Salma Hayek Biography Actress and producer Salma Hayek was born Salma Hayek Jiménez on September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. Her father is of Lebanese descent and her Spanish mother is an opera singer. Salma grew up in a privileged family of devout Catholics. At age twelve, she was sent to the United States, where she attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, in Louisiana. Hayek left the school to return to Mexico for a short period of time, but was soon sent back to the United States to live with her aunt in Houston, Texas. Hayek finished high school in Texas and then returned to Mexico when she was seventeen to attend college, majoring in International Relations. To her parents’ dismay, Salma decided to drop out of college to pursue a career in acting.
In 1989, at age twenty-three, Salma was cast in the lead role of a popular Mexican soap opera, Teresa. With her star on the rise in her native Mexico, Hayek then landed a role in El Callejón de los Milagros (The Alley of Miracles) in 1994. To date, the film has been honored with more awards than any other in Mexican cinema. In 1991, Hayek moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood. Her big break came in 1995, when she was cast opposite Antonio Banderas in the film Desperado. This raised Salma’s profile in Hollywood, and the following year, she was cast in action/horror flick From Dusk Till Dawn, written by Quentin Tarantino and starring Harvey Keitel and George Clooney. In 1999, Hayek starred in Wild Wild West with Will Smith, as well as Kevin Smith’s Dogma with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, and Janeane Garofalo.
In 2002, Salma co-produced and starred in Frida, a film about the life of tortured bisexual Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. Singers Jennifer Lopez and Madonna were also reported to be considered for the role. The movie featured a star-studded cast in supporting roles, including Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton, and Valeria Golino. For her portrayal of Frida, Hayek received a nomination for Best Actress at the 75th annual Academy Awards, a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama at the Golden Globe Awards, and an Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2003 Salma appeared in the final film of the Mariachi Trilogy, Once Upon a Time in Mexico. In December 2005, she directed a music video for Prince’s song “Te Amo Corazon” ("I love you, sweetheart"). The video features Salma’s good friend and Argentinian actress, Mia Maestro. From 1999 to 2003, Salma was in a relationship with fellow actor Edward Norton. Following her break-up with Edward, she dated actor Josh Lucas, and has recently been romantically linked to another actor, Jude Law. Hayek’s sophisticated style and beauty has been oft-envied in Hollywood. In 2003 she was named one of the Best Dressed Celebrities by People magazine. That same year, an annual survey conducted by the Beverly Hills Institute for Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery in Los Angeles revealed that Salma has the most-desired jaw line and chin. In 2005, a People magazine readers’ poll listed Hayek as the actress with the best cleavage. Hayek, who is fluent in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese, is also very charitable. She has donated $25,000 to groups in Mexico that help battered women and also started The Salma Hayek Foundation, which supports women who have been victims of violence. Finding love once again with Francois Henri Pinault, Salma announced on March 9th 2007 that the couple were awaiting the arrival of their first child and on September 21st, 2007, Hayek gave birth to daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault. The couple were enganged until summer 2008 when they decided to call the relaionship quits. But, within months, Salma was to attend the Balenciaga fashion show in Paris and the two once again struck up their relathionship. As love once again blossomed, on St Valentine's day 2009, Salma and Henri were married at the City Hall of the 6th Arrondissement in central Paris.
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