Penélope Cruz Sánchez (pronounced [pe̞ˈne̞ˑlo̞pe̞ ˈkɾuθ̟ ˈs̺änʲʨe̞θ̟]; born April 28, 1974), better known as Penélope Cruz, is a 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..