Salma Hayek Brings The Bling to The Oscars Red Carpet

Salma Hayek Pinault, more commonly known as just Salma Hayek, was born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez on September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. Her father, Sami Hayek Domínguez, is an oil company executive in Mexico and also the owner of an industrial-equipment firm. Additionally, he once ran for political office, for the position of mayor of Coatzacoalcos. He is Lebanese Mexican. Her mother, Diana Jiménez Medina, is an opera singer and talent scout. She is of Spanish descent.

Hayek was raised along with her younger brother, Sami, in a wealthy and devout Roman Catholic family. When she was 12 years old, her family sent her to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. She later continued her education at the Universidad Iberoamericana, studying international relations.

When she was 23 years old, Hayek was cast as the lead in the Mexican telenovela “Teresa”. Thanks to the telenovela, she became a star and household name in Mexico. She continued her popularity with a starring role in the film “El Callejón de los Milagros (Miracle Alley)” (1994). It is the most-awarded movie in the history of Mexican cinema, and Hayek was nominated for an Ariel Award.