Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
name	Ancona
official name	Città di Ancona
image shield	Ancona-Stemma.png
coordinates type	region:IT-AN_type:city(101210)
coordinates display	title
region
province	(AN)
frazioni	Aspio, Gallignano, Montacuto, Massignano, Montesicuro, Candia, Ghettarello, Paterno, Casine di Paterno, Poggio di Ancona, Sappanico, Varano
mayor party	Democratic Party
mayor	Fiorello Gramillano
area total km2	123.71
population total	101210
population as of	31 August 2007
population demonym	Anconetani, Anconitani (English: anconitans)
elevation m	16
saint	Judas Cyriacus
day	4 May
postal code	60100, from 60121 to 60129, 60131
area code	071
website
footnotes	}}

Ancona (, from ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche, a region of central Italy, population 101,909 (2005). Ancona is situated on the Adriatic Sea and is the center of the province of Ancona and the capital of the region.

The city is located 280 km northeast of Rome.

The town is finely situated on and between the slopes of the two extremities of the promontory of Monte Conero, Monte Astagno, occupied by the citadel, and Monte Guasco, on which the Duomo stands (150 m). The latter, dedicated to St Judas Cyriacus, is said to occupy the site of a temple of Venus, who is mentioned by Catullus and Juvenal as the tutelary deity of the place.

History

Ancona was founded by Greek settlers from Syracuse about 387 BC, who gave it its name: ''Ancona'' is a very slightly modified transliteration of the Greek Αγκων, meaning "elbow"; the harbor to the east of the town was originally protected only by the promontory on the north, shaped like an elbow. Greek merchants established a Tyrian purple factory here. In Roman times it kept its own coinage with the punning device of the bent arm holding a palm branch, and the head of Aphrodite on the reverse, and continued the use of the Greek language.

When it became a Roman colony is doubtful. It was occupied as a naval station in the Illyrian War of 178 BC. Julius Caesar took possession of it immediately after crossing the Rubicon. Its harbour was of considerable importance in imperial times, as the nearest to Dalmatia, and was enlarged by Trajan, who constructed the north quay with his Syrian architect Apollodorus of Damascus. At the beginning of it stands the marble triumphal arch with a single archway, and without bas-reliefs, erected in his honour in 115 by the senate and roman people.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ancona was successively attacked by the Goths, Lombards and Saracens, but recovered its strength and importance. It was one of the cities of the Pentapolis under the Exarchate of Ravenna, an administrative unit of the Byzantine Empire. With the Carolingian conquest of northern Italy, it became the capital of the Marca di Ancona, whence the name of the modern region. After 1000 Ancona became increasingly independent, eventually turning into an important maritime republic (together with Gaeta, Trani and Ragusa, it is one of those not appearing on the Italian naval flag), often clashing against the nearby power of Venice. An oligarchic republic, Ancona was ruled by six Elders, elected by the three ''terzieri'' into which the city was divided: S. Pietro, Porto and Capodimonte. It had a coin of its own, the agontano, and a series of laws known as ''Statuti del mare e del Terzenale'' and ''Statuti della Dogana''. Ancona was usually allied with Ragusa and the Byzantine Empire. In 1137, 1167 and 1174 it was strong enough to push back imperial forces. Anconitan ships took part in the Crusades, and their navigators included Cyriac of Ancona. In the struggle between the Popes and the Emperors that troubled Italy from the 12th century onwards, Ancona sided with the Guelphs. Differently from other cities of northern Italy, Ancona never became a seignory. The sole exception was the rule of the Malatesta, who took the city in 1348 taking advantage of the black death and of a fire that had destroyed many of its important buildings. The Malatesta were ousted in 1383. In 1532 it definitively lost its freedom and became part of the Papal States, under Pope Clement VII. Symbol of the papal authority was the massive Citadel. Together with Rome and Avignon, Ancona was the sole city in the Papal States in which the Jews were allowed to stay after 1569, living in the ghetto built after 1555.

In 1733 Pope Clement XII extended the quay, and an inferior imitation of Trajan's arch was set up; he also erected a Lazaretto at the south end of the harbor, Luigi Vanvitelli being the architect-in-chief. The southern quay was built in 1880, and the harbour was protected by forts on the heights. From 1797 onwards, when the French took it, it frequently appears in history as an important fortress. Ancona entered in the Kingdom of Italy when Christophe Léon Louis Juchault de Lamoricière surrendered here on 29 September 1860, eleven days after his defeat at Castelfidardo.

During World War II, in July 1944, the city was taken by the Polish II Corps as part of an Allied operation to gain access to a seaport closer to the Gothic Line in order to shorten their lines of communication for the advance into northern Italy.

Demographics

In 2007, there were 101,480 people residing in Ancona (the greater area has a population more than four times its size), located in the province of Ancona, Marche, of whom 47.6% were male and 52.4% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 15.54 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 24.06 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Ancona resident is 48 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Ancona grew by 1.48 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent. The current birth rate of Ancona is 8.14 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.

As of 2006, 92.77% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group came from other European nations (particularly those from Albania, Romania and Ukraine): 3.14%, followed by the Americas: 0.93%, East Asia: 0.83%, and North Africa: 0.80%.

Main sights

Cathedral church of S. Ciriaco

The Cathedral of Ancona, dedicated to St. Ciriaco, was consecrated at the beginning of the 11th century and completed in 1189. Some writers suppose that the original church was in the form of a basilica and belonged to the 7th century. An early restoration was completed in 1234. It is a fine Romanesque building in grey stone, built in the form of a Greek cross, and other elements of Byzantine art. It has a dodecagonal dome over the center slightly altered by Margaritone d'Arezzo in 1270. The façade has a Gothic portal, ascribed to Giorgio da Como (1228), which was intended to have a lateral arch on each side. The interior, which has a crypt under each transept, in the main preserves its original character. It has ten columns which are attributed to the temple of Venus, and there are good screens of the 12th century, and other sculptures. The church was carefully restored in the 1980s.

Other sights

The marble Arch of Trajan, 18 m high, erected in 114/115 as an entrance to the causeway atop the harbor wall in honor of the emperor who had made the harbor, is one of the finest Roman monuments in the Marche. Most of its original bronze enrichments have disappeared. It stands on a high podium approached by a wide flight of steps. The archway, only 3 m wide, is flanked by pairs of fluted Corinthian columns on pedestals. An attic bears inscriptions. The format is that of the Arch of Titus in Rome, but made taller, so that the bronze figures surmounting it, of Trajan, his wife Plotina and sister Marciana, would figure as a landmark for ships approaching Rome's greatest Adriatic port.

The ''Lazzaretto'' (''Laemocomium'' or "Mole Vanvitelliana"), planned by architect Luigi Vanvitelli in 1732 is a pentagonal building covering more than 20,000 m², built to protect the military defensive authorities from the risk of contagious diseases eventually reaching the town with the ships. Later it was used also as a military hospital or as barracks; it is currently used for cultural exhibits.

The Episcopal Palace was the place where Pope Pius II died in 1464.

The church of ''Santa Maria della Piazza'', with an elaborate arcaded façade (1210).

The ''Palazzo del Comune'', with its lofty arched substructures at the back, was the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo, but has been restored twice.

Church of ''San Francesco alle Scale''

Church of ''Sant'Agostino'', built by the Augustinians in 1341 as ''Santa Maria del Popolo'', and enlarged by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th century and turned into a palace after 1860. It has maintained the Gothic portal by Giorgio da Sebenico, with statues portraying St. Monica, St. Nicola da Tolentino, St. Simplicianus and Blessed Agostino Trionfi.

Church of the ''Santi Pellegrino e Teresa'' (18th century)

Church of the ''Santissimo Sacramento'' (16th and 18th century)

There are also several fine late Gothic buildings, including the ''Palazzo Benincasa'', the ''Palazzo del Senato'' and the ''Loggia dei Mercanti'', all by Giorgio da Sebenico, and the prefecture, which has Renaissance additions.

The archaeological museum contains pre-Roman (Piceni) objects from tombs in the district, and two Roman beds with fine decorations in ivory.

The Pinacoteca Civica Francesco Podesti is housed in the Palazzo Bosdari, reconstructed in 1558 - 1561 by Pellegrino Tibaldi. Works in the gallery include:

''Madonna with Child'', panel by Carlo Crivelli

''Sacra Conversazione'' by Lorenzo Lotto

''Portrait of Francesco Arsilli'' by Sebastiano Del Piombo

''Circumcision'' by Orazio Gentileschi

''Immaculate Conception'' and ''St. Palazia'' by Guercino

''Four Saints in Ecstasis'' and ''Musician Angels'' by Andrea Lillio

''Gozzi Altarpiece'' by Titian

Other artists present include Carlo da Camerino (late 15th- early 16th century) and Arcangelo di Cola (fl. 1416-1429). Modern artists featured are Bartolini, Bucci, Campigli, Cassinari, Cucchi, Levi, Sassu, Tamburi, Trubbiani, Podesti and others.

Transportation

Shipping

The Port has regular ferry links to the following cities with the following operators:

Adria Ferries (Durrës)

Blue Line International (Split, Stari Grad, Vis)

Jadrolinija (Split, Zadar)

SNAV (Split) (seasonal)

Superfast Ferries (Igoumenitsa, Patras)

ANEK Lines (Igoumenitsa, Patras)

Minoan Lines (Igoumenitsa, Patras)

Marmara Lines (Cesme)

Airport

Ancona is served by Ancona Airport (IATA: AOI, ICAO: LIPY), an airport located in Falconara Marittima and named after Raffaello Sanzio.

Railways

Ancona "''Centrale''" is the main railway station of the city and is served by regional and long distance trains. The other stations are Ancona Marittima, Ancona Torrette, Palombina and Varano.

Roads

The A14 motorway serves the city with the exits "Ancona Nord" (''An. North'') and "Ancona Sud" (''An. South'').

Urban public transportation

The Ancona trolleybus system has been in operation since 1949. Ancona is also served by an urban bus network.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Ancona is twinned with:

	* Izmir, Turkey	* Galaţi, Romania	Split (city)>Split, Croatia		Ribnica, Slovenia>Ribnica, Slovenia	* Svolvær, Norway	* Castlebar, Ireland

See also

Maritime republics

Biblioteca comunale Luciano Benincasa

Notes

References

Notes

External links

Official Site

Marche Tourism site

Photos: sauromarini.it, antoniomucherino.it

Ancona, a breed of chicken named after the Italian city

Site with photo, guides and forum

Wine and Fish in the city of Ancona

The Jewish Community of Ancona

A little English Guide website made from the people of Ancona, to show Another point of view

Category:Cities and towns in the Marche Category:Coastal cities and towns in Italy Category:Populated places established in the 4th century BC Category:Maritime Republics Category:Port cities and towns of the Adriatic Sea Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy Category:Ancient Greek cities

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Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
name	Jon Culshaw
birth date	June 02, 1968
birth place	Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
medium	Television, Stand up
nationality	English
active	1980s-present
genre	Impressions, Sketch comedy
influences	Harry Enfield
influenced	Paul Burling
notable work	''Dead Ringers'' (2000–2007)''2DTV'' (2001–2004)''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' (2004) ''Headcases'' (2008–present) ''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson'' (2009) }}

Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk, and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan.

He is famous for his work on BBC Radio 4 and BBC2's ''Dead Ringers'' , ITV's ''2DTV'' and his contributions to BBC Radio 1, particularly on ''The Chris Moyles Show''. He also appeared in ITV's ''Heartbeat'' on 26 November 2006.

Early career

His radio career began in hospital radio in Ormskirk. His first job was at Red Rose Radio (now Rock FM) in Preston in 1987, where even then he used to occasionally read the weather in the voice of Frank Bruno. He did voice-over work then was catapulted to prominence with ''Spitting Image'', where he voiced around forty characters, including John Major, the then Prime Minister.

For around four years in the late 1980s, he was a DJ on the commercial radio station Viking FM, based in Hull, and also had a breakfast show on Pennine Radio (now The Pulse of West Yorkshire) and Radio Wave in Blackpool. It was a receptionist at Viking FM who persuaded Culshaw he should go onstage with his impressions and make it his living. He later appeared on BBC Radio 2's ''It's Been a Bad Week'', appeared as a guest on the BBC2 ''Star Trek Night'' Quiz in August 1996, and was also a regular guest on the Chris Moyles afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 from 1998–2002, where he would phone up commercial organisations such as a Kwik-Fit garage in the voice of Patrick Moore or Obi-Wan Kenobi, politely requesting whether they could service his X-wing fighter, and how much time it would take.

Later career

He rose to fame in January 1998 by impersonating William Hague while working for Capital Radio, and succeeding in contacting Number 10 Downing Street. He was put through to Tony Blair who, despite instantly discovering the ruse, had a lengthy conversation with him until a member of Blair's staff ended the call.

Culshaw was one of the stars of the BBC Radio 4 comedy impression series ''Dead Ringers'', which ran from 2000 to 2007, and the BBC Two television series of the same name, from 2002 to 2007.

Between 2001 and 2002 he had a programme on ITV called ''Alter Ego'' where he interviewed male celebrities in their own style of speaking, a form of simultaneous translation. On ITV he also appeared on 2DTV, a cartoon version of what ''Dead Ringers'' would do when transposed to TV. Using the same production team, in early 2004, he had his own programme, ''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' which was commissioned for ITV1.

His most famous impressions are ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Obi-Wan Kenobi (in the Alec Guinness persona), Russell Crowe, President George W. Bush, Ozzy Osbourne, Dale Winton, the newsreader Brian Perkins, Sir Patrick Moore and Tom Baker (who played the fourth incarnation of The Doctor in ''Doctor Who'').

He also appeared in the ''Doctor Who'' webcast "Death Comes to Time" and audio drama ''The Kingmaker''. In the latter, he got to perform his Tom Baker impression "for real" (voicing tape recordings of the fourth Doctor), although his nominal part was that of Earl Rivers.

In 2005, Culshaw was a celebrity contestant on ''Comic Relief does Fame Academy''.

In January 2006, he began presenting the BBC show ''Jon Culshaw's Commercial Breakdown'' shown on Friday Nights. In 2006, he received an honorary fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

Culshaw was one of the final judges in Let's Dance for Comic Relief.

In August 2007, he appeared on a celebrity edition of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' with John Thomson.

In January 2008, he appeared on ''Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack'', as part of a pub-quiz team, with Chris Moyles. In May 2008 he appeared in the BBC documentary series ''Comedy Map of Britain''.

He is also voicing Piston Pete in the upcoming film Agent Crush.

On 29 December 2008, Culshaw appeared on Celebrity Mastermind. His specialist subject was British Pop of the 80s. He came third with 23 points.

In November 2007, and again in December 2008, Culshaw appeared on ''The Sky at Night'' and is a keen amateur astronomer.

On 31 October 2009, Culshaw started a new comedy sketch show with Debra Stephenson, ''The Impression Show with Culshaw and Stephenson''.

In 2010, Culshaw appeared in the television series, ''Missing'', as Des Martin.

In March 2011 he appeared on the 700th episode of The Sky at Night reading viewers questions to the panel of experts. He appeared again on the May edition of the show reporting on the Northern Lights.

Filmography

''2DTV'' ''Room 101 (TV series) ''Dead Ringers (comedy) ''The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' ''Little Britain'' ''Churchill: The Hollywood Years'' (Film) ''The Slammer'' ''The Secret Policeman's Ball 2006'' ''The Sky at Night'' ''Red Nose Day 2007'' ''Kombat Opera Presents'' ''Headcases'' ''Hotel Babylon'' ''Agent Crush'' (Film) ''Horrible Histories ''The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson'' ''Heston's Eighties Feast'' ''The Sky At Night''

Year !! Title !! Role !! Channel
2001	''Alter Ego''	Starring
2001	|	Voice	ITV
2002	Room 101'' ||	Patrick Moore impression	BBC Two
2002–2009	Dead Ringers'' ||	Starring	BBC Two
2004	|	Starring	ITV
2004	|	Guest	BBC One
2004	|	Actor (as Tony Blair)	–
2006	|	Guest	BBC One
2006	|	Guest	Channel 4
2007	|	'Young' Patrick Moore	BBC One
2007	|	Various	BBC One
2007	|	Guest	BBC Two
2008	|	Voice	ITV
2008	|	Guest	BBC One
2008	|	Voice	–
2008 - present	|	Voice (Guest)	CBBC / BBC One
2009	|	Starring	BBC One
2010	|	Guest	Channel 4
2011	|	Guest	BBC One

References

External links

Alter Ego.

Article in ''The Stage''

BBC Dead Ringers.

Honorary fellowship

Viking FM photo

Audio clips

Prank call.

The Time Lord contacts terrestrial organisations by telephone.

Voice over work.

Viking FM jingle

Talking about his work on ''Dead Ringers''.

Interviewed on Radio Lancashire in July 2006

Helping out with Budget 2005 on Radio Five Live

''Would You'' featuring celebrity vocals

Talking on Danny Baker's programme.

This is the Radio Four News with Brian Perkins.

Are you sitting comfortably? It's time for Dead Ringers to begin.

Video clips

Receiving his honorary degree in Preston (YouTube)

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:English comedians Category:English Roman Catholics Category:People from Ormskirk Category:British impressionists (entertainers) Category:Fame Academy participants

Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
birth date	July 04, 1968
birth place	Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
occupation	Actress, impressionist, author
spouse	Gerard Hall
website	}}

Ronni Ancona (born 4 July 1968, Troon, Ayrshire) is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in ''Big Impression''.

Career

Ancona made a one-off appearance on ''Blue Peter'' in 1986 while she was still at school, but only became a household name as a result of appearing in the BBC's ''Big Impression'' alongside Alistair McGowan.

Her comedy career started on the comedy circuit and she won the ''Time Out Hackney Empire New Act of the Year'' in 1993. She worked extensively in radio and television before becoming a household name in the BAFTA award winning ''The Big Impression'' for which she won a ''British Comedy Award'' and ''Variety Club Award''.

As part of BBC's ''Big Read'' she promoted ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''.

Before ''Big Impression'', Ancona had featured in films and TV shows, such as Fist of Fun, for many years, as well as performing stand-up comedy. She also appeared in the first series of ''The Sketch Show''.

In 2005 she played Barbara, opposite Bill Nighy, Miranda Richardson and Emily Blunt in Stephen Poliakoff's ''Gideon's Daughter'' on BBC One.

She was Beline in Molière's ''The Hypochondriac'' at the Almeida Theatre.

She has appeared four times on the BBC celebrity panel show ''QI''. She won episode four of series four ('Dictionaries') in October 2006, won again in the first episode of series six in November 2008 ('Family'), and also won on the women's team with Sandi Toksvig in January 2010. In November 2006 she was a guest presenter of ''Have I Got News For You''. She has also appeared on the Channel 4 comedy show ''TV Heaven, Telly Hell'' discussing her preferences in television shows.

In December 2006 she revealed herself as a fan of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and appeared on ''Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two''.

In 2007, following a successfully received pilot, the BBC commissioned a new comedy sketch series titled ''Ronni Ancona & Co'' consisting of her own material and co-starring Phil Cornwell, Jan Ravens and John Sessions. The show initially aired on 25 May 2007 and had three episodes.

In 2008 Ancona appeared in the film ''Penelope'' as Wanda.

Ancona appeared as the mother of Katie and Emily Fitch in the third and fourth series of ''Skins''.

In 2009 Ancona appeared in Hope Springs on BBC 1. She was one of eight main cast members.

On 24 July 2009, Ancona appeared on ''The One Show'', and she appeared on it again, with Alistair McGowan, on 16 October 2009.

In April 2010, Ancona appeared on ''A Comedy Roast'', celebrating Sharon Osbourne's life.

In 2009 her first book ''A Matter Of Life And Death: How To Wean A Man Off Football'' was published by Faber & Faber.

Appearances

Television

! Title	! Channel	! Year
''Loose Women (Series 16)	ITV 1	2011
''Midsomer Murders'' (Series 13, Episode 8)	ITV 1	2011
''QI'' (Series H, Episode 15)	BBC	2011
	Channel 4 / E4	2009/2010
''Bremner, Bird & Fortune''	Channel 4	2009
	BBC	2009
''QI'' (Series F, Episode 1)	BBC	2008
''Ronni Ancona & Co.''	BBC	2007
''Agatha Christie's Marple''	ITV Nicholas Winding Refn	2007
''Hotel Babylon''	BBC	2007
''QI'' (Series D, Episode 4)	BBCFour	2006
	BBC	2006
''Gideon's Daughter''	BBC Stephen Poliakoff	2005
''Sven and Nancy's Big Impression''	BBC
''Posh and Becks' Big Impression'' (Christmas Special)	BBC
''The Big Impression'' (4 series, 3 specials)	BBC	1999–2005 (BAFTA, ''British Comedy Award'', ''Royal Variety Club Award'')
''The Key''	Key Films Ltd / BBC	2003
''The Big Impression Christmas Special''	BBC
''The Sketch Show''	Baby Cow / Avalon	2001 (BAFTA)
''Dr Terrible's House of Horrible''	BBC / Baby Cow Productions	2001
''Holby City''	BBC	2000
''Mark Lamarr Leaving 20th Century''	BBC	1999
''Comedy Nation''	BBC	1998
''Space Cadets''	Channel 4	1997
''Pulp Video''	BBC Scotland	1995
''Rory Bremner, Who Else?''	Vera / Channel 4	1993
''Fist of Fun''	BBC	1995–1996
''Scratchy and Co.''	Carlton	1995
''The Geeks''	ITV
''The Imaginatively Titled Punt and Dennis Show''	BBC	1994
''Ben Elton: The Man from Auntie''	BBC	1994
''The Full Monty''	Granada
''Standing Room Only''	BBC	1991
''The Comedy Store''	BBC
''Live at Jongleurs''	ITV
''The Staggering Stories of Ferdinand de Bargos''	BBC2	1989

Film

! Title	! Year	! Notes
	2008	Dir: Mark Polansky
''A Cock and Bull Story''	2005	Dir: Michael Winterbottom
''Stella Street- The Movie''	2004	Absolutely Productions
''The Calcium Kid''	2004	Calcium Films Ltd
''The Debt Collector''	1999	Channel 4 Films

Radio

! Title	! Channel
''LIFE, DEATH & SEX WITH MIKE & SUE''	Radio 4
''The Alan Davies Show''	Radio 4
''Weekending''	Radio 4

Theatre

! Title	! Venue
''The Hypocondriac''	Almeida Theatre
''Singin In The Rain''	Sadlers Wells, London
''Miss Conceptions''	Edinburgh Festival
''Mixed Doubles''	Rowntree Theatre, York

Personal life

Ancona was born in Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland and is of Italian and Jewish descent. In the programme "Comedy Map of Britain", she returned to her old school in Troon and talked about her earliest comedy performing experience as part of an improvisation group called "Pots People". She had a seven-year relationship with Alistair McGowan which ended shortly before they started working together professionally. Ancona is married with two daughters and lives in west London.

References

External links

Category:1968 births Category:British impressionists (entertainers) Category:Scottish people of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Category:Scottish Jews Category:Sephardi Jews Category:People from Troon

Coordinates	6°7′55″N1°13′22″N
name	Penélope Cruz
alt	The photo shows a close-up of a Spanish woman with her brown highlight hair clipped behind her ears. The woman is wearing eyeliner and lipgloss as well as pink and white colored dangling earrings on both her ears. She is wearing a strapless black dress with black feathers. In the background, a blonde woman can be seen as well as a red curtain.
birth name	Penélope Cruz Sánchez
birth date	April 28, 1974
birth place	Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, Spain
occupation	Actress
years active	1992–present
spouse	Javier Bardem (2010–present)
children	1 }}

Penélope Cruz (born Penélope Cruz Sánchez on April 28, 1974) is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in ''Jamón, jamón'' (1992), to critical acclaim. Her subsequent roles in the 1990s and 2000s included ''Open Your Eyes'' (1997), ''The Hi-Lo Country'' (1999), ''The Girl of Your Dreams'' (2000) and ''Woman on Top'' (2000). Cruz achieved recognition for her lead roles in ''Vanilla Sky'' and ''Blow''. Both films were released in 2001 and were commercially successful worldwide.

In the 2000s she has appeared in films from a wide range of genres, including the comedy ''Waking Up in Reno'' (2002), the thriller ''Gothika'' (2003), the Christmas movie ''Noel'' (2004), the action adventure ''Sahara'' (2005), the animated ''G-Force'' and the musical drama ''Nine''. Her most notable films to date are ''Volver'' (2006), for which she earned Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and ''Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' (2008), for which she received an Academy Award. She was the first Spanish actress in history to receive an Academy Award and the first Spanish actress to receive a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cruz has modeled for companies such as Mango, Ralph Lauren and L'Oréal. Cruz and her younger sister Mónica Cruz have designed items for Mango. She has donated both her time and money to charities. Cruz has volunteered in Uganda and India, where she spent one week working for Mother Teresa; she donated her salary from ''The Hi-Lo Country'' to help fund the late nun's mission.

Early life

Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Alcobendas, Community of Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and personal manager, and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic. She was raised Roman Catholic. Throughout her childhood, Cruz lived in Alcobendas, a working-class town, although she spent "a lot" of time at her grandmother's apartment. Cruz is the oldest of three siblings; she has a younger brother, Eduardo, who is a singer, and a younger sister, Mónica, who is an actress. She has said that she had a happy childhood, and Charlie Rose of ''60 Minutes'' described Cruz's childhood as a "simple life." In a foreshadowing way, Cruz remembers when she was four years old, "playing with some friends and being aware that I was acting as I was playing with them—I would think of a character and pretend to be someone else."

Initially, Cruz had no ambition to be an actress and focused on dance, having studied classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory. She received three years of Spanish ballet training and four years of theater at Cristina Rota's New York school. She commented that "I used to take my toenails—they would die from dancing—so I would just take the whole toenail and throw it away, and not feel anything," however, ballet instilled in her discipline that would be important in her future acting career. She became a fan of movies at age 10 or 11. With no movie theaters nearby, her first relationship with cinema was watching movies on Betamax. Her father bought this "[Betamax] machine", of which Cruz recalls that it was very rare to own one in her neighborhood at the time.

When Cruz was a teenager, she began having an interest in acting after seeing the film ''Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'' by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. She began doing casting calls for an agent, but was rejected multiple times because the agent felt that she was too young. Cruz commented on the experience that "I was very extroverted as a kid. [...] I was studying when I was in high school at night, I was in ballet and I was doing castings. I looked for an agent and she sent me away three times because I was a little girl but I kept coming back. I'm still with her after all these years." In 1989, at the age of 15, Cruz won an audition at a talent agency over more than 300 other girls. In 1999, Katrina Bayonas, Cruz's agent, commented, "She was absolutely magic [at the audition]. It was obvious there was something very impressive about this kid. [...] She was very green, but there was a presence. There was just something coming from within."

Acting career

Early work, 1989–1996

In 1989, 15 year-old Cruz made her acting debut in a music video for the Spanish pop group Mecano's song ''La Fuerza del Destino''. Between 1990 and 1997, she hosted the Spanish TV channel Telecinco's talk show ''La Quinta Marcha'' , a program that was hosted by teenagers, aimed at a teenage audience. She also played in the ''Elle et lui'' episode of an erotic French TV series called ''Série rose'' in 1991, where she appeared totally naked. In 1992, Cruz made her feature film debut at 18 as the lead female role in the comedy drama art house film, ''Jamón, jamón''. In the film, she portrayed Silvia, a young woman who is expecting her first child with a man whose mother does not approve of the relationship and attempts to sabotage it by paying Javier Bardem's character to seduce her. ''People'' magazine noted that after Cruz appeared topless in the film, she became "a major sex symbol." In an interview with the ''Los Angeles Daily News'' in 1999, Cruz commented that "it was a great part, but...I wasn't really ready for the nudity. [...] But I have no regrets because I wanted to start working and it changed my life." Charlie Ross of ''60 Minutes'' noted that Cruz "became an overnight sensation as much for her nude scenes as for her talent." When Ross asked Cruz if she was concerned about how she would be perceived after her role in the film, Cruz replied, "I just knew I had to do the complete opposite."

''Jamón, jamón'' received broadly favorable reviews, with Chris Hicks of the ''Deseret News'' describing Cruz's portrayal of Silvia as "enchanting." Writing for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', film critic Roger Ebert wrote "[The film] stars actors of considerable physical appeal, most particularly Penelope Cruz as Silvia." For her performance, Cruz was nominated for a Spanish Actors Union Newcomer Award and a Goya Award for Best Actress. The same year she appeared in the Academy-Award winning ''Belle Epoque'' as the virginal Luz. ''People'' magazine noted that Cruz's role as Luz showed that she was versatile. From 1993 to 1996, Cruz appeared in ten Spanish and Italian films. At 20, she went to live in New York for two years at Christopher and Greenwich to study ballet and English between movies. She recalls learning English "kinda of late" only knowing the dialogue she had learned for the casting beyond that, she could only say, “How are you?” and “Thank you.”

Early critical success, 1997–2000

In 1997, Cruz appeared in the Spanish comedy film ''Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health''. She portrays Diana, a fan of The Beatles band member John Lennon; she tries unsuccessfully to meet him. Years later, after multiple failed relationships, Diana re-unites with an acquaintance under unusual circumstances. Also in 1997, she appeared in the opening scene of Pedro Almodóvar's ''Live Flesh'' as a prostitute who gives birth on a bus and in ''Et hjørne af paradis'' (A Corner of Paradise) as Doña Helena. Cruz's final appearance in 1997 was the Amenabar-directed Spanish sci-fi drama ''Open Your Eyes''. She plays Sofia, the girlfriend of lead character's best friend, who eventually begins a brief relationship with the lead character. ''Open Your Eyes'' received positive reviews but was not commercially successful, grossing $370,000 in the United States. Kevin N. Laforest of the ''Montreal Film Journal'' commented in his September 2002 review that Cruz "has been getting some really bad reviews for her recent American work, but I personally think that she's a more than decent actress, especially here, where she's charming, moving and always believable. [...] There's one shot in particular, where Cruz enters a room in a greenish glow, which is right out of Hitchcock's picture [''Vertigo'']."

The following year, Cruz appeared in her first American film as Billy Crudup's consolation-prize Mexican girlfriend in Stephen Frears' western film, ''The Hi-Lo Country''. Cruz stated that she had difficulties understanding people speaking English while she was filming ''The Hi-Lo Country''. The film was critically and commercially unsuccessful. Kevin Lally of the ''Film Journal International'' commented in his review for the film that "in an ironic casting twist, the Spanish actress Penelope Cruz [...] is much more appealing as Josepha [than in her previous roles]." For her performance in the film, she was nominated for an ALMA Award for Best Actress. Also in 1998 Cruz appeared in ''Don Juan'' and ''The Girl of Your Dreams''.

In ''The Girl of Your Dreams'', Cruz portrayed Macarena Granada, a singer who is in an on-and-off relationship with Antonio Resines's character, Blas. They are part of a movie troupe that moved from Spain to Berlin (Germany) for a joint production with UFA during the years of Nazis. Cruz's performance in the film was praised by film critics, with Jonathan Holloland of ''Variety'' magazine writing "if confirmation is still needed that Cruz is an actress first and a pretty face second, then here it is." A writer for ''Film4'' commented that "Cruz herself is the inevitable focus of the film" but noted that overall the film "looks great." Cruz's role as Macerna has been viewed as her "largest role to date." For her performance, Cruz received a Goya Award and Spanish Actors Union Award, and was nominated for a European Film Award. In 1999, Cruz worked with Almodóvar again in ''All About My Mother'', playing Sister María Rosa Sanz, a pregnant nun with AIDS. The film received favorable reviews, and was commercially successful, grossing over $67 million worldwide, although it performed better at the box office internationally than domestically.

In 2000, she appeared in ''Woman on Top'' in the lead female role as Isabelle, a world-class chef who has suffered from motion sickness since birth, her first American lead role. Lisa Nesselson of ''Variety'' magazine praised the performances of both Cruz and her co-star, Harold Perrineau, saying they "burst off the screen," and added that Cruz has a charming accent. BBC film critic Jane Crowther said that "Cruz is wonderfully ditzy as the innocent abroad" but remarked that "it's Harold Perrineau Jr as Monica who pockets the movie." Annlee Ellingson of ''Box Office'' magazine wrote "Cruz is stunning in the role—innocent and vulnerable yet possessing a mature grace and determined strength, all while sizzling with unchecked sensuality." Also in 2000, she played Alejandra Villarreal, who is Matt Damon's love interest in Billy Bob Thornton's film adaptation of the western bestselling novel, ''All the Pretty Horses''. Susan Stark of the ''Detroit News'' commented that in the film Thornton was able to guide Damon, Henry Thomas and Cruz to "their most impressive performances in a major movie yet." However, Bob Longigo of the ''Atlanta Journal Constitution'' was less enthusiastic about Cruz and Damon's performance, saying that their "resulting onscreen chemistry would hardly warm a can of beans."

Breakthrough, 2001–2005

2001 marked a turning point when Cruz starred in the feature films ''Vanilla Sky'' and ''Blow''. In ''Vanilla Sky'', Cameron Crowe's interpretation of ''Open Your Eyes'', she played Sofia Serrano, the love interest of Tom Cruise's character. The film received mixed reviews but made $200 million worldwide. Her performance was well received by critics, with BBC film critic Brandon Graydon saying that Cruz "is an enchanting screen presence," and Ethan Alter of the ''Film Journal International'' noting that Cruz and her co-star Cruise were "able to generate some actual chemistry." Her next film was ''Blow'', adapted from Bruce Porter's 1993 book ''Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All''. She had a supporting role as Mirtha Jung, the wife of Johnny Depp's character. The film received mixed reviews, but made $80 million worldwide. Nina Willdorf of the ''Boston Phoenix'' described Cruz as "multi-talented" and Mark Salvo of the ''Austin Chronicle'' wrote "I may be one of the last male holdouts to join the Cruz-Rules camp, but her tour de force performance here sucks you right in."

In 2001, she also appeared in ''Don't Tempt Me'', playing Carmen Ramos. The film received negative reviews,. Jeff Vice of the ''Deseret News'' commented that "unfortunately, casting Cruz as a tough girl is a hilariously bad one..." and Michael Miller of the ''Village Voice'' writing that "as Satan's helper Carmen, Penélope Cruz doesn't hold a candle to her cocaine-huffing enabler in ''Blow''." Cruz's last film in 2001 was ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'', film adaption of the novel of the same name. She played Pelagia, who falls in love with another man while her fiancé is in battle during World War II. ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin'' was not well received by critics, but made $62 million worldwide. In 2002, she had a minor role in ''Waking Up in Reno''. It had negative reviews and was a box office failure, making $267,000 worldwide. The following year, Cruz had a minor role in the horror film ''Gothika'', as Chloe Sava, a patient at a mental hospital. David Rooney of ''Variety'' wrote that Cruz "adds a serviceably malevolent edge to Chole's apparent madness." Cruz's performance in ''Fanfan la Tulipe'', also in 2003, was not well received, Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' commenting that Cruz "deserves a special Cannes Razzie for a performance of purest teak."

In 2004, Cruz appeared in the Christmas film ''Noel'' as Nina, the girlfriend of Paul Walker's character and as Mia in the romantic drama, ''Head in the Clouds'', set in the 1930s. ''Head in the Clouds'' performed poorly at the box office. For ''Head in the Clouds'', Bruce Birkland of ''Jam! Canoe'' said, "The story feels forced and the performances dreary, with the notable exception of Cruz, who seems to be in a different film from the rest of the cast." Desson Thompson of the ''Washington Post'' was more critical; his comment about the character's "pronounced limp" was that "Cruz (hardly the world's greatest actress) can't even perform without looking fake." She also starred in Sergio Castellitto’s melodrama ''Don’t Move''. Cruz, who learned Italian for the role, earned critical acclaim for her performance and won the David di Donatello. She was also awarded the European Film Award for Best Actress for the film in 2004.

In 2005, Cruz appeared as Dr Eva Rojas in the action adventure ''Sahara''. She earned $1.6 million for her supporting role. The film grossed $110 million worldwide but did not recoup its $160 million budget. ''Moviefone'' dubbed the film "one of the most famous flops in history" and in 2007, listed it at 24 on its list of "Biggest Box-Office Turkeys of All Time". Lori Hoffman of the ''Atlantic City Weekly'' felt Cruz put her "considerable [acting] skills on cruise control as Dr Eva Rojas" and James Berardnelli of ReelViews described Cruz's performance as a "black hole," that she "lacks screen presence." Also in 2005, Cruz appeared in ''Chromophobia'', screened at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and released the following year. Mathew Turner of ''View London'' said Cruz's character Gloria, a cancer-riddled prostitute, is "actually more interesting than the main storyline" while Time Evan's of ''Sky Movies'' wrote, "The Cruz/Ifans storyline – featuring the only two remotely sympathetic characters – never really fuses with the main plot." Her final 2005 film was ''Don't Move'' playing Italia. Eric Harrison of the ''Houston Chronicle'' noted that Cruz "goes all out" with her appearance and Patrick Peters of ''Empire'' magazine commented that the film's director, who also appears in the film, was able to draw a "sensitive performance" from Cruz.

Worldwide recognition, 2006–present

Cruz appeared in the 2006 Western comedy film, ''Bandidas'', as María Álvarez, a poor farm girl who robs banks with a wealthy friend to combat an enforcer terrorizing their town. Randy Cordova of the ''Arizona Republic'' said the film "sports" Cruz and her co-star Salma Hayek as the "lusty dream team" and that they were the "marketing fantasy" for the film. A writer for ''20minutos.es'' called Cruz and Hayek the "demand curves" of the film. Also in 2006, Cruz received favourable reviews for her performance as Raimunda in Pedro Almodóvar's ''Volver''. The film was well received by critics and on multiple top ten film lists for 2006. Carina Chocano of ''The Los Angeles Times'' wrote, "Cruz, who has remarked that in Hollywood she's rarely allowed to be anything more than pretty, instills her with an awesome resoluteness and strength of character." Jan Stuart of ''Newsday'' described Cruz as having "never been more radiant and funny." IGN film critic Todd Gilchrist praised Cruz, saying her "performance is nothing short of revelatory" and that "Here, she finds the best role of her career, and leaps in with complete commitment." She shared a Best Actress award at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival with five of her co-stars, as well as receiving a Goya Award and European Film Award, and was nominated for the Golden Globe, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the BAFTA Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a leading role. She was the first Spaniard to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 2007, Cruz appeared in the lead female role in ''Manolete'', a biopic of bullfighter Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez, playing Antoñita "Lupe" Sino. She also appeared in ''The Good Night'', playing two characters, Anna and Melody. The film received negative reviews and did not perform well at the box office. TV Guide film critic Maitland McDonagh noted that in the film Cruz "expertly mines the contrast between chic, compliant, white-clad Anna and funky, street-smart Melody, who treats [Martin Freeman's character] Gary like the world-class drag he is." David Edelstein of ''New York Magazine'' said "Cruz shows up in the flesh, and she's wonderfully tart and funny." In 2008, Cruz appeared in Isabel Coixet's film ''Elegy'', which was based on the Philip Roth story ''The Dying Animal'', as the lead female role, Consuela Castillo. The film generated mixed to positive reviews, and appeared on multiple film critics' top ten film lists for 2008. Ray Bennett of the ''Hollywood Reporter'' described Cruz's performance as being "outstanding in an otherwise lame male fantasy [film]" and MSNBC film critic Alonso Duralde praised Cruz and her co-star, Ben Kingsley, writing that they give "extraordinary performances" in the film.

Later that year, she starred in Woody Allen's ''Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' as María Elena, a mentally unstable woman. Peter Bradshaw of ''The Guardian'' praised Cruz's performance in the film, commenting, "Cruz looks as if she has wandered in from a more hefty film entirely; everything she does and says seems to mean more, count for more. This isn't to say that she gets bigger laughs, or perhaps any laughs, but she certainly walks off with the film." Kirk Honeycutt of the ''Hollywood Reporter'' remarked that the film "belongs" to Cruz and her co-star Bardem. Todd McCarthy of ''Variety'' magazine felt that Cruz's performance was "dynamite" in both of the languages she spoke. A writer for ''20minutos.es'' described Cruz as having planted "relentless growth" in the film. Cruz received a Goya Award and her first Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received a Golden Globe and SAG nomination. Cruz was the first Spanish actress to ever be awarded an Academy Award in that category and the sixth Hispanic person to ever receive the award.

Cruz's next film was the kid-friendly ''G-Force'', which was released to theaters in July 2009. In the film, she voiced a guinea pig spy named Juarez. ''G-Force'' was a commercial success, making over $290 million worldwide. Also in 2009, she appeared in the film ''Broken Embraces'' as Lena, the lead character's mistress and assistant who is an aspiring actress. Moira Macdonald of the ''Seattle Times'' wrote "Cruz, so lovely she hardly seems real, makes Lena both vulnerable and steely. Lena's life, it seems, is turning into a movie that she can't escape, as men and cameras seem to blur together and her dazzling smile becomes little defense." Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' described Cruz's performance as Lena as being "superb." Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com noted in her review for the film that Cruz "doesn't coast on her beauty in ''Broken Embraces'', and she has the kind of role that can be difficult to flesh out." Cruz received nominations from the Satellite Awards and European Film Awards for her performance in ''Broken Embraces''.

Cruz's final 2009 film was the film version of the musical ''Nine'', playing the character Carla Albanese, the lead character's mistress. ''Variety'' reported that Cruz had originally auditioned for the role of the film within a film's star, Claudia, which eventually went to Nicole Kidman. Cruz said that she trained for three months for the dance routine in the film. The film generated negative reviews and was a financial failure. Claudia Puig of ''USA Today'' commented that while Cruz "does a steamy song and dance," her "acting is strangely caricatured." Chris Tookey of the ''Daily Mail'' made a similar comment, saying: "I know Penelope Cruz has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her camp vamp act, but to me she is unnervingly over the top [in this film], like Strictly Come Dancing's Bruno Tonioli in drag." F. Bernal of Que.es commented, "In terms of its ability to integrate with luck in the cast of a musical, it is clear that Penelope does a good note [in the film]." Cruz's performance as Carla garnered her nominations for Best Supporting Actress from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and SAG Awards.

In 2010, Cruz appeared in the film ''Sex and the City 2'', the sequel to the 2008 film, in a cameo role. Cruz appeared in her biggest Hollywood turn to date, in the fourth ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film, as Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter and the former love interest of Captain Jack Sparrow. This film had Cruz and director Rob Marshall reuniting once more since the film ''Nine''. On 1 April 2011, prior to the film's release, Cruz received the 2,436th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the El Capitan Theatre. She became the first Spanish actress to receive a Star. Her upcoming roles include Woody Allen's ''The Bop Decameron'', and she is set to reunite with Italian director Sergio Castellitto in his war tale "''Venuto al Mondo''" as Gemma, a single mother who brings her teenage son to Sarajevo, where the boy’s father died during the Balkan War. The film is based on an Italian bestseller. The part is a switch for Cruz, who has until now mostly been sliding between Hollywood- and Spain-based movies. “I like that it’s a movie that’s not Spanish or English. [...] I love this part of the job that lets you become someone else with a different nationality.” In an interview with the Italian publication ''La Repubblica'', Cruz commented on playing Gemma, saying, "I feel as an actress Gemma will be playing one of the most important opportunities of my life." After being shelfed since 2007 Cruz's film ''Manolete'' (originally shot in 2005, four years before Cruz won her Oscar for ''Vicky Cristina Barcelona'') released on demand via cable, satellite, telco and online in June 7, 2011 under the title, ''A Matador’s Mistress''.

Public image

In 2006, she became spokesmodel for the French beauty company, L'Oréal, to promote products such as the L'Oréal Paris hair dye Natural Match and L'Oreal mascara products. Cruz appears in television and print ads for the company. She receives $2 million a year for her work for the company. Cruz has appeared in print ads for Mango and had a contract with Ralph Lauren in 2001. Cruz and her sister designed their second collection for Mango in 2007. It was inspired by Brigitte Bardot and summers in St Tropez. Cruz said: "It's been a really good collaboration because they're a great Spanish company and they give us a lot of [creative] freedom. My sister and I have a great time working on the designs."

Cruz ranked as No. 58 in Maxim's ''Hot 100'' of 2007 list, and was chosen by ''Empire magazine'' as being one of the 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in the world. Penelope was also ranked on Askmen.com's Most Desirable Women of 2008 at No.26, in 2009 at No. 25, and in 2010 at No.7 In April 2010, she replaced Kate Winslet as the new face and ambassador of Lancôme's Trésor fragrance. Lancôme has signed Cruz as the brand’s third superstar spokesmodel, along with Julia Roberts and Winslet. The campaign was shot by Mario Testino at Paris's Hotel de Crillon and debuted in the fall 2010.

In 2010, Cruz was a guest editor for the French ''Vogue'' magazine, focusing on larger-size models in a provocative photo shoot. ''Vanity Fair'' asked them to pose for a Hollywood issue in 2010. Almodovar described her as his muse. On the cover of Spanish Vogue's December 2010 issue, she agreed to be photographed by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh only if her pregnancy not be shown. In 2011, ''The Telegraph'' reported the most sought after body parts of the rich and famous revealed by two Hollywood plastic surgeons who carried out a survey among their patients to build up the picture of the perfect woman. Under the category of the most sought after body shape Penelope Cruz, known for her voluptuous figure, was voted as having the top body with Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Aniston finishing the top three.

Philanthropy

Cruz has donated money and time to charity. In addition to work in Nepal, she has volunteered in Uganda and India, where she spent a week working for Mother Teresa that included assisting in a leprosy clinic. That trip inspired Cruz to help start a foundation to support homeless girls in India, where she sponsors two young women. She donated her salary from her first Hollywood movie, ''The Hi-Lo Country'', to Mother Teresa's mission. In the early 2000s, she spent time in Nepal photographing Tibetan children for an exhibition attended by the Dalai Lama. She also photographed residents at the Pacific Lodge Boys' Home, most of whom are former gang members and recovering substance abusers. She said: "These kids break my heart. I have to control myself not to cry. Not out of pity, but seeing how tricky life is and how hard it is to make the right choices." A pregnant Cruz showed her support for the battle against AIDS by lighting up the Empire State Building with red lights in New York City December 1, 2010 on International AIDS Day, as part of (RED)'s new awareness campaign, 'An AIDS Free Generation is Due in 2015,' which aims to eradicate the HIV virus from pregnant mothers to their babies.

Personal life

Cruz is friends with Pedro Almodovar, whom she has known for almost two decades and with whom she has worked on films. Cruz, is known to friends as ''Pe'', owns a house near her family's home in Madrid and another in Los Angeles. Although Cruz's parents are divorced, in 2008 she said she is close to both parents and to her brother as well as having a "100 percent" bond with her younger sister. She speaks Spanish, Italian, French and English. She was a vegetarian in her youth and has spoken out about bullfights. In 2008, she said she described tabloid newspapers as "disgusting" and said that, aside from false stories that affect her directly, "this culture of gossip affects our society on a much deeper level, on an ethical level." Cruz owns a clothing store in Madrid and designed jewelry and handbags with her younger sister for a company in Japan.

In her 1989 music video debut ''La Fuerza del Destino'' (The Force of Fate) by Mecano, 15 year-old Cruz met musician Nacho Cano. In the video she plays his love interest, ironically the song was actually dedicated to Cano's girlfriend of many years but it was Cruz who would end up being his girlfriend after the video was made. Cruz had a three-year relationship with Tom Cruise after they appeared together in ''Vanilla Sky''. It ended in January 2004. In April 2003, she filed a lawsuit against the Australian magazine ''New Idea'' for defamation over an article about her relationship with Cruise. Her lawyers claimed that "the proceedings state that the article contains a number of false and defamatory statements concerning Ms. Cruz" and she is seeking "substantial damages and is confident that legal proceedings will vindicate her reputation."

After filming ''Sahara'' in February 2005, she began dating actor Matthew McConaughey. In June 2006, they told ''People'' that they "have decided to take time off as a couple" and that "due to busy work schedules and so much time apart" they decided that "separating was the best thing to do." In April 2007, Cruz who was single, told the Spanish edition of ''Marie Claire'' said she would like to adopt children.

Cruz began dating co-star Javier Bardem in 2007. They married in early July 2010 in a private ceremony at a friend's home in the Bahamas; a spokesman confirmed that the ceremony had taken place and revealed that Cruz wore a dress by Galliano. After photos emerged of Cruz appearing to be pregnant on the set of ''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'', representatives said the couple expect a child in January 2011. ''Marie Claire'' reported that Cruz gave birth to her first child, a son named Leo, on January 22, 2011 at the Cedars Sinai Hospital, three days before Bardem was nominated for an Oscar.

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Other notes
1992	''Jamón, jamón''	Silvia
1992		Luz
1992	''Framed''	Lola Del Moreno	TV series
1993	''For Love, Only for Love''	Mary	''Per amore, solo per amore''
1993	''The Greek Labyrinth''	Elise	''El Laberinto griego''
1993		Enza	''La Ribelle''
1994	''Alegre ma non troppo''	Salome
1994	''Todo es mentira''	Lucia
1995	''Entre rojas''	Lucia
1995	''El Efecto mariposa''	Party guest
1996	''La Celestina''	Melibea
1996	''Brujas''	Patricia
1996	''Más que amor, frenesí''
1997	''Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health''	Diana	''El amor perjudica seriamente la salud''
1997		Sofia	''Abre los ojos''
1997		Isabel Plaza Caballero
1997	''Et horne af paradis''	Helena
1998	''The Girl of Your Dreams''	Macarena	''La niña de tus ojos''Cinema of Spain
1998	''[[The Hi-Lo Country''	Josepha
1998		Mathurine
1999	''All About My Mother''	Maria Rosa Sanz	''Todo sobre mi madre''
1999	''Twice Upon A Yesterday''	Louise
2000		Alejandra Villarreal
2000	''Woman on Top''	Isabella Oliveira
2001		Mirtha Jung	Nominated–MTV Movie Award
2001	''[[Don't Tempt Me''	Carmen Ramos	''Bendito infierno'' (Spanish) / ''No News from God'' (English)
2001		Pelagia
2001	''Vanilla Sky''	Sofia Serrano
2002	''Waking Up in Reno''	Brenda
2003		Adeline la Franchise
2003	''Gothika''	Chloe Sava
2004	''Head in the Clouds''	Mia
2004		Nina Vasquez
2004		Italia	''Non ti muovere''David di Donatello
2005		Eva Rojas
2005	''[[Chromophobia''	Gloria
2006	''Bandidas''	Maria Alvarez
2006	''Volver''	Raimunda	Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (Prix d'interprétation féminine) shared with Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo, Chus LampreaveCinema Writers Circle Award for Best ActressEmpire Award for Best ActressEuropean Film Award for Best ActressFotogramas de Plata Best Movie Actress (Mejor Actriz de Cine)Goya Award for Best ActressSpanish Actors Union Award for Lead Performance (Protagonista Cine)Nominated—Academy Award for Best ActressNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleNominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated—Irish Film and Television Audience Award for Best ActressNominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActressNominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion PictureNominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture DramaNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
2007		Antonita Sino
2007	''The Good Night''	Anna
2008		Consuela Castillo
2008	''Vicky Cristina Barcelona''	Maria Elena	Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressALMA Award
2009		Juarez	Voice only
2009	''[[Broken Embraces''	Magdalena	''Los abrazos rotos''Nominated—European Film Award for Best ActressNominated—Goya Award for Best ActressNominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
2009		Carla Albanese
2010		Carmen Garcia Garrón
2011	''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides''	Angelica
2012	''The Bop Decameron''

References

External links

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Mario Ancona (February 28, 1860 – February 23, 1931), was a leading Italian baritone and master of bel canto singing. He appeared at some of the most important opera houses in Europe and America during what is commonly referred to as the "Golden Age of Opera".

Career

Ancona was born into a middle-class Jewish family at Livorno, Tuscany, on February 28, 1860. After embarking on a business career he decided to study voice with a local singing teacher named Matteini in his native city of Livorno. Later, he took lessons from Giuseppe Cima in Milan.

Ancona is reputed to have made his debut as an amateur singer as far back as 1880; but according to ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera''—from which many of the ensuing appearance dates, venues and career highlights are taken—his earliest known professional appearance in an opera did not occur until 1889, when he sang the role of Scindia in Massenet's ''Le roi de Lahore'' in Trieste. Not long afterwards, he appeared in another Massenet opera, ''Le Cid'', at Italy's principal theatre—La Scala, Milan. His arrival at La Scala so soon after his debut reflects the excellence of the technical grounding that he must have received as an amateur performer.

On May 21, 1892, Ancona was asked to create the part of Silvio in the first performance of Leoncavallo's ''Pagliacci'', which took place at Milan's Teatro Dal Verme with Arturo Toscanini conducting. The next year, he appeared in the first London performance of ''Pagliacci'' at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. On this occasion, however, he sang the role of Tonio. (Soprano Nellie Melba and tenor Fernando De Lucia were also in the high-quality cast.)

Ancona would appear regularly at Covent Garden until 1901, being held in high esteem by London audiences. He also sang as a guest artist in Cairo, Lisbon, Madrid, Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chicago, Boston and Buenos Aires.

The New York Metropolitan Opera first engaged him in 1893. He sang successfully at the Met until 1897, when he went back to Europe. In 1906-1908, he returned to New York—this time to join the Manhattan Opera Company, where he was paid a generous fee. He became a special favourite of this company, which had been established by Oscar Hammerstein I in direct rivalry to the Met. His suave interpretation of Mozart's Don Giovanni was singled out for particular praise by newspaper reviewers and the Manhattan's audiences.

Ancona sang in Paris in 1908, and again in 1914, at the Sarah Bernhardt theatre, where he was complimented by Bernhardt in person for his impressive singing. The illustrious French actress was not alone in her admiration for Ancona's vocal artistry. Music critics on both sides of the Atlantic commended Ancona on his elegant singing style and beautiful voice, with its easy top register and open-throated emission of homogenous tone. Indeed, the great tenor Jean de Reszke called him the best-schooled Italian baritone of his era. His histrionic skills were less developed however, and he was not considered to be an especially imaginative or exciting interpretive artist. Physically, he was said to resemble King Edward VII of England because of his pointed beard and ample waistline.

The fact that Ancona was able to establish himself as a major singer in the face of intense competition from a host of other first-class baritones is a testament to his sheer quality as a vocalist. His main Italian rivals in the period between his debut in 1889 and the outbreak of World War I were: Mattia Battistini, Antonio Scotti, Giuseppe Pacini, Antonio Magini-Coletti, Giuseppe Campanari and Giuseppe Kaschmann (born Josip Kasman)—and, from a younger generation of verismo opera-influenced baritones, Titta Ruffo, Riccardo Stracciari, Pasquale Amato, Giuseppe De Luca, Eugenio Giraldoni, Mario Sammarco, Domenico Viglione-Borghesi and the promising newcomer Carlo Galeffi.

Repertoire

According to the critic Michael Scott, author of ''The Record of Singing'', Ancona's smooth, fluent and refined method of singing pre-dated the verismo movement. His style and technique were particularly well suited to the operas of Verdi, and to the bel canto works composed by Bellini and Donizetti (such as ''I Puritani'', ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' and ''La favorite''). Ancona's repertoire of Verdi parts included Germont, Di Luna, Rigoletto, Amonasro and Iago, as well as Don Carlos in ''Ernani''.

Ancona also undertook roles composed by Leoncavallo (Silvio and Tonio), Puccini (Lescaut and Marcello), Mascagni (Alfio and David in ''L'amico Fritz''), Giordano (Gerard in ''Andrea Chénier''), Mozart (Don Giovanni and Figaro) and Wagner (Wolfram, Telramund and even, on occasion, Hans Sachs). He appeared, too, in French operas written by Meyerbeer, Gounod, Bizet and, as we have seen, Massenet, performing such parts as Nevers, Hoël, Scindia, Escamillo, Zurga and Valentin.

Retirement, death and recorded legacy

Ancona was still in good vocal shape when he elected to retire from the stage in 1916. World War One was then reaching its height in Europe, and Ancona was singing with the Chicago opera company at the time. In retirement, he devoted himself to teaching. He died of lung cancer in Florence, Italy, on February 23, 1931. An extensive collection of documents, photographs and other items relating to Ancona's career is preserved at Stanford University's Archive of Recorded Sound in California.

Fortunately, however, Ancona's thoroughbred voice lives on in a series of gramophone recordings which he made during the first decade of the 20th century for Pathé in 1905-06 and, more rewardingly, for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1907-08. Twenty of his Victor recordings are now available on CD transfers (see below). They consist of several songs as well as operatic arias and duets by Verdi, Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Bizet, Leoncavallo and Giordano.

References

Scott, Michael, ''The Record of Singing'', volume one, (Duckworth, London, 1977)

Steane, John, ''The Grand Tradition: 70 Years of Singing on Record'', (Duckworth, London, 1974)

Rosenthal, Harold and Warrack, John, ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 2nd edition, (Oxford University Press, London, 1980)

Miller, Jeffery, liner notes for ''Mario Ancona: the complete Victor recordings (1907-08)'', Romophone CD 82013-2, produced by Ward Marston (England, 1999)

Category:Italian opera singers Category:Operatic baritones Category:Italian baritones Category:People from Livorno Category:1860 births Category:1931 deaths Category:Deaths from lung cancer

it:Mario Ancona