Penelope Cruz

Penélope Cruz began her screen career in 1989, appearing in the music video for Mecano's "La Fuerza del Destino." Between 1990 and 1991, she hosted the Spanish television program La Quinta Marcha and appeared in the French television series Série rose (1991). She made her feature film debut in Jamón, jamón (1992), earning Goya Award and Spanish Actors Union Award nominations, and also appeared in the Academy Award-winning Belle Époque (1992). From 1993 to 1996, she worked steadily in Spanish and Italian cinema before appearing in Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health, Live Flesh, A Corner of Paradise, and Open Your Eyes (all 1997).

Cruz made her American film debut in The Hi-Lo Country (1998). That same year, she appeared in Don Juan and The Girl of Your Dreams, winning the Goya Award and the Spanish Actors Union Award for the latter. She reunited with director Pedro Almodóvar in All About My Mother (1999), which became an international success. In 2000, she starred in Woman on Top, her first American leading role, and appeared in All the Pretty Horses.

In 2001, Cruz starred in Vanilla Sky and Blow, both of which helped establish her in Hollywood. She also appeared in Don't Tempt Me and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001). Her subsequent films included Waking Up in Reno (2002), Gothika and Fanfan la Tulipe (2003), Noel, Head in the Clouds, and Don't Move (2004), winning the David di Donatello Award and the European Film Award for Best Actress for Don't Move. In 2005, she appeared in Sahara, Chromophobia, and the international release of Don't Move.

Cruz received widespread acclaim for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver (2006), winning the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award alongside her co-stars, as well as the Goya Award and European Film Award for Best Actress. She also earned nominations for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, becoming the first Spanish actress nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also appeared in Bandidas (2006), Manolete and The Good Night (2007), and Elegy (2008).

In 2008, Cruz starred in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, winning the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Goya Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award. She voiced Juarez in G-Force (2009), appeared in Broken Embraces (2009), and earned another Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Nine (2009).

Cruz made a cameo in Sex and the City 2 (2010) before starring opposite Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), one of the highest-grossing films of all time. In 2011, she also became the first Spanish actress to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She appeared in To Rome with Love and Twice Born (both 2012), followed by The Counselor and I'm So Excited! (2013). In 2015, she co-produced and starred in Ma Ma, earning another Goya Award nomination.

Her later film work includes Zoolander 2, Grimsby, and The Queen of Spain (all 2016); Loving Pablo and Murder on the Orient Express (2017); and Everybody Knows (2018). She made her television debut as Donatella Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018), receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

In 2021, Cruz starred in Official Competition and reunited with Pedro Almodóvar for Parallel Mothers. For Parallel Mothers, she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress and received her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She followed with The 355, L'immensità, and On the Fringe (all 2022), serving as a producer on On the Fringe. In 2023, she portrayed Laura Ferrari in Ferrari.

In 2025, Cruz was cast in Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's The Black Ball, which premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Also in 2026, she co-starred in the comedy-drama The Invite and signed on to star in an untitled Nancy Meyers comedy scheduled for release in 2027.