Penelope Cruz facts: Actor's age, husband, children, movies and career explained

1 March 2025, 17:58

Penelope Cruz is one of the most talented actresses of her generation, captivating audiences worldwide with her extraordinary range and magnetic screen presence.

From her breakthrough in Spanish cinema with director Pedro Almodóvar to her Hollywood success, Penelope Cruz has built an impressive career spanning decades.

She made history as the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Beyond her acting achievements, she's also known for her humanitarian work and as a fashion icon.

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Her commitment to authentic, emotionally complex performances has cemented her status as a true global star.

Here are all the important facts about the talented actress:

1. How old is Penelope Cruz and where is she from?

   

   Penelope Cruz was born on April 28th, 1974. She celebrated her 50th birthday in 2024.

   She was born to Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser. She has two siblings - a younger sister named Mónica Cruz, who's also an actress and dancer, and a younger brother named Eduardo Cruz Jr, who works as a singer and musician.

   

   The Cruz family are rather talented! Mónica looks remarkably similar to Penelope and has had her own successful career in Spanish entertainment. She's worked as both an actress and a professional flamenco dancer.

   The sisters are actually so similar in appearance that Mónica served as Penelope's body double for some scenes in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides when Penelope was pregnant during filming.

2. How did she get her start in acting?

   

   Penelope got her start in acting pretty early on. When she was just a teenager, she beat out 300 other girls in a talent agency audition which kickstarted everything for her.

   Her first big break came when she appeared in a music video for the Spanish pop group Mecano in 1989. Shortly after, she hosted a teen talk show called La Quinta Marcha on Spanish TV.

   But it was her film debut in Jamón Jamón in 1992 that really put her on the map. This drama had her starring alongside Javier Bardem (who later became her husband). The film was quite controversial because of its explicit content, but it showed everyone that Penelope had serious acting chops.

   From there, she began working with director Pedro Almodóvar, who became a huge influence on her career. Their first film together was Live Flesh in 1997, and they've made several more since then. Almodóvar is often credited with helping shape her into the fantastic actress she became.

3. What are her most famous roles?

   

   Here are some of her most famous movie roles:

   • Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - This is probably her biggest achievement. She won an Oscar for her role as María Elena, the passionate and volatile ex-wife of Javier Bardem's character.
   • Vanilla Sky (2001) - She starred alongside Tom Cruise in this psychological thriller, which was actually a remake of a Spanish film she was also in called Open Your Eyes.
   • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - She played Angelica, Captain Jack Sparrow's former love interest and the daughter of Blackbeard.
   • All About My Mother (1999) - This was one of her collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar that really showcased her talent and helped her break through internationally.
   • Volver (2006) - Another Almodóvar film that earned her an Oscar nomination. She played Raimunda, a working-class woman dealing with family drama and a dead body.
   • Nine (2009) - She showed off her dancing skills in this musical where she starred alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, and Marion Cotillard.

   People also know her from Blow with Johnny Depp, Sahara with Matthew McConaughey, and more recently, Parallel Mothers, which got her another Oscar nomination.

4. Is she married and does she have children?

   

   Yes, Penelope is married to fellow Spanish actor Javier Bardem. They have quite the story together - they first met when filming Jamón Jamón in 1992, which was actually her debut film, but they didn't begin dating until around 2007 after working together again on Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

   They married in 2010 in a private ceremony in the Bahamas. Together they have two children - a son named Leo, born in January 2011, and a daughter named Luna, born in July 2013.

   Penelope has had a few notable relationships before settling down with Javier Bardem. She dated Tom Cruise for about three years after they met on the set of Vanilla Sky around 2001. Their relationship attracted quite a bit of media attention, as you might imagine.

   Before Tom, she was in a serious relationship with Matthew McConaughey for about a year after they worked together on Sahara. She also dated Spanish singer Nacho Cano for a few years in the 1990s, and had a three-year relationship with Czech director Tomas Obermaier.

   There were also rumours about a relationship with Nicolas Cage after they filmed Captain Corelli's Mandolin, though these were never confirmed.