Entertainment

Rob Marshall, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Johnny Depp on hand to celebrate the star of the upcoming “PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES”

In anticipation of the release of her new film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” in theaters May 20, 2011, Penelope Cruz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, April 1, at 11:30 am. in front of the El Capitan Theatre, 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, joined by “On Stranger Tides” co-star Johnny Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall.  An Academy Award® winner Penelope Cruz has proven herself to be one of the most versatile actresses by playing a variety of compelling characters, and most recently, becoming the first actress from Spain to be nominated and to win an Oscar®.

First introduced to American audiences in the Spanish films “Jamon, Jamon” and “Belle Epoque,” in 1998 she starred in her first English language film, “The Hi-Lo Country” for director Stephen Frears opposite Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette and Billy Crudup. In 1999, Cruz won the Best Actress award at the 13^th Annual Goya Awards given by the Spanish Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for her role in Fernando Trueba’s “The Girl of Your Dreams.”

Confirming her status as an international actress, Cruz landed a series of coveted roles. She appeared in Billy Bob Thornton’s “All the Pretty Horses,” Fina Torres’ “Woman on Top,” Alejandro Amenabar’s “Open Your Eyes,” and Maria Ripoli’s “Twice Upon a Yesterday”.  Additionally, Cruz co-starred in Pedro Almodovar’s “Live Flesh” and the critically acclaimed “All About My Mother,” which was awarded the Golden Globe® and Oscar® for Best Foreign Film.

Next up for Cruz was a role opposite Johnny Depp in “Blow” for director Ted Demme and “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” opposite Nicolas Cage. After that, Cruz starred opposite Tom Cruise in Cameron Crowe’s thriller “Vanilla Sky.” She then tackled “Masked & Anonymous,” “Fan Fan la Tulipe,” which opened the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and “Don’t Tempt Me.” She received rave reviews for her performance in “Don’t Move” (“Non ti Muovere”) in which she was honored with a David Di Donatello Award (Italian Oscar) and the European Film Award for Best Actress.

To add to her already diverse choice of film credits, she starred in films including “Gothika,” “Head in the Clouds,” and “Sahara.”

In 2006, Cruz starred in “Volver,” which again teamed her with director and dear friend Pedro Almodovar. Critically-acclaimed for her role as Raimunda, she won the Best Actress awards at the European Film Awards, the Spanish Goya Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and received both Golden Globe® and Oscar® nominations.

Her recent credits include “Elegy” opposite Sir Ben Kingsley and Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” opposite Javier Bardem and Scarlet Johansson. Cruz won an Oscar®, a BAFTA, a New York Film Critics Circle and a National Board of Review award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

In 2009, Cruz and Almodovar were back in action for the fourth time with “Broken Embraces,” for which she again received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Lena. Also that year, she teamed up with “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” director Rob Marshall for the first time and starred alongside Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard in the film version of the musical “Nine.” Her standout portrayal of Carla garnered Screen Actors Guild®, Golden Globe® and Academy Award® nominations.  Her third Oscar® nomination made history as it marked only the third time in Oscar history where the winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress was nominated for the same award again in the following year.

Cruz is involved in the following charities: Worldwide (RED) campaign lead by Bono and Bobby Shiver,  Artists for Peace and Justice in Haiti (APJ), UNICEF The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). She had the honor of working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity; volunteering in a leprosy clinic in India and she also worked with the Dalai Lama for the House of Tibet in Spain.