Today, Salma Hayek is rightfully considered one of the most popular and successful actresses in Hollywood. She is known to her fans as a wonderful artist, a talented producer, a caring mother and a loving wife. Salma is one of the few Mexican actresses to be nominated for an Academy Award. But the path to the success of the girl from Mexico was not easy.
Salma Hayek: biography and childhood
The future star was born on September 2, 1966 in the small town of Coatzacoalcos, in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Her mother Diana Jimena Medina is an opera singer with Spanish roots. And father Sami Dominguez worked as the manager of an oil company. Salma's parents were zealous Catholics, and the girl herself grew up in excellent conditions - the family did not suffer from poverty.
Nevertheless, in adolescence she was diagnosed with dyslexia. And although the girl was capable, often experienced some difficulties in the learning process. When she was 12 years old, her parents sent Salma to study at a Catholic boarding school for girls, which is located in Louisiana. But due to behavioral problems, Salma left school and lived with her aunt in Houston for several years. At 17, she entered the Ibero-American Institute in Mexico City, where she began to study international relations. But she never got an education.
How did Salma become an actress?
During her studies at the institute, the girl was determined to become a famous actress. For several months she worked in various theaters. Gradually, an attractive, talented girl began to notice - at first she starred in a commercial, after which she was offered a small role in the television series.
And already in 1989, the girl appears on the screen in a popular telenovela called "Teresa". From this moment she becomes a real celebrity in the territory of "Mexico". And then the first full-length picture, in which Salma Hayek starred, followed. The filmography of the actress begins with "Alley of Miracles", which was released in 1994. The plot of this film tells the amazing life story of a small suburb of Mexico City. Here Salma played Alma - an innocent girl who dreams of a big and pure love. By the way, this picture received a record number of positive reviews, and Salma herself was nominated for the Ariel Prize.
First work in Hollywood
In 1991, the actress moved to Los Angeles with the status of an illegal immigrant. Naturally, due to dyslexia, she experienced some difficulties and did not speak English well. Nevertheless, she went to Stella Adler, who gave her linguistic lessons, and also helped to engage in stage skills.
At that time, everyone convinced the girl that she would not be able to achieve success in Hollywood. In response, Salma worked even harder. Several times she starred in commercials, and also occasionally received episodic roles in TV shows. She also took part in the filming of Hispanic talk shows, where she was noticed by a young director Robert Rodriguez. It was he who invited her to audition.
In 1995, actress Salma Hayek first appeared on American screens in the movie Desperate. The filming partner in this film was Antonio Banderas, who got the role of El Mariachi. This film glorified both Salma and Banderas. After the premiere, the actress began to receive invitations to participate in more serious projects.
Salma Hayek: filmography
Now the actress has become popular. After all, after the success of Desperate, everyone found out who Salma Hayek was. Films with her participation were watched by many fans. In 1995, she got the role of Rita in the action movie "Fair Play", where she starred with William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford.
And in 1996, the cult picture “From Dusk Till Dawn” was released, where Salma played a small role of Queen Santanico - her famous dance with a snake was remembered by the audience for a long time. She got the main role in the romantic comedy "Hurry - you make people laugh." Isabelle Fuentes in her performance was magnificent.
In 1997, Salma, along with Russell Crowe, starred in the movie "On the verge of breaking." In "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," the actress got the role of a gypsy Esmeralda. In 1999, she played Rita Escobar in the popular western Wild, Wild West. The actress also played Rosario in the movie "Traffic" by Stephen Soderberg, which appeared on the screens in 2000.
In 2003, the sequel to the film Desperate was released, entitled Once Upon a Time in Mexico, where Salma played with Antonio Banderas. And in 2006, the actress worked with her close friend Penelope Cruz on Luke Besson’s Western Bandits. And although the reviews of critics about this picture were ambiguous, the Hayek-Cruz fans conquered viewers around the world.
Also in 2006, the premiere of the film "Lonely Hearts", where the actress brilliantly played the cheater Martha, took place.
Naturally, films with the participation of the famous Mexican actress are much more. During her career, Salma managed to work on more than a hundred paintings of various genres. And she is not going to leave the set - there is still a lot of work of a talented Mexican.
Producer career
Salma Hayek has long dreamed of trying herself as a producer. And in 2000, she opened her own production company and began working on making films. And her first experiment was the drama "No one writes to the Colonel," which tells the story of an elderly veteran and his sick wife, who live in poverty, waiting for the promised state pension for many years. The very first film of the actress became successful and received a lot of positive reviews.
In 2002, the legendary painting "Frida" appeared. A year later, Salma created the film The Miracle of Maldonado, for which she received the Emmy Award. In 2005, a clip for singer Prince was also created in her company. And in 2006, Salma took up the creation of the series "Betty Ugly", whose main character is a good-natured, but completely ugly girl. By the way, this soap opera quickly became one of the most popular in the USA and lasted four seasons - in 2010 the last series was shot.
New films with the famous actress
There are newer paintings in which Salma Hayek starred. Her filmography was replenished in 2009 with The Story of a Vampire, where she played the bearded woman Madame Trusk. In 2010, the comedy "Classmates" was released, where the actress got the role of Roxanne Ches-Feder. By the way, in 2013 a sequel came out - Odnoklassniki-2, where Salma also took part.
In 2012, new films were released with Salma Hayek. The list of her works was replenished with the paintings “Especially Dangerous”, where she played Elena, as well as the comedy “Fat Man in the Ring”, where she got the role of Bella.
The legendary Frida and stunning success
If you are interested in the best films with the participation of Salma Hayek, then you should pay attention to the biographical picture "Frida". Here, the actress not only played a major role, but also acted as a co-producer. Even as a child, having heard the touching and tragic story of the famous Mexican artist
Frida Kahlo, Salma cherished the dream of playing it on stage once.
And in 2002, she got this chance. The actress herself has repeatedly noted that the role of Frida was given to her hard. During the filming, she lost 6 kg and experienced constant sleep problems, as she tried to let the painter of the famous artist through her.
This work of Salma became a real masterpiece. The actress not only perfectly coped with the role, but also persuaded some of the “star colleagues” to play in the film. The film received a lot of positive reviews and awards, including two Oscars (for "Best Musical Design" and "Best Makeup") and "Golden Globe". By the way, Madonna, who is an ardent admirer of the artist’s talent, once claimed the role of Frida.
Personal life
Edward Norton is the first husband of Salma Hayek. The star couple got married in 1999. And although at first this marriage looked happy, the situation quickly changed - four years later, the actress filed for divorce. In an interview, she often mentioned that she had to constantly hear criticism of her beloved. He did not like her independence, self-confidence, accent, political views, love of Mexican culture and even the manner of dressing.
In 2003, the actress began dating actor Josh Lucas. These relations did not last long - in 2004 the couple broke up. Later, Salma met Francois Henri Pinault, who, by the way, is one of the hundred richest people in the world. The relationship between them was serious, they were going to get married, and in 2007 Salma gave birth to a daughter Valentina. But in 2008, the star couple announced a breakup. Nevertheless, after some time, Francois and Salma reconciled - in 2009 they played a wedding in an old theater in Venice.
Salma Hayek Awards and Nominations
Of course, during her career, the actress received a lot of nominations and prestigious awards. As already mentioned, she is the first Mexican in Hollywood history to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. She received awards and as a producer, in particular, her very first film was nominated for the Golden Palm Branch.
By the way, the actress regularly appears on the covers of glossy publications and is still present in the ratings of the most beautiful and desirable women in the world. And not so long ago, she was awarded the Order of the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in France and thanked for their active charitable work.
Some interesting facts about the actress
In addition to her acting and production career, Salma Hayek also acted several times as a director. She managed to record several songs with famous artists - in most cases, these are soundtracks for films. For example, the actress made several recordings for Frida and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
She is also involved in charitable activities and is actively fighting for the rights of women around the world, participating in the movement “Women Against Violence”. And Salma considers her best friend the no less famous actress Penelope Cruz. Despite dyslexia, today the famous actress is fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese. And she never watches films with her own participation.
Salma Hayek Beauty Secrets
In fact, the actress is known for her extraordinary behavior, and sometimes shocking tricks. With a relatively small growth of 157 centimeters, its weight is about 52 kilograms. The actress is proud of her figure, as well as the beauty of her skin. In an interview, Salma talked about eating insects to maintain harmony. Surely the celebrity did not expect her words to be taken seriously, and her extravagant diet would become the most talked about on the Internet.
On the other hand, the actress is happy to share some secrets of her beauty. In particular, she adheres to the principles of fractional nutrition and, unlike some colleagues, does not go to gyms too often. As for skin care, she uses the advice that her grandmother gave her - regularly cleanses and moisturizes the skin. By the way, despite the fact that Salma Hayek's makeup is admired by her fans, the actress claims that she uses makeup only when necessary, as the skin needs rest from the “colors”.