The future star was born April 28, 1974 in Madrid. Her mother was a hairdresser and her father - a modest merchant. Woman dancing and attracted jazz, she studied ballet for a long time in the Spanish Conservatory, and then attended courses of dance in America.
In 1991 she made her debut in the movie Penelope. Her first film was "The Greek Labyrinth". His first acting fee she donated to the fund Mother Teresa. But much more success to the girl came in 1992 after the film "Belle Epoque", where she made her talent to draw attention to themselves. Cruz became famous after the film "Live Flesh" and "Open Your Eyes", then she has played in several English-language tapes.
After Pedro Almodovar film "All About My Mother," which was released in 1999, and who was lucky enough to open the Cannes Film Festival, about Penelope Cruz talking around the world. Its partners in the set were Matt Damon, Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem and other movie stars. In the same year Penelope Cruz started working in the charity Sabera Foundation, which provides children and women of Calcutta drugs, and in addition, the right to receive a decent education.
In 2002, the actress took over as head of the branch of the organization. Penelope Cruz is now engaged in supporting various charitable programs whose purpose - to create hospitals, schools, homes for the homeless. Actress also assists funds involved in the fight against tuberculosis in less developed countries.
In 2009, the famous actress gladly accepted the proposal to hold a charity event in order to raise the necessary funds for research opportunities AIDS. The proposal is the actress received from Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, who once opened her gift to the world.
The actress is trying to attract the attention of society to various problems, in particular, its acute shortage of donor care for cancer patients. Penelope had a big company to support leukemia patients in the UK.