Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress, director and producer, best known for her work in the films Desperado and Frida.
She was born on September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. To the surprise of her family, she dropped out of college with the intention of being an actress. She became popular in Mexico with the 1989 soap Teresa, before moving to Los Angeles in 1991 to train under Stella Adler. She returned to Mexico to star in the 1994 film El Callejón de los Milagros, which gave her an Ariel Award nomination.
In 1995, director Robert Rodriguez gave Hayek her big break, in the film Desperado, alongside Antonio Banderas. She also appeared in From Dusk Till Dawn, released in 1996; Wild Wild West, released in 1999 and co-starring Will Smith; and Dogma, released in the same year.
In 2002, Hayek starred as Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in the feature Frida, opposite Alfred Molina. Her performance gave her an Oscar nomination for best actress—only one of three Mexican actresses to do so. The following year, she appeared in the film Once Upon A Time In Mexico and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. She also directed a television movie, The Maldonado Miracle, which won her a Daytime Emmy for outstanding direction.
Salma Hayek also produces films and television programs. In 2000, she founded film production company Ventanarosa, after producing the Oscar-nominated 1999 film El Coronel No Tiene Quien La Escriba. She also co-produced her film Frida. She currently produces the ABC series Ugly Betty, an adaptation of a Columbian telenovela, which stars America Ferrera. I t has won a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series in 2007. She also makes occasional guest appearances on the show; one of her portrayals, as magazine editor Sofia Reyes, earned her an Emmy nomination.
