In subsequent years, Hayek focused more on producing while starring in the action-centered pictures Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), After the Sunset (2004) and Bandidas (2006).

Hayek's portrayal of painter Frida Kahlo in the biographical film Frida (2002), which she also produced, made her the first Mexican actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and additionally earned her Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and British Academy Film Award nominations. She soon established herself in Hollywood with appearances in films such as Desperado (1995), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Wild Wild West (1999), and Dogma (1999). She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela Teresa (1989–1991) as well as the romantic drama El Callejón de los Milagros (1995), for which she received an Ariel Award nomination. Salma Hayek Pinault ( / ˈ h aɪ ɛ k/ HY-ek, Spanish: born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez September 2, 1966) is a Mexican-American actress and producer.