Where Is Salma Hayek From?

Fans of Salma Hayek may know a lot of oh-so-interesting details about the star's impressive career, such as the fact that she's appeared in a fair share of popular films like 1996's "From Dusk Till Dawn" (eek!), 2002's "Frida" (a nearly Oscar-worthy performance), and 2021's "House of Gucci" (she was practically perfect as problemactic psychic Pina Auriemma), according to IMDb. She's also been honored with plenty of nominations for top industry awards and taken home a few wins over the years. She also started her own super-successful production company, Ventanarosa.

On top of that, you might even know a few tidbits of trivia when it comes to Hayek's personal life. For instance, do you know the ins and outs of her marriage? Are you aware of the fact that her daughter is basically her twin? Of course, there's also the fact that she may be living in a haunted house. Seriously! But, beyond all of that, do you know about her background and where she's originally from?

Although Hayek is obviously one of the most famous performers in show business these days, she made her way to Hollywood from outside of the country, and her journey was filled with twists and turns that could make up the plot of an incredibly intriguing movie.

Salma Hayek was born as Salma Hayek Jiménez on September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, according to Biography. Born into a wealthy family, Collider notes that her dad was an executive at an oil company as well as the owner of an industrial equipment firm. Because of the family's status, Hayek had a privileged childhood which even involved having a trio of tigers as pets!

Although she spent her younger years in Mexico, according to Biography, Hayek was sent to the United States when she was just 12 in order to enroll at a convent school that was located in Louisiana. From there, she went to stay with an aunt in Texas and spent her teen years in Houston. When she got a little older, she returned to Mexico to attend university before ditching her studies to kick off her acting career, which was definitely the right move, considering she landed the lead role on a popular soap opera — or rather, a telenovela — called "Teresa."

While Hayek had clearly found success in her home country, she decided that she wanted to make a big move. However, that didn't go as smoothly as she had hoped.

After Salma Hayek established herself as a star in Mexico, she decided that it was time to make her way to Hollywood. However, while her move was motivated by her career ambitions, some people believed that she left her home country for a very different reason. Shiff Festival notes that rumors sparked that the actor had been having an affair with the president of Mexico and had decided to move away because the politician's upset spouse might have caused trouble for the star. In 1991, Hayek ended up in Los Angeles and set out to become better at speaking English, according to Biography. However, she still faced obstacles because of who she was and where she came from.

"There were no parts for Latinas. It was very painful. People advised me to go back to Mexico, settle down and have kids. I think they felt sorry for me," Hayek admitted to the Daily Mirror (via CTV News) in December 2011. She added that she wasn't "offered the parts that most people" in show business are given "because they are blonde and speak without an accent."

Despite what Hayek faced, she didn't go back to Mexico. Instead, Biography notes that she started to get smaller roles before being brought on to star in 1995's "Desperado" with Antonio Banderas, which was just the first significant Hollywood gig for the woman who would go on to become one of the biggest stars in the world.