Penélope Cruz Sánchez (born April 28, 1974) is a Spanishactress.
Born in Madrid, Spain, Cruz was a dancer as a child and young teen, and actually dropped out of high school to pursue dancing at National Conservatory of Madrid (majored in Classical Ballet) and theatre at Cristina Rota's School in New York (4 years).
Her looks and style have been compared favorably with Sophia Loren.
In early 2002 she began a relationship with Tom Cruise after his separation from Nicole Kidman. The relationship started on the set of the film Vanilla Sky in which they appeared together.