Penélope Cruz

Counted among the 50 most beautiful people of 2000 by People magazine, Cruz's stunning looks have kept her busy in the movie business; being taken seriously is another day's work. She made her debut in 1991 in El Laberinto griego (Greek Labyrinth) and worked steadily thereafter in Spanish cinema, most notably in Belle époque (1992) and Abre los ojos (1997). For her role in La Niña de tus ojos (1998) she won a Best Actress Goya. Her work with rising director Pedro Almodóvar in Live Flesh (1997) and All About My Mother (1999) brought her international fame, after which she was just as much in demand on this side of the Atlantic. Her U.S. credits include Hi-Lo Country (1998), Woman on Top (2000), All the Pretty Horses (2000), and Blow (2001). She also stars in Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001) with Nicholas Cage, and with Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (2001), a remake of Abre los ojos.