Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966. She is a
Mexican actress. Considered by many to be one of the
most successful Latin American actress in Hollywood
since Dolores del Río, Hayek has appeared in more
than thirty films, has been nominated for an Oscar,
and is arguably the most important Mexican star in
Hollywood today.
Hayek was born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico to
a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother. Raised in a
devoutly Catholic family, she was sent to a Catholic
boarding school in Louisiana, USA, at the age of 12.
After leaving the school due to alleged behavioral
problems with the religious sisters who ran the
school, Hayek returned to Mexico for a period, but
then she was sent to Houston, Texas, to live with
her aunt, where she stayed until she was 17. She
subsequently moved to Mexico City for college, where
she studied International Relations. To the chagrin
of her family, she decided to drop out in order to
pursue a career as an actress.
Despite limited fluency in English, Hayek moved to
Los Angeles, California, in 1991 to study acting
with the hopes of starting a career in Hollywood.
Robert Rodriguez and his producer wife Elizabeth
Avellan soon gave Hayek the break she needed,
starring opposite Antonio Banderas in 1995's
Desperado. This movie brought Hayek to Hollywood's
attention, as moviegoers proved to be as dazzled
with Hayek as Rodriguez had been.
She followed her success in Desperado with a brief
but memorable role in From Dusk Till Dawn. In 1999
she co-starred in Will Smith's big-budget Wild Wild
West as well as a role in Kevin Smith's Dogma.
Frida, co-produced by Hayek, was released in 2002.
Starring Hayek as Frida Kahlo, and Alfred Molina as
her unfaithful husband Diego Rivera. The film also
featured an entourage of stars in supporting roles,
including Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey
Rush, Edward Norton and Valeria Golino, not to
mention Hayek's most copious nudity to date. Her
performance won her a Best Actress Academy Award
nomination.
In 2003 she reprised her role from Desperado by
appearing in the final film of the Mariachi Trilogy,
Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
In December 2005 she directed a music video for
Prince, titled "Te Amo Corazon" ("I love you,
sweetheart").
Hayek dated fellow actor Edward Norton for four
years, between 1999 and 2003, and then Josh Lucas
from 2003 until 2004.
Hayek is now fluent in English, Spanish, Arabic, and
Portuguese.
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