Salma is the daughter of a Spanish-descended mother and a Lebanese-descended father. She was born and raised in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico in 1968. When she was twelve, her parents sent her to a catholic boarding school in Louisiana. Even though Salma proved that she was attentively studious and properly religious, she was suspended and sent home after just 2 years. The fact that she also had an aptitude for mischief, usually directed against the nuns who ran the school, played a key roll in her dismissal. Two years after her return Salma finished high school and was sent away again. She went to live with her aunt in Houston until she was seventeen.

When she returned to Mexico, Salma relocated to Mexico City to attend college, where she studied international relations. She had harbored her desire to become an actress for years because she knew her parents would never approve of such a chancy vocation. Finally she confronted her parents and told them of her aspiration. Despite their disapproval, Salma quite college and pursued her acting career. She found work in plays at neighborhood theaters, which led to jobs in television commercials, which in turn yielded a casting in Nuevo Amanecer, a popular daytime TV serial. She was then cast as the title character in an extraordinarily popular soap opera, Theresa. Salma's popularity grew quickly and soon she was the most fervently adored actress in Mexico.

Not content to settle for the comparatively meager rewards of mega-stardom in Mexico. Salma set her confident sights on Hollywood, and moved there in 1991. She initially took an 18 month hiatus from acting to climatize herself to Hollywood. She took English lessons, taught herself how to drive a car and got aquatinted with L.A.'s maze of freeways. She also studied acting under famed drama coach Stella Adler.

Initially Salma's acting credits were little more than bit parts, mostly on television. But it was an appearance on a Spanish-language cable-access talk show, which led to her big break. Mexican-American director Robert Rodriguez tuned into Hayek's talk show appearance while flipping through channels. He was so impressed with the sparkling charisma and dazzling appearance of Salma that he immediately tracking her down and cast her in the female lead in "Desperado". She received rave reviews for her exceptional performance and sizzling sexy style. She landed small rolls in "Fair Game" and "Fled", which didn't do too well at the box office. However, Salma's performances provided much-needed zip for both movies.

She was cast in From Dusk 'Til Dawn with George Clooney where she did the famous snake dance scene, and in the 1997 comedy Fools Rush In, co-starring Matthew Perry and marking her first leading role. That same year, Hayek charmed audiences with her role as Esmeralda in a TNT rendition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She was no stranger to the role, as she portrayed Esmeralda in Disney's Spanish version of the film.

Hayek's film repertoire only continued to expand, with a role as a coke-sniffing dancer in 54 (Fifty Four), a tribute to the popular 70's nightclub. She also starred opposite Kevin Kline and Will Smith in the big budget disappointment Wild Wild West.; the controversial Dogma, co-starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Later she starred in The Velocity of Gary, as well as Frida, the biography of painter Frida Kahlo. In 2003 she could be seen in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.

Salma Hayek's latest movies are After the Sunset (great movie) and Bandidas.