Mónica Cruz Sánchez (born March 16, 1977) is a Spanish actress and dancer. She is the youngest sister of fellow actress Penélope Cruz. Mónica Cruz was born the daughter of Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser and Eduardo Cruz, a retailer and auto mechanic. Her sister Penélope Cruz is an actress and her brother Eduardo is a Spanish singer. Mónica and her two siblings grew up in the predominantly working-class suburb of Alcobendas, just north of the Spanish capital of Madrid. The sisters distinguished themselves as promising young dancers, and they both received professional instruction; Penélope attended Spain’s National Conservatory, while Mónica enrolled in The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) to study traditional ballet and flamenco.
Upon graduating from the RAD, Mónica joined Joaquín Cortés’ flamenco dance company. She stayed with the company for seven years until, in 2002, she left dancing to pursue a career as an actress. By 2005, Mónica starred in the Spanish television show Un Paso Adelante. along side Beatriz Luengo, Pablo Puyol, Silvia Marty and Lola Herrera. She has since appeared in the films L’Inchiesta (2006), Last Hour (2006) — a thriller starring Michael Madsen and DMX — Liolà (2007), and The Final Inquiry (2007).
In 2006 and 2007, Mónica starred in the Spanish TV series La Bella Otero and the films Caminando (2007), The Blackening (2007) and Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008).
In director Joshua Newton's film Iron Cross, Mónica stars alongside Roy Scheider as the character Gaby.
Mónica and Penélope Cruz promoted the Autumn/Winter 08/09 collection for their high-end Mango clothing line in a new advertisement campaign shot by photographers Mert and Marcus.
