Salma Hayek, born September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, is a Mexican actress. Considered by many to be the most successful Latin actress in Hollywood, having appeared in more than thirty films and secured a nomination for an Oscar, is arguably the most important Mexican star in Hollywood today.
Hayek speaks Spanish, English, Arabic, and Portuguese. Her father is of Lebanese descent. Salma is a Spanish name which came from the Arabic word salam which means "peace" and "calm".
After the release of the movie Frida, Hayek was asked by a London journalist, "What was the toughest part of your performance?" Hayek answered, "There was one day when I could not say the line right. I'm dyslexic and I was tired. That was the scene we had the most trouble with. Sometimes I was really afraid of the really emotional scenes. The scene in the hospital we had to repeat many times because of the camera angles. That was exhausting. Then there were other scenes when I had to have a lot of energy that was difficult too. We had the casts for real. They would plaster me and sometimes they cut me when they would take them off…"
