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She is a world-famous actress (born September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico) to a Lebanese father and a Mexican mother. Considered by many to be the most successful Latin American actress in Hollywood since Dolores del Río, Hayek, having appeared in more than thirty films and secured a nomination for an Oscar, is arguably the most important Mexican star in Hollywood today.

Early career in Mexico
Raised in a devoutly Catholic family, she was sent to a Louisiana boarding school at the age of 12. After leaving the school due to alleged behavioral problems with the religious Sisters who ran the school, she returned to Mexico, but she was eventually sent to Houston, Texas, to live with her aunt, where she stayed until she was 17. She subsequently moved to Mexico City, where she studied International Relations as a university student. To the chagrin of her family, she decided to drop out in order to pursue a career as an actress [1].

At the age of 23 she landed the title role in Teresa (1989), a successful telenovela which earned her star status in her native Mexico. Later, in 1994, she starred in El Callejón de los Milagros, which would later become the most awarded movie in the Cinema of Mexico.

Career in Hollywood
Despite not being fluent in English, she 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 her the big break she needed, starring opposite Antonio Banderas in 1995's Desperado. This movie brought her to Hollywood's attention, as moviegoers proved to be as dazzled with her as Rodriguez had been.

She followed her success in Desperado with a brief but memorable role in From Dusk Till Dawn. In 1996 she co-starred in Will Smith's blockbuster Wild Wild West as well as a role in Kevin Smith's Dogma.

Frida, co-produced by her, was released in 2002. Starring as Frida Kahlo, with 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 nomination for the 2002 Academy Awards, although some have suggested that the nomination was more a credit to her perseverance in seeing the film made.

In 2003 she reprised her role from Desperado by appearing in the final film of the Mariachi Trilogy, Once Upon a Time in Mexico.