Salma Hayek: biography, filmography and personal life (photo)

To date, Salma Hayek is rightfully considered one of the most popular and successful actresses of Hollywood. To her fans she is known as a wonderful actress, a talented producer, a caring mother and a loving wife. Salma is one of the few Mexican actresses who were nominated for an Oscar. But the way to the success of a girl from Mexico was not easy.

Salma Hayek: biography and childhood

The future star was born September 2, 1966 in the small town of Coatzacoalcos, which is in the territory of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Her mother Diane Jimena Medina is an opera singer with Spanish roots. And Father Sami Dominguez worked as an oil company manager. Parents of Salma 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 process of studying. When she was 12 years old, her parents sent Salma to study at a Catholic girls' boarding school, which is located in Louisiana. But because of problems with behavior, Salma left school and lived with her aunt in Houston for several years. At 17, the girl entered the Ibero-American Institute in Mexico City, where she began to study international relations. But she did not receive education.

How did Salma become an actress?

While studying 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 "Theresa". From this moment she becomes a real celebrity in the territory of "Mexico". And then the first full-length film followed, in which Salma Hayek starred. The filmography of the actress begins with the "Alley of Wonders", released in 1994. The plot of this film tells an amazing story of the life 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 she herself was nominated for the "Ariel" award.

The first works in Hollywood

In 1991, the actress moved to Los Angeles with the status of an illegal immigrant. Naturally, because of dyslexia, she experienced some difficulties and did not speak English well. Nevertheless, she went to Stella Adler, who gave her lessons in linguistics, and also helped her to practice the stage skills.

At that time, everyone was persuading the girl that she would not succeed in Hollywood. In response, Salma worked even harder. Several times she starred in commercials, and from time to time she received episodic roles in the series. She also took part in the filming of Hispanic talk shows, where she was noticed by the young director Robert Rodriguez. It was he who invited her to audition.

In 1995, actress Salma Hayek first appeared on American screens in the film "Desperate." The partner in the shootings in this film was Antonio Banderas, who won the role of El-Mariachi. This film has glorified both Salmus and Banderas. After the premiere, the actress began receiving invitations to participate in more serious projects.

Salma Hayek: filmography

Now the actress began to enjoy popularity. After all, after the success of Desperado, everyone knew 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 along with William Baldwin and Cindy Crawford.

And in 1996 a cult picture "From Dusk Till Dawn" appeared on the screens, where Salma played a small role of Queen Santanico - her famous dance with a snake was remembered for a long time by the audience. She got the main role in the romantic comedy "Hurry up - you make people laugh." Isabel Fuentes in her performance was magnificent.

In 1997, Salma, along with Russell Crowe starred in the film "On the brink of a break". In the "Hunchback of Notre Dame," the actress got the role of the gypsy Esmeralda. In 1999 she played Rita Escobar in the popular western "Wild, Wild West". The actress also played Rosario in the film "Traffic" by Stephen Soderbergh, which appeared on the screens in 2000.

In 2003, there was a continuation of the film "Desperate" titled "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" - here Salma played along with Antonio Banderas. And in 2006, the actress worked together with her close friend Penelope Cruz over the western Luc Besson "bandits". And although critics' reviews of this picture were mixed, blowing Hayek-Cruz won the audience around the world.

In the same year, 2006, the premiere of the film "Lonely Hearts" took place, where the actress brilliantly played the fraudster Martha.

Of course, there are much more films with the famous Mexican actress. During her career, Salma has worked more than a hundred paintings of a different genre. And to leave the set it is not going to - there is still a lot of works of a talented Mexican.

Career of the producer

Salma Hayek long dreamed of trying herself as a producer. And in 2000 she opened her own production company and started working on making films. And the first experiment was the drama "Nobody 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 first film of the actress was successful and received a lot of positive reviews.

In 2002, the legendary picture "Frida" appeared. A year later, Salma created the film "The Miracle of Maldonado", for which she received the Emmy Award. In 2005, her company also created a video for the singer Prince. And in 2006, Salma took up the creation of the series "Betty Betty", the main character of which is a good-natured but completely ugly girl. By the way, this soap opera quickly became one of the most popular in the US and lasted four seasons - in 2010 the last series was filmed.

New movies with the famous actress

There are more new pictures in which the film was filmed by Salma Hayek. Her filmography was replenished in 2009 with the "History of a Vampire", where she played a bearded woman Madame Truska. In 2010, the comedy "Odnoklassniki" was released, where the actress got the role of Roxana Ches-Feder. By the way, in 2013 there was a sequel - "Classmates-2", where Salma also took part.

In 2012, new films with Salma Hayek came out. The list of her works was supplemented 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.

Legendary "Frida" and a 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 of Frida. Here the actress not only played the main role, but also acted as a co-producer. Even in childhood, hearing the touching and tragic story of the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Salma cherished the dream of once playing it on stage.

And in 2002, she had this chance. The actress herself repeatedly noted that the role of Frida was given to her hard. During the filming, she lost 6 kg and experienced constant problems with sleep, as she tried to pass through the pain of the famous artist.

This work of Salma has become a real masterpiece. The actress not only coped well with the role, but also persuaded some "star associates" to play in the film. The picture received a lot of positive reviews and awards, including two Oscar awards (for "Best Music Design" and "Best Make-up") and Golden Globe. By the way, for the role of Frida at one time claimed Madonna, who is an ardent admirer of the artist's talent.

Personal life

Edward Norton is the first husband of Salma Hayek. The star couple was married in 1999. And although at first this marriage looked happy, the situation quickly changed - four years later, the actress filed for divorce. In the interview, she often mentioned that she had to constantly hear criticism from her lover. He did not like her independence, self-confidence, accent, political views, love of Mexican culture and even dressing.

In 2003, the actress began dating actor Josh Lucas. This relationship did not last long - in 2004 the couple broke up. Later, Salma met Francois Henry Pinault, who, incidentally, is one of the world's richest men. The relationship between them was serious, they were going to get married, and in 2007, Salma gave birth to her daughter Valentina. But in 2008, the star couple announced the parting. Nevertheless, after a while, Francois and Salma reconciled - in 2009 they played a wedding in the old theater in Venice.

Awards and nominations of Salma Hayek

Undoubtedly, during her career, the actress received a lot of nominations and prestigious awards. As already mentioned, she is the first Mexican in the history of Hollywood, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. She received awards and as a producer, in particular, her first film was nominated for the "Golden Palm Branch".

By the way, the actress regularly appears on the covers of glossy publications and to this day is present in the ratings of the most beautiful and desired 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 the active charitable work.

Some interesting facts about the actress

In addition to acting and producing career, Salma Hayek also several times acted as a director. She managed to record several songs with famous performers - in most cases these are soundtracks for films. For example, the actress made several entries for "Frida" and "Once in Mexico".

She is also engaged in charitable activities and actively struggles for the rights of women throughout the world, participates in the movement "Women against violence". And Salma considers her no less famous actress Penelope Cruz as her best friend. Despite dyslexia, today the famous actress is fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese. And she never watches films with her own participation.

Beauty Secrets from Salma Hayek

In fact, the actress is known for her extraordinary behavior, and sometimes outrageous antics. With a relatively small increase 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 one of the interviews, Salma told that to conserve harmony she eats ... insects. For sure, the celebrity did not expect her words to be taken seriously, and her extravagant diet would become the most discussed on the Internet.

On the other hand, the actress gladly shares some secrets of her beauty. In particular, she adheres to the principles of fractional nutrition and, in contrast to some colleagues, does not often attend gyms. As for skin care, she uses the advice her grandmother gave her - regularly cleanses and moisturizes the skin. By the way, despite the fact that the makeup of Salma Hayek is admired by her fans, the actress claims that she uses decorative cosmetics only when necessary, since the skin needs rest from the "colors".