Curves to die for, seduction incarnate. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world of Salma Hayek Jimenez.

Born in 1966 in Mexico (she’s 47 if you can believe it), she rose to fame in the title role of a telenovela called Teresa in 1989. Seeking greater fame she moved to LA in 1991, where she caught the eye of Robert Rodriguez and bagged a lead role in Desperado opposite Antonio Banderas. From there her plan to seduce the world began…
Desperado (1995)
Most of us got our first introduction to Hayek as a woman who could cause traffic accidents, literally. Demonstrated in this great scene in Robert Rodriguez’s guilty pleasure action movie. Like a dirty shot of tequila this film is sweaty, sexy and a lot more fun than you care to admit.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
You’ve not lived until you’ve had a seductive snake dance in a vampire-infested bar on the edge of the Mexican border. Or so I’ve been told. I doubt Tarantino was even acting reacting to her dance: wailing guitar, fire breathing, pouring whisky shots down her leg. Simply spellbinding.

Dogma (1999)
Pink underwear, pigtails, cute geek glasses… damn you Kevin Smith. Or Salma. Someone’s to blame for this scene. I say blame, it’s a brilliant scene. As soon as you hear Candy Girl by New Edition kick in you’re there with Chris Rock’s Apostle, grooving to the beat.

Frida (2002)
The trailer calls the title character – played by Hayek – as ‘one of the most seductive women of ours or any time’, which is pretty accurate as this performance got her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. A high point in Hayek’s career in terms of an acting showcase.

Puss in Boots (2011)
Ok, Kitty Softpaws is an animated character but… it’s still Salma Hayek and her voice is very much part of her appeal. And it was great to see her working with Banderas again, they have wonderful chemistry – even if they were furry little cats who like to steal things.