Salma Hayek Biography

Salma Hayek is a Mexican and American actress and film producer who rose to prominence in Hollywood when she appeared in Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Wild Wild West, and Dogma. Publicly, Hayek has been mentioned among Hollywood’s most powerful and influential Latina actresses and one of the globe’s most beautiful women by different media outlets

Salma Hayek Education

Hayek studied at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana when she was 12 years old. While at school, she was diagnosed with dyslexia Next, she joined the Universidad Iberoamericana where she studied International Relations.

Salma Hayek Career

Hayek started her career in Mexico when she appeared in Teresa from 1989 to 1991 and Midaq Alley in 1995. She hit Hollywood when she appeared in Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Wild Wild West, and Dogma. 

In 2002, she starred as Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida which she also produced. For her performance, she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first Mexican actress to earn the award nomination. In the next years, she concentrated on producing while appearing in action-focused films such as Once Upon a Time in Mexico, After the Sunset, and Bandidas.

Hayek attained more success when she appeared in Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2, and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. She also provided voiceovers for Puss in Boots and Sausage Party. She received critical praise for her performances in Tale of Tales, Beatriz at Dinner, and House of Gucci. In 2021, she appeared in MCU’s Eternals where she starred in the role of Ajak.

Hayek has received four nominations for an Emmy award in recognition of her directing, producing, and acting work. For her work in The Maldonado Miracle, she attained the Daytime Emmy Outstanding Directing in a Children Special Award.

Hayek starred as Sofia Reyes in ABC’s Ugly Betty which earned her nominations for a Primetime Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Award and a Primetime Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy Award.

She produced and appeared in Showtime’s In the Time of the Butterflies and guest-starred on NBC’s 30 Rock. In 1999, she founded a production company called Ventanarosa which she uses to produce film and TV works.

Publicly, Hayek has been mentioned among Hollywood’s most powerful and influential Latina actresses and one of the globe’s most beautiful women by different media outlets. In 2023, she was named in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list.

2018 to present

Hayek starred in the role of Eva Torres in the tech drama The Hummingbird Project in 2018. The following year, she appeared as Nancy Teagarten in the comedy, Drunk Parents. In 2020, Hayek starred in Like a Boss as a cosmetics mogul along with Rose Byrne and Tiffany Haddish. The same year, she starred as Dolores in The Roads Not Taken. Next, she appeared in Bliss as a homeless woman who befriends a just divorced man.

Hayek starred as Sonia Kincaid in the sequel of The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard along with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. She portrayed a wise and spiritual leader called Ajak in MCU’s Eternals. Since then, she signed a contract with Marvel to appear in several MCU projects.

Hayek appeared as Pina Auriemma in House of Gucci. She recurred the role of Kitty Softpaws in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. In 2022, she was cast to appear in  Without Blood alongside Demián Bichir. The following year, she starred in an episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror, “Joan Is Awful.

Advocacy Work

Aside from her filmmaking and acting career, Hayek has been involved in various charitable works including those that raise awareness about violence against women and prejudice against immigrants. She attested before the U.S. Senate Committee about the Judiciary backing reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act on July 19, 2005.

Hayek bestowed $25,000 to a Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, shelter for abused women in February 2006. Also, she gave $50,000 to Monterrey-based anti-domestic brutality groups. She serves on the board of V-Day. Even though she said that she was not a feminist, she later changed her statement and said that she was a feminist because many women made her who she is.

Hayek endorses breastfeeding. She breastfed a starved week-old baby whose mother could not provide milk in 2009 during a UNICEF fact-finding journey to Sierra Leone. She said she breastfed the child to lessen the stigma linked with breastfeeding and to boost infant nutrition.

In 2010, she received a nomination for the VH1 Do Something Awards for her humanitarian deeds. She along with Beyoncé and Frida Giannini debuted “Chime for Change” in 2013 aimed at circulating female empowerment.

During International Women’s Day in 2014, Hayek served among the artists who endorsed Amnesty International’s letter promoting women’s rights in Afghanistan to then-British Prime Minister David Cameron. After she visited Lebanon in 2015, she condemned the bias against women in the nation.

Hayek published an op-ed in The New York Times where she said that film producer, Harvey Weinstein, harassed and abused her during the production of Frida. In 2020, she increased awareness of the vanishing of Vanessa Guillen via her Instagram account.

Endorsements

In 1998, Hayek served as a spokeswoman for Revlon. Since February 2004, she has worked for Avon Cosmetics as a spokeswoman. In 2001, she served Chopard as a model. The following year, she appeared in a chain of Spanish-language commercials for Lincoln cars. She also appeared in Campari ads in 2006.

On April 3, 2009, Hayek supported the introduction of La Doña, Cartier’s watch inspired by María Félix, a Mexican actress. In collaboration with the Procter & Gamble Company and UNICEF, she helped boost the funding of maternal and neonatal tetanus vaccines via replaceable diaper deals.

Hayek works for the Pampers/UNICEF alliance as a global spokesperson. Procter & Gamble donates approximately 24 cents for each pack of Pampers vended. In 2008, she helped found Cooler Cleanse, Juice Generation’s juice shipment program.

Hayek and Eric Helms, Juice Generation founder, debuted the beauty subscription shipment service Blend It Yourself in 2017 which provides subscribers with readied organic frozen smoothie and acai bowl ingredients. She debuted Nuance by Salma Hayek, a line of cosmetics, skincare, and hair care products.

Public Image

During her early career, Hayek was viewed as a sex symbol because of the mainly racy sex symbol type of roles she played in films such as Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Fled. These roles made her known to mainstream audiences.

Different media publications have named her among Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses. For example, People Magazine listed her in its 50 Most Beautiful People in the World list in 1996, 2003, and 2008, while Maxim rated her 34th and 90th on their Hot 100 list in 2005 and 2007, respectively. FHM listed her on its 2005 and 2006 list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World.

 E! Entertainment voted her 1997 Academy Award dress among the five most unforgettable in Oscar history. E-Poll Market Research discovered that she was viewed “sexiest celebrity” among a group of 3,000 public individuals during a poll in July 2007. Further, 65 percent of respondents used the term “sexy” to define her.

The Blue Star Contemporary Art Center in San Antonio hosted “Solamente Salma,” an exhibition that had 16 of her portrait paintings as  Itzpapalotl, an Aztec goddess, by George Yepes, a muralist, and Robert Rodriguez, a filmmaker. The Hollywood Reporter rated her 4th on their list of the most influential Latin members of Hollywood in July 2007.

In 2008, she received the Women in Film Lucy Award for her work that improved the concept of women through TV. She was ranked 17th in Entertainment Weekly’s list of the 25 Smartest People in TV. During her career, she has appeared on the covers of many international magazines like Variety, Premiere, Glamour, InStyle, Elle, Britain’s Maxim, Total Film, France’s Entrevue, Marie Claire, and Madame Figaro. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and guest editor of British Vogue chose Hayek to appear on the cover of the magazine’s September 2019 issue.

Salma Hayek Age

Hayek was born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez on September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. She is 57 years old as of 2023. Hayek celebrates her birthday every September 2nd annually.

Salma Hayek Height

Hayek stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 6 inches

Salma Hayek Family

Hayek was born to Diana Jiménez Medina and Sami Hayek Domínguez in Coatzacoalcos. Domínguez, her father, owns an industrial equipment company and works as an oil company executive in Mexico. He previously ran for mayor of Coatzacoalcos. His ancestors come from Baabdat, Lebanon, which he and Hayek visited to promote her film, Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet in 2015.

On the other hand, her mother, Diana, works as an opera singer and talent scout. She is of Spanish descent. Aside from Hayek, they have a son named Sami who works as a furniture designer. They raised their children in a devout Catholic family.

Salma Hayek Husband

Hayek married François-Henri Pinault on Valentine’s Day 2009 in Paris. He proposed to her in 2007 and she confirmed their engagement on March 9, 2007. They renewed their vows on April 25, 2009, in Venice, Italy. On September 21, 2007, she gave birth to their daughter at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She is 16 years old as of 2023.

François is a French billionaire who has worked for Kering as the CEO since 2005. During his leadership, PPR, a retail conglomerate, changed into Kering, a luxury fashion group. Since 2003, he has worked as the president of Groupe Artémis. He was born on May 28, 1962, and is 61 years old as of 2023. In 2019, the Pinault family promised US$113 million to sustain the reconstruction endeavors of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, after it was ruined in the 2019 fire. Hayek practices yoga and studied at Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.

Salma Hayek Net Worth

Hayek has an estimated net worth of over £100 million which she has earned through being an actress and film producer.

Salma Hayek 90s

Hayek debuted her acting career when she appeared in Un Nuevo Amanecer from 1988 to 1989. She attained fame and became a household name in Hispanic homes after she appeared in Teresa. She then relocated to the U.S. where she initially struggled as an actress.

In 1995, she attained praise for her performance in Midaq Alley. She gained a breakthrough in her Hollywood career when she appeared in Desperado. Shortly, she installed herself in Hollywood mainly in racy sex symbol type of roles she played in films such as Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Fled. These roles made her known to mainstream audiences.

Salma Hayek Teresa 

From 1989 to 1990, Hayek starred as Teresa Martínez in the telenovela, Teresa. Teresa is a beautiful and smart young woman who desperately wants to stop living in poverty. She hates poverty because her sister succumbed to the conditions. Thus, she decides to use her beauty to enter the world of luxury in which she wants to be. Hayek attained fame and became a household name in Hispanic homes after she appeared in Teresa.

Salma Hayek Desperado

In 1995, Hayek starred in the role of Carolina in Desperado. Carolina owns Carolina’s Book Cafe.

Salma Hayek From Dusk till Dawn

In 1996, Hayek starred in the role of Santanico Pandemonium in From Dusk Till Dawn. Previously known as Esmeralda, she was the Vampire Queen of the Titty Twister and a previous dhampir before being turned by her mother and grandmother

Salma Hayek Wild Wild West

In 1999, Hayek starred in the role of Rita Escobar in Wild Wild West. The main female protagonist, she joins Captain James T. West and Artemus Gordon in their adventure to rescue the kidnapped scientists including her husband, Professor Guillermo Escobar, from Dr Arliss Loveless.

Salma Hayek Frida

In 2002, she starred as Frida Kahlo in the biopic Frida which she also produced. The film follows the professional and private life of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist. She started painting after experiencing a traumatic accident at the age of 18 to support her through convalescence.

For her performance, she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first Mexican actress to earn the award nomination. Also, she received nominations for a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a British Academy Film Award.

Salma Hayek Dogma

In 1999, Hayek starred in the role of Serendipity in Dogma. Serendipity is an Earth-bound Muse who is granted to leave heaven to pursue her interests on Earth after she sides with side with God during Lucifer’s rebellion against the Throne.

Salma Hayek The Hitman’s Bodyguard/Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

Hayek starred as Sonia Kincaid in The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. Sonia is the wife of Darius Kinclaid. Darius is a world-famous hitman. In Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, she teams up with her husband and suspended bodyguard, Michael Bryce, to stop a maniac from initiating a terror raid on Europe.

Salma Hayek Eternals

In 2021, she appeared in MCU’s Eternals where she starred in the role of Ajak. Ajak was the original Prime Eternal, a wise and spiritual leader of the Eternals. She came to Earth in 5000 BC to continue societal development on the planet and protect it from the Deviants. However, she is betrayed by Ikaris after she opposes the ideals of her creators.

Hayek was initially surprised that Marvel was interested in casting her. She said she felt empowered and emotional after seeing her superhero costume. Hayek also said that it was amazing for a Mexican woman let alone in her 50s to play a superhero. She held great pride in wearing her superhero costume.

Salma Hayek Ugly Betty

From 2006 to 2007, Hayek starred in the recurring role of Sofia Reyes in ABC’s Ugly Betty. Sofia is a popular book author empowering women. Her most recent bestsellers include “Girls Like It on Top” and “Making Your Man a Bottom.” For her performance in the film, she earned nominations for a Primetime Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Award and a Primetime Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy Award.

Salma Hayek Ethnicity

Hayek is of Lebanese descent on her paternal side and Spanish on her maternal side. In 2015, she visited Madrid and was interviewed by Un Nuevo Día. During the interview, she said that she views herself as fifty percent Lebanese and fifty percent Spanish. Also, she said that her grandmother and maternal great-grandparents came from Spain.

Salma Hayek Nationality

Hayek is a United States citizen through naturalization. During an interview with V magazine in 2011, she revealed that she briefly lived as an illegal immigrant in the United States.

Salma Hayek Religion

Hayek grew up in a devout Catholic family. In 2007, she said that she was no longer devout and didn’t believe in the Church, partly because of the practices she disagreed with like its campaign against condoms in Africa, where she said overpopulation and AIDS were uncontrolled. However, she explained that she still believed in Jesus Christ and God.

Salma Hayek Flash

In 2023, Hayek accidentally exposed her breasts as she danced in celebration of her newly acquired 24 million Instagram followers during IG Live. She had not noticed that her robe was open while dancing. Even so, she continued dancing while her friends laughed in the background.

Salma Hayek Instagram

Hayek has an active Instagram account which has over 27.5 million followers. CLICK HERE to view her account.

Salma Hayek Movies and TV Shows

Hayek has starred in a number of films and TV shows in her career such as

• Roadracers
• El Callejón de los Milagros
• Follow Me Home
• The Sinbad Show
• The Hunchback
• El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba
• In the Time of the Butterflies
• La chispa de la vida
• HBO First Look
• Independent Lens
• Muppets Most Wanted
• Some Kind of Beautiful
• How to Be a Latin Lover
• Nature Is Speaking