Salma Hayek Jiménez (born September 2, 1966) is an Academy Award, Ariel Award, Screen Actors Guild Award,
BAFTA Award, Golden Globe and Emmy nominated and ALMA Award winning Mexican-American actress, Daytime Emmy
winning director, and an Emmy nominated TV and film producer. Hayek has appeared in more than thirty films
and performed as an actress outside of Hollywood in Mexico and Spain. Hayek's charitable work includes
increasing awareness on violence against women and discrimination against immigrants.

Hayek was born in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, the daughter of Diana Jiménez, an opera singer and
talent scout, and Sami Hayek, an oil company executive. Hayek's father is of Lebanese descent while her
mother is of Spanish descent. Raised in a wealthy, devoutly Catholic family, she was sent to the Academy
of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, Louisiana, at the age of twelve.[6] She was also an accomplished
gymnast aspiring to compete in the Olympics but her father prevented her from being recruited by the
Mexican national team. The religious sisters running the Academy ejected Hayek citing behavioral problems,
so she returned to Mexico. She was later sent to live with her aunt in Houston, Texas, where she stayed
until she was seventeen. She attended college in Mexico City, where she studied International Relations at
the Universidad Iberoamericana. To the surprise of her family, she dropped out to pursue a career as an
actress.

At the age of 23, the former Hayek landed the title role in Teresa (1989), a successful Mexican telenovela
that made her a star in Mexico. In 1994, Hayek starred in the film El Callejón de los Milagros (Miracle
Alley), which has won more awards than any other movie in the history of Mexican cinema. For her
performance, Hayek was nominated for an Ariel Award

In July 2007, The Hollywood Reporter ranked Hayek fourth in their inaugural Latino Power 50, a list of the
most powerful members of the Hollywood Latino community.[2] That same month, a poll found Hayek to be the
"sexiest celebrity" out of a field of 3,000 celebrities (male and female); according to the poll,
"65 percent of the U.S. population would use the term 'sexy' to describe" her.

Hayek has been a spokesperson for Avon cosmetics since February 2004.[16] She formerly served in the same
function for Revlon in 1998. In 2001, she modeled for Chopard[17] and was featured in 2006 Campari adverts
as photographed by Mario Testino.[18] On April 3, she helped introduce La Doña, a watch by Cartier
inspired by fellow Mexican actress María Félix.[19]

She was also featured in a series of Spanish language commercials for Lincoln cars. Consequently, sales of
the Lincoln Navigator among Hispanics increased by twelve percentage points.