Actress Penelope Cruz, who became the first Spanish actress to win the Academy award, had picked up her vintage gown eight-years-ago.

The actress wowed the crowd with her 60-year-old sparkling vintage Balmain gown at the Oscars yesterday.

“I found this dress eight years ago and I was saving it for something very special,” said the actress.

The gown looked perfect as the actress walked up to the stage to receive her first golden statuette.

The 34-year-old actress won the Best Supporting Actress award yesterday for her performance as maria Elena, the neurotic wife of an artist in Woody Allen’s comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona. “Has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one,” an overwhelmed Cruz said as she accepted her award.

The actress had earlier expressed her wish to become the first actress to win an Oscar for Spain.

Source: Press Trust

Firstly, you regular visitors will notice we have a new layout. I wanted to put up something special to celebrate our beloved Penélope’s monumental moment. I hope you like it!

Finally now I have gotten all the pictures of Miss Cruz from the Oscars uploaded. These include pictures from the red carpet, the show, a portrait session with past and present winners, and the after party (where she changed dresses). It’s a whopping 400+ pictures so enjoy!

Penélope looked so elegant and gorgeous! Her dress is vintage Pierre Balmain Haute Couture with a print meant to look like lace. Her jewels were from Chopard.

Furthermore today on Oprah was the annual after Oscars episode. Penélope was interviewed. That clip will hopefully be up tomorrow, in addition to show and red carpet interview caps! Continue returning to Penelope-Cruz.org for many more massive updates!

“It was amazing to see all those women up there, and hear the beautiful things they said up there…And when it happens when you win, it was a magical moment, and I didn’t know if I was going to survive it.” – Penélope Cruz

“El Oscar de Penélope es el triunfo del talento, la ambición, la tenacidad, y unas dotes extraordinarias para la comedia. Y del valor de una actriz que se lanza de cabeza y sin paracaidas, con papeles muy arriesgados, a veces sin contar con apoyaturas dramáticas suficientes, como es el caso de la película de Allen, que ella suple con gracia, corazón y carisma. He llorado de alegría cuando he escuchado su nombre después del clásico ‘and the Oscar goes to’.

(Translation) Penelope’s Oscar is a triumph for talent, ambition, tenacity and comic touches,” the Spanish helmer said. “And in the value of an actress who throws herself into risky roles, which sometimes don’t have sufficient dramatic support — as is the case of Allen’s film — which she works with grace, heart and charisma. I cried with joy when I heard her name after the classic line ‘and the Oscar goes to” – Pedro Almodóvar

Penélope Cruz has just made history becoming the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her remarkable performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona!

“Oh… It’s not gonna be 45 seconds I can say that right now. Has anybody ever fainted here? Cause I might be the first one. Thank you so much to the Academy. I want to share this with my fellow nominees and with the amazing ensemble of actors I had the privilege to work with in this movie. Thank you Woody for trusting me with this beautiful character. Thank you for writen all these years some of the greatest characters for women. And I can not talk about great female characters without thanking my friend, Pedro Almodóvar for having made me part of so many of his adventures. Thank you. Thank you Bigas Luna, Fernando Trueba, for giving me my first two movies. Thank you Harvey Weinstein. I want to dedicate this to my parents, and my brother and sister and to my friend Robert Garlock who is not with us anymore. And to everyone who has helped me from the beginning and you all know who you are. I thank you from my heart. I grew up in a place called Alcobendas where this was not a very realistic dream and always the night of the Academy Awards I stayed up the night to watch the show and I always felt that this ceremony was a moment of unity for the world because art in any form is and has been and will always be our universal language and we need to do everything we can to protect it’s survival so I thank you so much. And I have to say something in Spanish: Todos los fieles de Espania ahora estan compartiendo este momento conmigo y sientan que esto tambien es de ellos, se los dedico. A todos los actores de mi pais, muchisimas gracias. (Translation) All of the loyal people of Spain, now they share this moment with me and feel than this (Oscar) is theirs also, so I dedicate to them. To all of the actors and actresses of my country, Thanks a lot. Thank you so much!” – Penélope Cruz

Huge congratulations to Penélope Cruz on this much deserved honor!

You can view her beautiful and heartfelt speech after the cut, here. Captures and tons of photos to come tomorrow!

The The 81st Annual Academy Awards are moments away and Penélope Cruz was recently photographed on the red carpet looking absolutely stunning in a cream colored gown, breaking her dark color trend as of late.

Best Supporting Actress will be announced momentarily, best wishes to Penélope!

I have added pictures from the Independent Spirit Awards, view them below. Penélope’s dress is by Azzedine Alaia. Once again congrats to Pe for her Supporting Actress win for Vicky Cristina Barcelona!

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Penélope Cruz has picked up an Independent Spirit Award for her performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Huge congratulations to Miss Cruz! Check back tomorrow for pictures from the event and of course the Oscars tomorrow too!

In a quick interview, Penélope told The LA Times, “I’m always surprised when I hear my name, of course,” she said backstage. “It’s a better feeling if you’re surprised. I get very terrified about going up there, but at the same time you want to go, so my heart was going very fast.”

She was wearing a flattering brown Azzedine Alaia fit and flared dress with black lace trim, brown tights and platform ankle-strap pumps. She’d also worn a black Alaia to the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards.

And for the Oscars? Another Alaia, perhaps?

“Tomorrow, I cannot tell you,” she explained. “I cannot answer that. That is a secret –- to tell what you are wearing.”

OK. Fine. So where will you put your award?

“In my house, I think.” (laughs)

Penélope Cruz is nominated again for an Oscar — this time for best supporting actress for her work in the acclaimed Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

If she does win on Sunday, Cruz should be thrilled to receive the statuette from Javier Bardem, her compatriot and partner in Allen’s romantic comedy, who gets the honor for winning best supporting actor last year for No Country for Old Men.

Cruz, the only Spanish actress ever nominated for an Oscar, has now done it twice. In 2007, she got a best actress nod for her work in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver.

The Independent Spirit Awards are taking place today at 5PM on the IFC hosted by Steve Coogan. Red carpet arrivals will start at 2PM on the official website.

Penélope Cruz is nominated for Best Supporting Female.

Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Rosie Perez, The Take
Misty Upham, Frozen River
Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married

Javier Bardem is also up for Best Male Lead and Woody Allen is up for Best Screenplay.