She told the crowd when she came to the U.S. from Spain in 1994, she only knew how to say two things in English - "How are you?" and "I want to work with Johnny Depp."
The honor comes just weeks before the release of her new film with Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," which hits theaters nationwide in May. Cruz portrays the daughter of the notorious pirate Blackbeard and the love interest of Captain Jack Sparrow.
Born near Madrid, Spain, Cruz was signed by an agent when she was 15 years old and made her acting debut in Spanish television when she was 16.
Cruz received the first of her three /*Academy Award*/ nominations for her role in the 2006 film "Volver." She won a best supporting actress Oscar in 2009 for her performance in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
Cruz's other memorable films include "Vanilla Sky," "Blow," and the Oscar-winning best foreign film "All About My Mother."
City News Service contribute to this story
