10 June 2008
Young Filmmaker - Salma Hayek
Born in 1966 in Mexico, Salma Hayek has turned talent, beauty, and intelligence into a highly successful career as an actress, producer, and director in productions in Mexico, the United States, and other countries. After becoming a television and film star in Mexico, Hayek came to the United States to learn that, at that time, there were limited roles for Latin actresses in American films. Through perseverance, talent, and a bit of personal activism, the actress, who is part Lebanese, began to win bigger and more diverse roles. At the same time, and perhaps partly as a result of a desire to ensure better roles for herself and other actresses, she moved into the field of producing. Her first feature film, El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (1999), was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and was Mexico's entry for the Academy Award for best foreign film.
Hayek won many accolades for her portrayal of the legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in Frida, a film she also produced. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards. Other films include Fools Rush In; In the Time of Butterflies; The Wild, Wild West; Desperado; From Dusk Till Dawn; and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
One of Hayek's biggest impacts has been made on the small screen, with her adaptation and production of an American version of the Colombian television program Yo soy Betty La Fea. The hit show Ugly Betty, in which Hayek has a recurring role, has won Image, Golden Globe, and Peabody Awards and has been praised for raising the visibility of minority characters and teaching audiences, especially young girls, that appearance is not the most important or valuable characteristic.
From the June 2007 edition of eJournal USA.
