'''Salma Hayek Jiménez''' (born September 2, 1966) is an Academy Award-nominated Mexican actress. The most successful Latin American actress in Hollywood since Carmen Miranda, Hayek has appeared in more than thirty films, and is arguably the most important Mexican star in Hollywood today. She is a feminist whose charitable work includes increasing awareness on violence against women and discrimination against immigrants.
[http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=12929239]Biography
Early life and career in Mexico
Hayek was born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico to Lebanese father Sami Hayek (oil company executive) and Spanish mother Diana Jimenez (opera singer). Raised in a wealthy, devoutly Catholic family, she was sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, Louisiana, at the age of 12. She was also an accomplished gymnast, with aspirations of becoming an Olympic competitor.
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 at the Universidad Iberoamericana . To the chagrin of her family, she decided to drop out in order to pursue a career as an actress.
At the age of 23, Hayek landed the title role in ''Teresa'' (1989), a successful ''telenovela'' (Mexican soap opera) which earned her star status in her native country. Later, in 1994, Hayek starred in ''El Callejón de los Milagros'' ("The Alley of Miracles"), which has won more awards than any other movie in the history of Mexican Cinema.
Career in Hollywood
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'' and played a supporting 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. Her performance won her a Best
