Salma Hayek

Some Lesser Known Facts About Salma Hayek

• Salma Hayek has Lebanese roots through her father, whose family is from Baabdat, Lebanon. He works as an oil executive and owns an industrial-equipment company in Mexico. On her mother’s side, she comes from Spanish ancestry.

• Salma grew up in an affluent household where Catholic beliefs played an important role.

  

• As a child, Salma used to sit by a pink window in her house and dream for hours. Her first big dream was not to be an actress but to become the President of Mexico and make the country better for everyone.

• At 12, she attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, but was expelled for mischief. She then completed her education back in Mexico.

  

• She was actively involved in activities like gymnastics during her early years.

  

• Salma was diagnosed with dyslexia during her school days.

• Salma graduated from high school at the age of 15. Although she was accepted to a top university in Mexico at that age, her father asked her to wait until she was 16 before starting college because he thought she was too young to move away from home.

• At 16, Hayek began studying Political Science and International Relations at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, hoping to become a diplomat, but eventually realised her true passion was working in films.

• At 18, Salma told her father over lunch that she was leaving college to become an actress. Though her father was initially upset, he agreed to let her take acting classes, thinking it was temporary. But, she never returned to college and later realised her true passion was actually behind the camera, not just acting.

• She later started receiving opportunities, but they did not last long.

• Hayek has often spoken about her severe stage fright. She said it gives her anxiety attacks and makes live performances very difficult. She once recalled that during a children’s play in her early days in Mexico, she was so overwhelmed that they had to drag her from the parking lot to finish the show.

• Salma appeared as ‘Teresa Chavero Martínez’ in the Mexican television series ‘Teresa’ (1989-1990), which aired on Las Estrellas.

  

• In 1991, Salma moved from Mexico to Los Angeles, US, to pursue her dream of making it in Hollywood. She lived as an illegal immigrant in the U.S. for a short time after her visa expired that same year.

• During her early time in Los Angeles, Salma faced many challenges. She struggled with limited English skills and dealt with racial discrimination in Hollywood. But to overcome the odds, she began learning English and trained in acting under the guidance of the renowned Stella Adler.

• She learnt English within a year and got her first role in the American film ‘Mi Vida Loca’ (1993).

  

• Her appearance as ‘Carolina’ in the action film ‘Desperado’ (1995) helped her establish in Hollywood.
  

• In 1996, she played the role of ‘Santanico Pandemonium’ in the American action horror film ‘From Dusk till Dawn.’

  

• Hayek has worked in many other films, including ‘Fled’ (1996) (American), ‘No One Writes to the Colonel’ (1999) (Spanish), ‘Hotel’ (2001) (British-Italian), and ‘Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant’ (2009) (American).

  

• She has also worked in a few short films like ‘Sístole diástole’ (1997) (Spanish), ‘I Saved My Belly Dancer’ (2016), and ’11th Hour’ (2017).

• Salma met actor Edward Atterton through mutual friends in 1997. They later began dating. Edward even moved to Los Angeles to be with her. The duo was together for almost three years before ending their relationship in early 2000.

  

• In 1998, Salma became spokeswoman for Revlon, an American beauty and cosmetic brand.

  

• In 1999, she founded a production company named ‘Ventanarosa’ (trans. ‘pink window’) – a tribute to the window by which she used to dream as a child.

• Salma met actor Edward Norton in 1999 through mutual friends; however, some reports say they were introduced by their chiropractor. They started dating soon after and were together for about four years. The duo broke up in 2003, and the news was accidentally shared by a child actor from ‘Spy Kids 3: Game Over.’

  

• In 2001, Hayek modelled for luxury brand Chopard. The following year, she appeared in Spanish-language commercials for Lincoln cars.

• In 2002, Salma Hayek starred in and produced ‘Frida,’ portraying iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, making her the first Mexican woman to receive this recognition.
  

• Hayek began dating actor Josh Lucas in 2003, shortly after her breakup with Norton. They, however, split up in 2004 because they were working in different countries and did not get to spend enough time together.

• In 2004, Salma and actor Colin Farrell sparked dating rumours after working together on the film ‘Ask the Dust.’ Though they never confirmed the relationship, they were often seen together looking close. Their rumoured romance lasted a few months before ending later that year.

  

• In February 2004, she became spokesperson for Avon Products.

• Salma often speaks out against violence towards women and discrimination faced by immigrants. On 19 July 2005, she even testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in support of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

  

• In February 2006, she donated $25,000 to a women’s shelter in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, and contributed another $50,000 to organizations in Monterrey working to stop domestic violence.

• Salma Hayek met French billionaire François-Henri Pinault at a gala in Venice, Italy, in 2006. They began dating soon after, and by 2007, they were engaged and expecting their first child.

  

• In 2008, Hayek became the co-founder of Cooler Cleanse, a program that delivers fresh juices.

• Salma believes in contributing to society. She has worked with UNICEF for over a decade, supporting causes like refugee aid, maternal health, and ending domestic violence.

• During her visit to Sierra Leone with UNICEF in September 2008, Hayek breastfed a newborn whose mother was unable to nurse. She took this step to raise awareness, fight the negative views about breastfeeding, and support better nutrition for infants.

  

• Salma also works with Procter & Gamble (P&G) and UNICEF to help fight tetanus. For every pack of Pampers sold, P&G donates enough money to provide one tetanus vaccine; Hayek is the spokesperson for this campaign.

  

• Salma and Pinault got married on Valentine’s Day in 2009 at the City Hall of the Sixth Arrondissement in Paris, France, and later held a lavish second ceremony in Venice. In 2018, they renewed their vows during a surprise ceremony in Bora Bora.

• On 3 April 2009, Salma Hayek presented Cartier’s La Doña watch, inspired by iconic Mexican actress María Félix, in Geneva, Switzerland.

• In 2010, Hayek was nominated for the VH1’s Do Something Awards in recognition of her humanitarian efforts.

• In 2011, Salma played the role of ‘Luisa Gómez’ in the Spanish film ‘La chispa de la vida’ (2011).

  

• Salma has voice several animated characters over the years, including Kitty Softpaws in ‘Puss in Boots’ (2011) and ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022), Kamilla in ‘Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet’ (2014), and Theresa del Taco in ‘Sausage Party’ (2016).

  

• In 2013, Hayek teamed up with singer Beyoncé and fashion designer Frida Giannini to launch ‘Chime for Change,’ a Gucci campaign promoting women’s empowerment.

  

• In 2014, Hayek joined fellow artists in signing an Amnesty International letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron, calling for better women’s rights in Afghanistan. After her 2015 visit to Lebanon, she publicly criticized the discrimination women experience there.

• That same year, Hayek wrote the introduction for athlete Eric Helms’ juice recipe book. In 2017, she and Helms launched Blend It Yourself, a subscription service that delivered organic smoothie and acai bowl ingredients based on her personal beauty recipes.

  

• In 2015, Hayek worked both as an actor and executive producer for the film Septembers of Shiraz; she played the role of ‘Farnez.’

• On 13 December 2017, Hayek wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, revealing producer Harvey Weinstein had sexually harassed and threatened her during the making of the film Frida. She described how he made repeated unwanted advances, pressured her into doing a nude scene, and threatened to shut down the film when she refused.

• In 2019, the Pinault family donated US$113 million to help rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral after it was damaged by a major fire.

  

• In 2025, Salma Hayek, 58, became the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model.

  

• Salma uses simple aromatherapy to feel better. When she has a headache, she rubs a balm called Macaron (from French drugstores) on her temples. She also puts lavender oil on the bottom of her feet or her daughter Valentina’s feet to help them relax.

• Salma once shared a fun cooking trick she used when she was younger and unsure about her skills. She would serve tequila soup, made with chicken broth, a splash of tequila, and lime, at the meal’s start. It got everyone a bit tipsy, so if the rest of the dinner did not turn out great, no one noticed or remembered.

  

• Hayek enjoys adding a spicy twist to her snacks. She often tops her popcorn with a Mexican hot sauce called Valentina.

• Salma Hayek is an avid traveller and often shares her travel experiences on social media.

  

• She consumes alcohol occasionally.

  

• Salma serves on the board of V-Day, a charity started by playwright Eve Ensler. Although Hayek once said she was not a feminist, she later changed her mind, explaining,
  

  I am a feminist because a lot of amazing women have made me who I am today. […] But – it should not be just because I am a woman.”

• Salma loves animals and has over 30 pets, including dogs, cats, alpacas, parrots, chickens, horses, geese, rabbits, hamsters, fish, and an owl named Kering. One of her dogs, Lobito, a white Swiss Shepherd, joined her family in 2018 after the loss of her previous dog, Mozart.
  

Salma Hayek in the short film ‘I Saved My Belly Dancer’ (2016)