Salma Hayek

7.2	Listal rating

Stats

Birth Name: Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez

Age: 46, born 2 September 1966

Born and residing in: Mexico

Height: 5' 2"

Ethnicity: Latino / Hispanic

Relationship Status: Married

Partner: Francois-Henri Pinault

Lists

325 votes

Almost Unrecognizable (88 items)
list by coroner

Published 4 years, 5 months ago

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Published 10 months, 3 weeks ago

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Around the world with Listal's members (105 items)
list by johanlefourbe

Published 2 years, 3 months ago

115 comments

184 votes

She's So Hot... Boom! (88 items)
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Published 10 months, 2 weeks ago

25 comments

181 votes

Women With Weapons (286 items)
list by Kev64

Published 2 years, 1 month ago

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Photos

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Salma Hayek Videos

Salma Hayek Spot Campari VERY HOT RED PASSION

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Added 3 years ago

Salma Hayek on Ugly Betty

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Added 2 years ago

Salma Hayek, From Dusk Till Dawn

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Added 1 year ago

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About: The amazing Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966, in the oil boomtown of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Hayek has freely admitted that she and her brother, Sami, were spoiled rotten by her well-to-do Lebanese-Mexican businessman father and her Mexican-born opera-singing mother. After having seen Un mundo de fantasía (1971) in a local movie theatre, Salma decided she wanted to become an actress. Her education included a stint at a New Orleans convent school, where she pulled pranks on the nuns by s The amazing Salma Hayek was born on September 2, 1966, in the oil boomtown of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico. Hayek has freely admitted that she and her brother, Sami, were spoiled rotten by her well-to-do Lebanese-Mexican businessman father and her Mexican-born opera-singing mother. After having seen Un mundo de fantasía (1971) in a local movie theatre, Salma decided she wanted to become an actress. Her education included a stint at a New Orleans convent school, where she pulled pranks on the nuns by setting their clocks back three hours. She was soon expelled. Only after attending Mexico City's Universidad Iberoamericana did she feel ready to pursue acting seriously.

She soon landed the title role in "Teresa" (1989), a hugely successful soap opera which earned her the star status in her native Mexico. However, anxious to make films and to explore her talent and passion, Hayek left both "Teresa" (1989) and Mexico in 1991. Heartbroken fans spread rumors that she was having a secret affair with Mexico's president and left to escape his wife's wrath.

At long last, Salma made her way to Los Angeles. The 24 year old actress approached Hollywood with naïve enthusiasm, and quickly learned that Latin actresses were, if at all, typecast as the mistress maid or local prostitute. By late 1992, Hayek had landed only bit parts. She appeared on "Street Justice" (1991), "The Sinbad Show" (1993), "Nurses" (1991), and as a sexy maid on the HBO series "Sigue soñando" (1990). She also had one line in the Allison Anders film Mi vida loca (1993). Feeling under-appreciated by Anglo filmmakers, Hayek vented her frustrations on comedian Paul Rodriguez's late-night Spanish-language talk show in 1992.

Robert Rodriguez and his producer wife Elizabeth Avellan happened to be watching and were immediately smitten with the intelligent, opinionated young woman. He soon gave her her big break--to star opposite Antonio Banderas in the now cult classic Desperado (1995), which put her on Hollywood's map. The moviegoers proved to be as dazzled with Hayek as he had been. After her break, she was cast again by Rodriguez to star in his Abierto hasta el amanecer (1996). Although her vampy role opposite George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino was a small one, it was a good credit to her box office name. Hayek's first star billing came later that year with Sólo los tontos se enamoran (1997) opposite "Friends" (1994) actor Matthew Perry. The film was a modest hit, and Hayek continued to rise her star in both commercial and artistic films such as: Breaking Up (1997) with an unknown Russell Crowe; Studio 54 (1998) about the rise and fall of the legendary New York club; Dogma (1999), playing the muse in a somewhat odd comedy co-starring Matt Damon and Chris Rock; En el tiempo de las mariposas (2001) (TV), the small artistic film which won Hayek an ALMA award as best actress; and the 1999 summer blockbuster Wild Wild West (1999). Her production company "Ventanarosa" produced the 1999 Mexican feature film El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and selected as Mexico's official Oscar entry for best foreign film.

The new millennium started out quietly around Salma as she was preparing to produce and star in her dream role, that of Frida Kahlo, the legendary Mexican painter whom Salma had been admiring her entire life and whose story she wanted to bring to the big screen ever since her arrival in Hollywood. It finally happened in 2002. Frida (2002), co-produced by Hayek, was a beautifully made film overflowing with passion and enthusiasm, with terrific performances from Salma and Alfred Molina as Kahlo's cheating husband "Diego Rivera". On the side was an entourage of stars including Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton and Valeria Golino.

The picture was a hit and was nominated for six Oscars, including best actress for Hayek, who became the first Latin actress to be nominated in the category, and won the awards for make-up and its brilliant original score by Elliot Goldenthal. Hayek established herself as the serious actress that she is and, in the same year, expanded her horizons, directing El milagro de Maldonado (2003) (TV), which was shown at the Sundance Film festival. In 2003, she starred in the final of Rodriguez's "Desperado" trilogy El mexicano (2003), again opposite Banderas, and has just finished El gran golpe. After the Sunset (2004) opposite Pierce Brosnan and Pregúntale al viento (2006) opposite Colin Farrell. Both are scheduled for release in early 2005. In the works are Robert Altman's "Paint" and Bandidas (2006) in which she will star with her friend Penélope Cruz. ... (more)