Mónica Cruz
Mónica Cruz at the première of the film Jerry Cotton in Munich.
Born	Mónica Cruz Sánchez March 16, 1977 (1977-03-16) (age 33) Madrid, Spain

Mónica Cruz Sánchez (born March 16, 1977) is a Spanish actress, dancer, and model. She is the sister of actress Penélope Cruz.

Early life

Mónica Cruz was born the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser, and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic. Her sister Penélope is an actress, and her brother Eduardo is a Spanish singer. Mónica and her two siblings grew up in the predominantly working-class suburb of Alcobendas, just north of Spanish capital of Madrid. The family lacked money, but made up for it with the burgeoning talent contained within Mónica and her sister Penélope. The sisters distinguished themselves as promising young dancers, and they both received professional instruction; Penélope attended Spain’s National Conservatory, while Mónica enrolled in The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) to study traditional ballet and flamenco.

Career

Upon graduating from the RAD, Mónica joined Joaquín Cortés’ dance company. Cortés is one of the world’s top-rated flamenco dancers, and Mónica stayed with this groundbreaking group for seven years until, in 2002, she decided to follow Penélope’s lead and become an actress. By 2005, Mónica justified her career shift by becoming a star on the popular Spanish television show Un Paso Adelante, along with actors like Beatriz Luengo, Pablo Puyol, Silvia Marty, and Lola Herrera. She has since appeared in the films L’Inchiesta (2006), Last Hour (2006) — a thriller starring Michael Madsen and DMX — Liolà (2007), and The Final Inquiry (2007).

Mónica was exceptionally busy in 2006 and 2007. She logged hours on four large-scale projects: the Spanish TV series La Bella Otero, and the films Caminando (2007), The Blackening (2007), and Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008), which also stars Gérard Depardieu.

In director Joshua Newton's film Iron Cross, Mónica stars alongside Roy Scheider as Gaby. Currently, the film is in post-production and is slated for release in 2010.

Filmography

External links

• Mónica Cruz at the Internet Movie Database
• ULTIMATE Monica Cruz (EN; Fr)

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