Salma Hayek

Cast · Director

Born

September 2, 1966 · Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico

Birth name

Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez

“You've got to take who you are and love who you are and do the best you can with what you've got. It goes for the figure, and it goes for everything else.” Mexican actress of Lebanese and Spanish descent. From an early age she showed interest in the dramatic arts, so her parents sent her to study acting in New Orleans. When she finished school, she enrolled at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico and began working in soap operas. After gaining recognition in her home country, she decided to move to Los Angeles in search of more demanding film roles, enrolling in classes with Stella Adler. Her big break came with Robert Rodriguez's Desperado, who would later choose her again and position her as an icon of his cinema and of the time. In 2000 she played Frida Kahlo in his biopic and obtained her first Oscar nomination, becoming the first Mexican woman to enter the category. In addition, she has also developed as a producer of several projects in which she has worked and as the director of a children's program.