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Cruz in 2009, Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Penélope Cruz Sánchez
Place of Birth: Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain
Date of Birth: 28 April, 1974
Ethnicity: Spanish
Penélope Cruz is a Spanish actress and model. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008). She has appeared in both Spanish and Hollywood roles, also including the films Jamón Jamón , Belle Époque (1992), Open Your Eyes , Live Flesh , The Girl of Your Dreams , The Hi-Lo Country , Don Juan (1998), All About My Mother , Woman on Top , All the Pretty Horses , Blow , Vanilla Sky (2001), Gothika , Volver , Broken Embraces , Nine (2009), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , I’m So Excited! , The Counselor , Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Everybody Knows , Pain and Glory (2019), Parallel Mothers ( Madres paralelas ), Official Competition , Ferrari (2023), The Invite , and The Bride! (2026); and the series Framed and The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story . She has often collaborated with director Pedro Almodóvar . She has modeled for Mango, Ralph Lauren, and L’Oréal, and has been a house ambassador for Chanel.
Penélope was born in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic, from Alonchel, Extremadura, and Encarna Sanchez, a hairdresser and personal manager, from Andalusia. She is the sister of actress Mónica Cruz , and Eduardo, a singer. Penélope and Monica have designed clothing for Mango. Penélope has volunteered in Uganda and India.
She is married to actor Javier Bardem , with whom she has two children.
One article stated that Penélope has some Romani ancestry:
[Penélope] was the oldest of three siblings… by her grandmother she had Gypsy [Romani] blood… She wanted to became ballerina like her grandmother. And although her family wasn’t rich, the mother decided to invest in the future of her daughter.
[Penélope] was the oldest of three siblings… by her grandmother she had Gypsy [Romani] blood… She wanted to became ballerina like her grandmother. And although her family wasn’t rich, the mother decided to invest in the future of her daughter.
It is not clear if this Romani ancestry has been verified/documented.
Penélope’s paternal grandfather was named Manolo Cruz.
Penélope’s paternal grandmother was named Modesta.
Penélope’s maternal grandmother was named Isabel Sánchez.
Source: Genealogy of Penélope Cruz (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com