Big5-Oh
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Penélope Cruz
(APRIL 28) For three decades, the Spanish actor has dazzled audiences with roles in dramatic films including Vanilla Sky, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and 2023’s Ferrari.
EARLY YEARS: Cruz studied classical ballet at the Madrid Royal Conservatory and landed her first acting roles as a teen. “I used to pray every night when I was a little girl, ‘Please, God, don’t lock me in an office,’ ” she told Variety earlier this year. “If I cannot release everything that is going on here, I know I would lose my mind.”
LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT: When Cruz was 19, she did volunteer work in India and met Mother Teresa. “She talked to me about the importance of trying to help someone else every single day,” Cruz told Harper’s Bazaar.
HOMELIFE: Cruz met her husband, Javier Bardem, when they costarred in the Spanish romance Jamón Jamón (1992). They have two children and have appeared in five films together. —Whitney Matheson
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Illustration by Sean McCabe. Penélope Cruz primary photo: Valerie Macon/Getty Images. Clockwise from top: Peter Mountain/Walt Disney Pictures/Everett Collection; Ian West/Getty Images; Philippe Antonello/Sony Pictures/Everett Collection; Lorenzo Sisti/Neon/Everett Collection; Paramount/Everett Collection; Pictorial Press Ltd./Alamy; Emilio Pereda/Everett Collection. Jennings: Eric McCandles/Getty Images; Jewel: Taylor Hill/Getty Images; Crowe: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images; Colbert: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; McDaniels: Nick Tinienko/Stringer/Getty Images; Chan: VCG/VCG via Getty Images; Seinfeld: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Lucas: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Knight: Elyse Jankowski/Getty Imagea; Goodall: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
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