Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1987) is an Indian-born Portuguese actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu and Hindi language films. D'Cruz was born in Mumbai and spent most of her childhood in Goa. D'Cruz made her screen debut in 2006 with Telugu-language film Devadasu, which was a commercial success. She has received several awards including a Filmfare Award South and a Filmfare Award.
D'Cruz established herself as a leading actress in Telugu cinema with successful films including Pokiri (2006), Rakhi (2006), Munna (2007), Jalsa (2008), Kick (2009) and Julayi (2012). She made her debut in Tamil cinema with Kedi (2006) and starred in Shankar's Nanban (2012), a commercial success.
D'Cruz expanded to Hindi cinema in 2012 with Anurag Basu's comedy-drama Barfi!, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She has since played the leading lady in Main Tera Hero (2014), Rustom (2016), and Raid (2018).
Early and personal life
D'Cruz was born to a Catholic father and Muslim mother in Mahim, Mumbai on 1 November 1987. Ileana D'Cruz confessed being an atheist. Her family moved to Parra, Goa when she was 10 years old.