Bose may refer to:

• Amar Gopal Bose, the chairman and founder of Bose Corporation
• Baise City, or Bose, a prefecture-level city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
• Bose Corporation, an audio company
• Bose (crater), a lunar crater
• Bose–Einstein condensate, a state of matter predicted by Satyendra Bose and Albert Einstein
• Bose (film), a 2004 Tamil-language film starring Srikanth and Sneha
• Bose Monastic Community
• Bose, Poland
• Bose (surname), a family name primarily but not exclusively associated with India
• Jagadish Chandra Bose (1858-1937), Indian polymath and radio pioneer
• Jyoti Basu Former chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal (Original spelling of Bose)
• Satyendra Nath Bose (1894–1974), an Indian physicist, specializing in mathematical physics
• Subhas Chandra Bose (1897-1945), a leader of the Indian independence movement

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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Miguel Bosé
Miguel Bosé, 2006
Born	Luis Miguel González Bosé (1956-04-03)April 3, 1956  Panama
Nationality	Spain  Italy  Colombia
Occupation	singer, actor
Years active	1973-present
Parents	Luis Miguel Dominguín(deceased) Lucia Bosè

Miguel Dominguín Bosé (born April 3, 1956) is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor. Bosé became a honorary Colombian citizen in 2010.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosè and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen Ordóñez. He grew up in an environment surrounded by art and culture. Close friends of his family were Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway. His godfather was Luchino Visconti and Pablo Picasso was the godfather of his sister Paola Dominguin.^[1]

Career[link]

In 1971, Bosé started a career as an actor, participating in various movies. However, he did not make that many films, and in 1975 he decided a career change was due and started exploring his talents as a singer. With the assistance of Camilo Blanes he recorded his first singles. Two years later, in 1977, Bosé signed a contract with CBS Records, and he remained with them until 1984.^[2]

In 1983, 1984 and 1985, he participated in the "Llena Tu Cabeza De Rock" television specials on Puerto Rico WAPA-TV. But it was in 1985 that he became an international superstar, when his song "Amante bandido" rose to the top of the charts all over Latin America and in Spain, while he started to decline in Italy (where he had a parallel career, singing in both Italian and English - he would go back to the top there in 1994, by winning Festivalbar (the second musical event after the Sanremo Music Festival) for the third time). The video to that song also became one of the most widely seen Spanish music videos, with Bose playing both a Superman style superhero and an Indiana Jones type of adventurer in it.

In 2007, to celebrate his 30 years as a singer, he released Papito, an album that contains remakes of his previous songs, re-interpreted in duets with Juanes, Alejandro Sanz, Fangoria (band), Ivete Sangalo, Laura Pausini, Shakira, Julieta Venegas, Ricky Martin, Amaia Montero (past member of the Spanish band La Oreja de Van Gogh), and Michael Stipe from R.E.M., along with many other singers. Three singles were released off Papito: the first is a re-make of his hit "Nena", featuring Mexican superstar Paulina Rubio; the second was "Morenamía", with Julieta Venegas. The third single "Como un lobo" featured his niece Bimba Bosé. "Nena" was by far the most successful single off the album, since it was nominated for a Latin Grammy for best song, and became the best selling download of Spain in 2007.

In 2008, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe offered him Colombian citizenship because of his efforts towards peace in Colombia, including his participation in two concerts in 2008. On March 16 of 2010 he received Colombian citizenship during a ceremony in the presidential palace, Casa de Nariño.

Discography[link]

• WEA
• 2012: Papitwo
• 2010: Cardio
• 2007: Papitour
• 2007: Papito
• 2005: Velvetina
• 2004: Por vos muero
• 2002: Sereno (Winner of 2003 Latin Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Performance)
• 2002: Girados (with Ana Torroja)
• 1999: Lo mejor de Bosé
• 1998: 11 maneras de ponerse un sombrero
• 1996: Laberinto
• 1993: Bajo el signo de Caín
• 1990: Directo 90
• 1990: Los chicos no lloran
• 1987: XXX (collaboration with Giorgio Vanni and Tomato)
• 1986: Salamandra

• CBS
• 1984: Bandido (collaboration with Giorgio Vanni and Tomato)
• 1983: Made in Spain
• 1982: ¡Bravo, muchachos! Los grandes éxitos de Miguel Bosé
• 1981: Más allá
• 1980: Miguel
• 1979: ¡Chicas!
• 1978: Miguel Bosé
• 1978: Linda

• Ariola
• 1976: Es tan fácil (B-side: "Who?", single)
• 1975: Soy (B-side: "For Ever For You" , single)

Actor[link]

• 1998: La mirada del otro .... Santiago
• 1998: Lorca .... Lorca
• 1996: Oui .... Hugo
• 1996: Libertarias .... Cura secretario de Durruti
• 1996: Amor digital .... Cinco-cinco
• 1995: Gazon maudit .... Diego, the Young Man
• 1995: Detrás del dinero (TV)
• 1994: Enciende mi pasión .... Ángel
• 1994: La reine Margot .... Guise
• 1993: Mazeppa .... Gericault
• 1993: La nuit sacrée .... Le consul
• 1991: High Heels .... Juez Domínguez/Hugo/Letal
• 1991: Lo más natural .... Andrés
• 1990: L'avaro .... Valerio
• 1989: Shangay Lily
• 1988: Il segreto del Sahara TV mini-series .... El Halem
• 1987: En penumbra
• 1985: El caballero del dragón .... IX
• 1982: Due di tutto TV series
• 1981: Cosa de locos
• 1978: La borgata dei sogni
• 1978: Sentados al borde de la mañana con los pies colgando
• 1977: California .... Willy Preston
• 1977: La gabbia
• 1977: Oedipus orca
• 1977: Suspiria .... Mark
• 1976: Retrato de familia .... Cécil Rubes
• 1976: Garofano rosso
• 1976: Giovannino
• 1976: La orca .... Humberto
• 1974: Vera, un cuento cruel .... Enrique
• 1973: Gli eroi .... German soldier

References[link]

External links[link]

• Review of 'Cardio' (English)
• Miguel Bose at the Internet Movie Database

Ximena Sariñana
Sariñana in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Ximena Sariñana Rivera
Born	(1985-10-29) 29 October 1985 (age 26) Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Genres	Jazz, pop, rock, alternative
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, piano, percussion, charango
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Warner Bros. Records
Associated acts	Omar Rodríguez-López
Website	ximenamusic.com

Ximena Sariñana Rivera (born October 29, 1985) is a Mexican singer-songwriter and actress. Sariñana's musical career was launched in 2008 with the release of her first studio album Mediocre, an adult contemporary pop-rock/vocal jazz album that has been critically acclaimed and nominated for various awards, including two nominations in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2008.

Childhood[link]

Ximena Sariñana (pronounced: [xiˈmena sariˈɲana]) Rivera was born in Guadalajara, Mexico^[1] to producer/director Fernando Sariñana and screenwriter Carolina Rivera. When she was 2 years old, Sariñana attended an Ella Fitzgerald concert, claiming this to be the beginning of her interest in music and one of her biggest influences. She soon started listening to other artists such as Paul Simon and Tracy Chapman. She would often be seen singing and dancing, dressed up in costumes. When Sariñana was 7 years old, her neighbor, Cecilia Toussaint suggested she should take singing lessons with her teacher Ricardo Sánchez, known for instructing Mexico's biggest talents. She also took up piano lessons with Hanna Cot. In 1994, Sariñana acted in Hasta morir (English: 'Til Death^[2]), which was produced by her father, Fernando Sariñana.^[3] Sariñana would later attend the Academia de Musica Fermatta.

Acting and early work[link]

She started acting in telenovelas at the age of 11 as the villain Mariela in Luz Clarita,^[2] starring Daniela Luján as the main character, Luz Clarita.^[4] The following year, Sariñana acted in the telenovela María Isabel as Rosa Isela, with Adela Noriega as the main character, María Isabel.^[2] Her final appearance on a telenovela was in 1998 on a telenovela entitled Gotita de amor (English: Droplet of Love) as Enriqueta.^[5] At seventeen, after earning a scholarship for the Five Week Program of the Berklee College of Music, she composed three songs for the soundtrack of the Mexican movie Amar te duele where she also played the part of Mariana. Other important movies in which she acted were as Ximena in the 2001 film El Segundo Aire (English: A Second Chance^[2]), Valetina in Niñas Mal (English: Bad Girls), all of which were directed by her father and written by her mother. She also appeared in a short film called De paso in 2005. In 2007, Ximena Sariñana acted in the movie Dos abrazos (English: Two Embraces^[6]) directed by Enrique Begne. Dos abrazos won Sariñana an award for Best Female Actress at the 38th Diosas de Plata of Pecime awards.^[7] The latest movie in which she has acted is called Enemigos íntimos^[2] (English: Close Enemies) and will be released on DVD in late 2008.

She went on to be part of the band Feliz No Cumpleaños (English: Happy Un-Birthday), a Mexican funk-jazz, pop-rock band she formed alongside old friends from the Academia de Musica Fermatta. She captivated the audience on television by performing "El Triste" (English: The Sad One), originally performed by Mexican icon José José.

[edit] Mediocre

Sariñana in 2008

Her first solo album Mediocre was released on February 12, 2008 by Warner Music Group. Ximena wrote most of the songs on the album and revealed in Venus Zine's Summer 2009 cover story that, “Learning the language of my nationality was something I really wanted to achieve... so I thought maybe if I did a Spanish album it would be a good challenge."^[8] On March 28, 2008, Mediocre was certified gold by AMPROFON for selling more than 50,000 copies.^[9][10] Sariñana would later receive further achievement when Mediocre reached platinum status for selling more than 80,000 copies.^[11]

The videos for Vidas paralelas, Normal, and No Vuelvo Mas were all shot in Iceland. Vidas paralelas was directed by Pablo Dávila.^[12]

In late June, Metronomy stated that they were fascinated with Ximena's debut album Mediocre and the group produced a remix of La tina. Her music video for the second single, No Vuelvo Más, was premiered as an exclusive video on July 14, 2008 in MTV Mexico. She was later nominated for two Latin Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Song but lost to Kany García and Volver a Comenzar by Café Tacuba respectively.

Collaborations[link]

In 2007, she contributed vocals for the song "Valenciana" in the album Extempore by the Ensenada-based nujazz band Kobol. In March 2009, Sariñana was featured as a vocalist alongside her boyfriend Omar Rodríguez-López with his solo group on their tour of Europe, which resulted in the live record Los Sueños de un Higado. She also provided vocals on Omar's solo albums Xenophanes, Solar Gambling, Ciencia de los Inútiles, Cizaña de los Amores and Tychozorente.

Along with Jason Mraz, she has released a Spanish version of Mraz's song "Lucky". The video for the Spanish-version has both her and Mraz in it, it was released to MTV on 22 June 2009.

Second album: Ximena Sariñana (2009-present)[link]

In November 2009, Sariñana was in the studio working on her second album. Her second, self-titled, album, consists of English songs written or co-written by her. The album contains one Spanish-language track called, "Tu y Yo". The album was recorded in Mexico City and Los Angeles during 2009 and was completed in early 2011. It was released in North America on August 2, 2011. The album's first single, "Different", was released in June 2011.^{[citation needed]}. Shine Down was released as a promotional single in summer 2011..

An article in Rolling Stone España in February 2009 featured Sariñana, and she expanded further into international stardom when she graced the cover of Venus Zine's Summer 2009 issue, transcending national boundaries to make her mark in American media.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Guest appearances[link]

• Extempore by Kobol (2007)
• Los Sueños de un Higado by Omar Rodríguez-López Group (2009)
• Xenophanes by Omar Rodríguez-López (2009)
• Solar Gambling by Omar Rodríguez-López (2009)
• Ciencia de los Inútiles by El Trío de Omar Rodríguez-López (2010)
• Tychozorente by Omar Rodríguez-López (2010)
• Cizaña de los Amores by Omar Rodríguez-López (2010)
• どういたしまして by Omar Rodríguez-López Group (2010)
• Tu Nite con Lorenzo Parro (2011)
• Jay Leno Show (2011)

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ximena Sariñana

• Official web site
• Ximena Sariñana at the Internet Movie Database

Amar Gopal Bose (Bengali: অমর গোপাল বসু ; born November 2, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American entrepreneur, electrical engineer and sound engineer. He is the founder and chairman of Bose Corporation. In 2011, he donated a majority of the company in form of non-voting shares to Massachusetts Institute of Technology to sustain and advance MIT’s education and research mission.^[1]

In the year 2007 he was listed in Forbes 400 as 271st richest man in the world, with a net worth of $1.8 billion.^[2] In 2009, he had dropped off the billionaire list, and made it back onto the list in 2011, with a net worth of $1.0 billion. ^[3]

Early life and education[link]

Bose was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Noni Gopal Bose an Indian father and an American mother. His father was a Bengali freedom revolutionary^[4] who, having been imprisoned for his political activities, fled Calcutta in the 1920s in order to avoid further prosecution by the British colonial police. ^[5]

Bose first displayed his entrepreneurial skills and his interest in electronics at age thirteen when, during the World War II years, he enlisted school friends as co-workers in a small home business repairing model trains and home radios, to supplement his family's income.^[6]

After graduating from Abington Senior High School in Abington, Pennsylvania, Bose enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with an SB (Bachelor of Science) in Electrical Engineering in the early 1950s. Bose spent a year in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the research labs at NV Philips Electronics and a year in New Delhi, India, as a Fulbright research student where he met his future wife Prema (from whom he is now divorced). He completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering from MIT, writing a thesis on non-linear systems.

His son, Vanu Bose, is the founder and CEO of Vanu, Inc., a firm whose software-based radio technology provides a wireless infrastructure that enables individual base stations to simultaneously operate GSM, CDMA, and iDEN protocols for cellphone voice and data transmission. Bose's daughter, Maya Bose, is a practicing chiropractor.^[7]

Career[link]

Following graduation, Bose took a position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor. During his early years as a professor, Bose bought a high-end stereo speaker system in 1956 and was reportedly underwhelmed by the performance of his purchase. This would eventually motivate his extensive speaker technology research, concentrating on key weaknesses in the high-end speaker systems available at the time. His research on acoustics lead him to invent a stereo loudspeaker that would reproduce, in a domestic setting, the dominantly reflected sound field that characterizes the listening space of the audience in a concert hall. His focus on psychoacoustics would later become a hallmark of his company's audio products.

For initial capital to found his company in 1964, Bose turned to angel investors, including his MIT thesis advisor and professor, Dr. Y. W. Lee. Bose was awarded significant patents in two fields that continue to be important to the Bose Corporation. These patents were in the area of loud speaker design and non-linear, two-state modulated, Class-D, power processing. Today, the company Bose built employs more than 9,000 people worldwide and produces products for home, car, and professional audio, as well as conducting basic research in acoustics and other fields.

In addition to running his company, Bose remained a professor at MIT until 2001. In 2011, Bose donated a majority of the company's non-voting shares to MIT on the condition that the shares never be sold. ^[8]

Bose says that his best ideas usually come to him in a flash. "These innovations are not the result of rational thought; it's an intuitive idea." ^[9]

Honors and Awards[link]

• Elected Fellow of IEEE, 1972 - for contributions to loudspeaker design, two-state amplifier-modulators, and nonlinear systems.
• The 2010 IEEE/RSE Wolfson James Clerk Maxwell Award, for "outstanding contributions to consumer electronics in sound reproduction, industrial leadership, and engineering education".^[10]
• In 2011, he was listed at #9 on the MIT150 list of the top 150 innovators and ideas from MIT.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Short biography of Amar Gopal Bose
• Bose at MIT
• Doctoral Thesis
• Bose Breakthrough: Electromagnetic Auto Suspension
• A History of Bose
• Discover Dialogue: Amar G. Bose
• Bose Founder Discusses Audio Perfection and Digital Music
• Amar Gopal Bose at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
• Business India -Interview; July; 2007

Penélope Cruz
Cruz promoting Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Born	Penélope Cruz Sánchez (1974-04-28) April 28, 1974 (age 38) Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1989–present
Spouse	Javier Bardem (2010–present)
Children	1

Penélope Cruz Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [peˈnelope kruθ ˈsantʃeθ]) (born 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.^[1][2]

Cruz has modeled for companies such as Mango, Ralph Lauren and L'Oréal. Penélope 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[link]

Penélope Cruz Sánchez was born in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain, the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and personal manager, and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic.^[3][4] She was raised Roman Catholic.^[5] Throughout her childhood, Cruz lived in Alcobendas, a working-class town, although she spent "a lot" of time at her grandmother's apartment.^[4] Cruz is the oldest of three siblings;^[4] she has a younger brother, Eduardo, who is a singer, and a younger sister, Mónica, who is an actress.^[6] She has said that she had a happy childhood, and Charlie Rose of 60 Minutes described Cruz's childhood as a "simple life."^[4] 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."^[7]

Initially, Cruz had no ambition to be an actress and focused on dance,^[4] having studied classical ballet for nine years^[6] at Spain's National Conservatory.^[8] She received three years of Spanish ballet training and four years of theater at Cristina Rota's New York school.^[9][10] 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.^[11] 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.^[7]

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.^[4][12] She began doing casting calls for an agent, but was rejected multiple times because the agent felt that she was too young.^[4][13] 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."^[13] In 1989, at the age of 15, Cruz won an audition at a talent agency over more than 300 other girls.^[8] 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."^[8]

Acting career[link]

Early work, 1989–1996[link]

Cruz with her agent, Katrina Bayonas

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.^[8] 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.^[14] In 1992, Cruz made her feature film debut at 18 as the lead female role in the comedy drama art house film, Jamón, jamón.^[8] 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."^[8] 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."^[8] Charlie Ross of 60 Minutes noted that Cruz "became an overnight sensation as much for her nude scenes as for her talent."^[11] 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."^[11]

Jamón, jamón received broadly favorable reviews,^[15] with Chris Hicks of the Deseret News describing Cruz's portrayal of Silvia as "enchanting."^[16] 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."^[17] 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.^[8] People magazine noted that Cruz's role as Luz showed that she was versatile.^[8] From 1993 to 1996, Cruz appeared in ten Spanish and Italian films.^[18] 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.”^[7]

Early critical success, 1997–2000[link]

Cruz at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

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.^[19] Also in 1997, she appeared in the opening scene of Pedro Almodóvar's Live Flesh as a prostitute who gives birth on a bus^[8] 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, "Abre Los Ojos"/ Open Your Eyes. She plays Sofia, the love interest of Eduardo Noriega's lead character. Open Your Eyes received positive reviews,^[20] and was later remade by U.S. director Cameron Crowe as "Vanilla Sky" (who cast Cruz in the same role and Tom Cruise in Noriega's role), but "Open Your Eyes" was not commercially successful.^[21] 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]."^[22]

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.^[8] Cruz stated that she had difficulties understanding people speaking English while she was filming The Hi-Lo Country.^[8] The film was critically and commercially unsuccessful.^[23][24] 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]."^[25] 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."^[26] A writer for Film4 commented that "Cruz herself is the inevitable focus of the film" but noted that overall the film "looks great."^[27] Cruz's role as Macerna has been viewed as her "largest role to date."^[8] For her performance, Cruz received a Goya Award and Spanish Actors Union Award, and was nominated for a European Film Award.^{[citation needed]} In 1999, Cruz worked with Almodóvar again in All About My Mother, playing Sister María Rosa Sanz, a pregnant nun with AIDS.^[8] The film received favorable reviews,^[28] and was commercially successful, grossing over $67 million worldwide, although it performed better at the box office internationally than domestically.^[29]

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.^[8] 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.^[30] 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."^[31] 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."^[32] 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.^[8] 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."^[33] 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."^[34]

Breakthrough, 2001–2005[link]

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^[35] but made $200 million worldwide.^[36] Her performance was well received by critics, with BBC film critic Brandon Graydon saying that Cruz "is an enchanting screen presence,"^[37] and Ethan Alter of the Film Journal International noting that Cruz and her co-star Cruise were "able to generate some actual chemistry."^[38] 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,^[39] but made $80 million worldwide.^[40] Nina Willdorf of the Boston Phoenix described Cruz as "multi-talented"^[41] 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."^[42]

In 2001, she also appeared in Don't Tempt Me, playing Carmen Ramos. The film received negative reviews.^[43] Jeff Vice of the Deseret News commented that "unfortunately, casting Cruz as a tough girl is a hilariously bad [idea]..."^[44] 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."^[45] 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,^[46] but made $62 million worldwide.^[47] In 2002, she had a minor role in Waking Up in Reno. It had negative reviews^[48] and was a box office failure, making $267,000 worldwide.^[49] 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."^[50] 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."^[51]

In 2004, Cruz appeared in the Christmas film Noel as Nina, the girlfriend of Paul Walker's character^[52] and as Mia in the romantic drama, Head in the Clouds, set in the 1930s.^[53] Head in the Clouds performed poorly at the box office.^[54] 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."^[55] 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."^[53] She also starred in Sergio Castellitto’s melodrama Don’t Move.^[56] Cruz, who learned Italian for the role, earned critical acclaim for her performance and won the David di Donatello.^[57] She was also awarded the European Film Award for Best Actress for the film in 2004.^[58]

In 2005, Cruz appeared as Dr Eva Rojas in the action adventure Sahara. She earned $1.6 million for her supporting role.^[59] 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".^[60] Lori Hoffman of the Atlantic City Weekly felt Cruz put her "considerable [acting] skills on cruise control as Dr Eva Rojas"^[61] and James Berardnelli of ReelViews described Cruz's performance as a "black hole," that she "lacks screen presence."^[62] 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"^[63] 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."^[64] 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^[65] 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.^[66]

Worldwide recognition, 2006–present[link]

Cruz with Volver director Pedro Almodovar at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Cruz appeared alongside her good friend Salma Hayek in the 2006 Western comedy film, Bandidas. 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.^[67] Also in 2006, Cruz received favourable reviews for her performance as Raimunda in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver. 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."^[68] 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.^[12]

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.^[69][70] 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."^[71] 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.^[72] Ray Bennett of the Hollywood Reporter described Cruz's performance as being "outstanding in an otherwise lame male fantasy [film]."^[73]

Cruz at the 81st Academy Awards

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.^[74] 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^[75] and the sixth Hispanic person to ever receive the award.^[76]

Cruz's next film was the kid-friendly G-Force^[77] voicing a guinea pig spy named Juarez.^[77] G-Force was a commercial success, making over $290 million worldwide.^[78] Also in 2009, she appeared in the film Broken Embraces as Lena. 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."^[79] 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,^[80] Claudia, which eventually went to Nicole Kidman. Cruz said that she trained for three months for the dance routine in the film.^[75] Claudia Puig of USA Today commented that while Cruz "does a steamy song and dance," her "acting is strangely caricatured."^[81] 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.^[82][83] Cruz appeared in her biggest Hollywood turn to date,^[56] in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, as Angelica. 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.^[1][84]

Her upcoming roles include Woody Allen's To Rome with Love,^[85] and she is set to reunite with Italian director Sergio Castellitto in his war tale Venuto al Mondo as Gemma.^[56] After being shelved since 2007, Cruz's film Manolete (originally shot in 2005^[86]) released on demand via cable, satellite, telco and online in June 7, 2011 under the title A Matador’s Mistress.^[87][88]

Public image[link]

Cruz at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2011

In 2006, Cruz became spokesmodel for the French beauty company, L'Oréal, to promote products such as the L'Oréal Paris hair dye Natural Match^[90] and L'Oreal mascara products.^[91] She receives $2 million a year for her work for the company.^[8] Cruz has appeared in print ads for Mango^[92] and had a contract with Ralph Lauren in 2001.^[8][93] Cruz and her sister designed their second collection for Mango in 2007.^[13] It was inspired by Brigitte Bardot and summers in St Tropez.^[13]

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.^[89][94] Cruz was also ranked on Askmen.com's Most Desirable Women of 2008 at No. 26, in 2009 at No. 25,^[89] and in 2010 at No. 7.^[95] In April 2010, she replaced Kate Winslet as the new face and ambassador of Lancôme's Trésor fragrance.^[96] 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.^[97]

In 2010, Cruz was a guest editor for the French Vogue magazine, focusing on larger-size models in a provocative photo shoot.^[98] Vanity Fair asked them to pose for a Hollywood issue in 2010.^{[citation needed]} Almodovar described her as his muse.^[99] On the cover of Spanish Vogue's December 2010 issue, she agreed to be photographed by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh only if her pregnancy was not shown.^[100] 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.^[101] Men's Health ranked her at No. 32. on their "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" list.^[102]

Philanthropy[link]

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.^[103] That trip inspired Cruz to help start a foundation to support homeless girls in India, where she sponsors two young women.^[103] She donated her salary from her first Hollywood movie, The Hi-Lo Country, to Mother Teresa's mission.^[93][103] 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.^[103] 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."^[103] 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.^[100] In 2012, she posed for an ad supporting PETA's anti-fur campaign.^[104]

Personal life[link]

Cruz is friends with Pedro Almodovar, whom she has known for almost two decades and with whom she has worked on films.^[99] Cruz is known to friends as Pe.^[10][13] Cruz owns a clothing store in Madrid and designed jewelry and handbags with her younger sister for a company in Japan.^[6]

Cruz had a three-year relationship with Tom Cruise after they appeared together in Vanilla Sky. It ended in January 2004.^[103][105] In April 2003, she filed a lawsuit against the Australian magazine New Idea for defamation over an article about her relationship with Cruise.^[106] 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."^[106]

Cruz dated actor Matthew McConaughey from February 2005 to June 2006.^[107] In April 2007, Cruz told the Spanish edition of Marie Claire that she would like to adopt children.^[108]

Cruz began dating co-star Javier Bardem in 2007.^[109] They married in early July 2010 in a private ceremony at a friend's home in the Bahamas.^[110][111] Cruz gave birth to her first child, a son named Leonardo, on January 22, 2011 at the Cedars Sinai Hospital.^[110]

Filmography[link]

References[link]