Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born April 28, 1974), better known as Penélope Cruz, is a two-time Golden Globe, two-time SAG, BAFTA and Academy Award nominated Spanish actress. She gathered critical acclaim as a young actress for films such as Jamón, Jamón, La Niña de tus ojos and Belle époque. She has also starred in several American films such as Blow, Vanilla Sky, and Bandidas.
Cruz has been awarded two Goyas, two European Film Awards and the Coppa Volpi for her work. She is the first Spanish actress ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Pedro Almodóvar's 2006 Spanish film Volver.After appearing in the 2001 film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise, they had a three-year relationship which ended in January 2004. After filming Sahara in February 2005, she began dating actor Matthew McConaughey. In May 2006, they released a joint statement to People, saying that they "have decided to take time off as a couple." Later that year they announced that they were "no longer intimate and separating was the best thing to do at this time". At the start of 2007, Penélope Cruz and U2's Bono were rumored as having an affair after being photographed holding hands. This rumor quickly expired.
Apart from being a close personal friend of the actress Salma Hayek, Cruz is also a good friend of Colombian singer Shakira.