Mónica Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress and dancer. She is the youngest sister of fellow actress Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz Sánchez 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 , to critical acclaim...

 and Spanish singer

Music of Spain

The Music of Spain has a long history and has played an important part in the development of western music. It has had a particularly strong influence upon Latin American music. The music of Spain is often associated abroad with traditions like flamenco and the classical guitar but Spanish music...

 Eduardo Cruz.

Early life

Mónica Cruz was born the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser

Hairdresser

Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...

 and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer

Retailing

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

 and auto mechanic

Auto mechanic

An auto mechanic is a mechanic with a variety of car makes or either in a specific area or in a specific make of car. In repairing cars, their main role is to diagnose the problem accurately and quickly...

. Her sister Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz

Penélope Cruz Sánchez 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 , to critical acclaim...

 is an actress and her brother Eduardo Cruz is a Spanish singer

Music of Spain

The Music of Spain has a long history and has played an important part in the development of western music. It has had a particularly strong influence upon Latin American music. The music of Spain is often associated abroad with traditions like flamenco and the classical guitar but Spanish music...

. Mónica and her two siblings grew up in the predominantly working-class suburb of Alcobendas

Alcobendas

Alcobendas is a city located in the Community of Madrid, central Spain. It is located roughly 13 km north of Madrid and 7 km from the Barajas International Airport. It includes a central urban zone, a recently built district known as Valdelasfuentes, La Moraleja and El Soto de la...

, just north of the Spanish capital of Madrid

Madrid

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...

. 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 the Dance to study traditional ballet and flamenco.

Career

Upon graduating from the academy, Mónica joined Joaquín Cortés’ flamenco dance company. She stayed with the company for seven years until, in 2002, she left dancing to pursue a career as an actress. By 2005, Mónica starred in the Spanish television show Un Paso Adelante

Un Paso Adelante (TV series)

Un Paso Adelante was a Spanish TV drama similar to the American 1980’s TV series Fame. It was originally broadcast on Spanish channel Antena 3 from 2002 to 2005...

along side Beatriz Luengo

Beatriz Luengo

Beatriz Luengo is a Spanish actress, latin pop/R&B singer, and dancer. She released her first album Mi Generación in 2005.- Early career :...

, Miguel Ángel Muñoz

Miguel Ángel Muñoz

Miguel Ángel Múñoz Blanco is a Spanish actor and singer.-Biography:Muñoz began his career as an actor at the age of 9 in the film El Palomo cojo, then multiplied the television appearances, especially in the soap opera Al salir de clase and the series Compañeros, before doubling Sinbad in the...

, Pablo Puyol

Pablo Puyol

- Biography :He was born in Málaga. After starting biology, he studied drama in the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático de Málaga. He started as a professional actor in Madrid with the musical Grease....

 and Silvia Marty

Silvia Marty

Silvia Marty is a Spanish actress, dancer and singer.Silvia became famous for playing Ingrid Muñoz in the Spanish TV series Un paso adelante, along with actors like Mónica Cruz, Beatriz Luengo, Pablo Puyol, Dafne Fernández or Lola Herrera.She is a member of the Upa dance musical group, which...

.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role
2011 2011 in film The year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...	Iron Cross Iron Cross (film) Iron Cross is a 2011 British thriller film. The film is written and directed by British film director Joshua Newton and is slated for release in March 2011...	Gaby
2010 2010 in film The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...	Jerry Cotton Jerry Cotton (film) Jerry Cotton is a 2010 German comedy crime film directed by Philipp Stennert and Cyrill Boss and starring Christian Tramitz, Christian Ulmen and Mónica Cruz. It is a re-boot of the Jerry Cotton series of films...	Malena
2009 2009 in film The year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...	9 meses	Irma
2008 2008 in film This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...	Asterix at the Olympic Games Astérix at the Olympic Games (film) Asterix at the Olympic Games is a French film, adapted from René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo's Astérix comic series. It was filmed essentially in Spain in the course of the year 2006. Its €78 million budget makes it one of the most expensive European movies ever...	Esmeralda
2008 2008 in film This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...	All Inclusive	Clemencia
2007 2007 in film This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...	Caminando	Mary Carmen Maya
2006 2006 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...	The Inquiry The Inquiry (film) L'inchiesta is a 2006 historical drama film set in AD 35 in the Roman Empire. The story follows a fictional Roman general named Titus Valerius Taurus, a veteran of campaigns in Germania, who is sent to Judaea by the emperor Tiberius to investigate the possibility of the divinity of the recently...	Tabitha
2005 2006 in film - Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...	Last Hour	Rosa Mulero
2005 2002 in film The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...	Un Paso Adelante	Silvia Jauregui

External links