Salma Hayek Jiménez (born September 2, 1966)  is a Mexican and American film actress, director and producer. She began her career in Mexico starring in the telenovela Teresa and went on to star in the film El Callejón de los Milagros (Miracle Alley) for which she was nominated for an Ariel Award. In 1991 Hayek moved to Hollywood and came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as Desperado (1995), Dogma (1999), and Wild Wild West (1999).

Her breakthrough role was in the 2002 film Frida as Frida Kahlo for which she was nominated in the category of Best Actress for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award. The movie received widespread attention and was a critical and commercial success. She won aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children/Youth/Family Special in 2004 for The Maldonado Miracle and received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007 after guest-starring in the ABC television series Ugly Betty. She also guest-starred on the NBCcomedy series 30 Rock from 2009 to 2013.

Hayek's recent films include Grown Ups (2010) and Grown Ups 2 (2013), acting alongside Adam Sandler, and Puss in Boots (2011), which also features former collaborator Antonio Banderas, wherein she is the voice of the character 'Kitty Softpaws'.

Hayek was born Salma Hayek Jiménez in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. Her younger brother Sami (born 1972) is a furniture designer. She is the daughter of Diana Jiménez Medina, an opera singer and talent scout. Her father Sami Hayek Domínguez—who once ran for mayor of Coatzacoalcos—was either an oil company executive, or the owner of an industrial-equipment firm.

Her father's surname, Hayek, is of Lebanese origin, and she also has Spanish ancestry. Her first given name, Salma, is Arabic for "safe".^[ Raised in a wealthy, devout Roman Catholic family, she was sent to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana USA, at the age of twelve. While there, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.She attended university in Mexico City, where she studied International Relations at the Universidad Iberoamericana.