Cruz achieved recognition for her lead roles in Vanilla Sky and Blow. Her most notable films to date are Volver (2006), for which she earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), for which she received an Academy Award. Cruz has modeled for companies such as Mango, Ralph Lauren and L’Oréal. Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and personal manager, and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic.On her grandmother side, Cruz is of Gypsy descent . She was raised Roman Catholic. When Cruz was a teenager, she began having an interest in acting after seeing the film Tie Me Up. Tie Me Down. by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. She began doing casting calls for an agent, but was rejected multiple times because the agent felt that she was too young.
