She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela Teresa β as well as the romantic drama Midaq Alley Hayek's portrayal of painter Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida , which she also produced, made her the first Mexican actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also earned critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas Tale of Tales , Beatriz at Dinner and House of Gucci She played Ajak in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals , which emerged as her highest-grossing live action film.
Hayek's directing, producing and acting work on television has earned her four Emmy Awards nominations. As a public figure, Hayek has been cited as one of Hollywood's most powerful and influential Latina actresses as well as one of the world's most beautiful women by various media outlets.
Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in Salma Hayek was born in Coatzacoalcos , Veracruz, Mexico. Hayek was raised in a wealthy, devout Catholic family, [ 21 ] and at age 12 opted to study at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Televisa subsequently selected Hayek, who was 23 at the time, to play the title role in Teresa β , a successful Mexican telenovela that made her a star in Mexico. Determined to pursue a film career in Hollywood, Hayek moved to Los Angeles in following the conclusion of Teresa.
The film was the subject of critical acclaim, reportedly won more awards than any other movie in the history of Mexican cinema , and earned Hayek a nomination for the Ariel Award for Best Actress. In , Robert Rodriguez and his co-producer and then-wife, Elizabeth Avellan, [ 25 ] cast Hayek opposite Antonio Banderas in the starring role of self-confident and feisty Carolina in Desperado , her breakout film.
She once remarked: "It took eight hours [to film] instead of an hour". Hayek next starred in the romantic comedy Fools Rush In as a photographer in an on-and-off relationship with a New York City architect, played by Matthew Perry. Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and described it as "a sweet, entertaining retread of an ancient formula", elevated by good performances particularly Hayek's and an insightful "level of observation and human comedy".
