancers. At 15, however, she heeded her true calling when she bested more than 300 other girls at a talent agency audition.

The resulting contract landed her several roles in Spanish TV shows and music videos,which in turn paved the way for a career on the big screen. Cruz made her movie debut in(1991) Laberinto griego, El (_The Greek Labyrinth), then appeared briefly in the TimothyDalton thriller (1992) (TV), Framed. Her third film was the Oscar-winning Belle Oque (1992),in which she played one of four sisters dying for the love of a handsome army deserter. The film also garnered several Goyas, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards.