Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Signed by an agent at age 15, Cruz made her acting debut at 16 on television, and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón Jamón . Her subsequent roles in the 1990s and 2000s included Belle Époque , Open Your Eyes , The Hi-Lo Country , The Girl of Your Dreams , and Woman on Top . She is also known for her frequent collaborations with director Pedro Almodóvar in Live Flesh , All About My Mother , Volver , Broken Embraces , I'm So Excited! , Pain and Glory , and Parallel Mothers , as well as with director Woody Allen in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and To Rome with Love .