Salma Hayek has reached a major milestone. The Mexican actress and producer turned 60 on September 2, 2026, celebrating a birthday that arrives after almost 40 years in film and television.
Born on September 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, Hayek began her career in Mexican television before making the difficult transition to Hollywood. Over the years, she became one of the most recognizable Latina stars in the industry and eventually earned an Academy Award nomination.
One of the people closely linked to her early Hollywood breakthrough marked the occasion publicly. Antonio Banderas, who starred with Hayek in the 1995 film Desperado, shared a warm birthday message for his longtime friend and sent her greetings from Málaga, Spain.
The tribute carried extra meaning because Desperado, directed by Robert Rodriguez, became an important turning point in Hayek’s international career. She and Banderas later reunited professionally in Once Upon a Time in Mexico and the Puss in Boots franchise, while their friendship continued away from the cameras.
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Hayek has previously referred to Banderas as her “good luck charm” and has credited him with playing an important role during the early stages of her Hollywood journey. She has also spoken fondly about the fact that their bond survived despite both actors spending years working in different countries and on separate projects.
Reaching 60 does not seem to be something Hayek has approached with anxiety. In fact, she has repeatedly spoken about growing older as an opportunity to embrace another kind of beauty rather than trying to hold on to a younger version of herself.
While discussing aging in 2025, Hayek said she was excited about reaching her 50s and 60s and still feeling attractive. For her, getting older represented a different expression of beauty rather than something that needed to be hidden.
That philosophy has gradually become part of her public image. Hayek has freely shown gray hairs, appeared without makeup and shared relaxed everyday moments alongside highly polished red-carpet looks and confident swimsuit photographs.
One especially symbolic career moment came shortly before her 60th birthday. At 58, Hayek appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, something she admitted she would never have imagined possible when she was younger.
Hayek recalled being fascinated by the magazine’s swimsuit issue years ago, but she never expected someone with her body type to appear in it. She joked that if anyone had predicted she would become a cover star at 58, she would have thought they were completely unrealistic.
For Hayek, however, the significance went beyond appearing in glamorous photographs. She viewed it as evidence that attitudes toward age and women’s bodies have changed, particularly for women over 50 who no longer have to feel that confidence or sensuality belongs only to younger generations.
Her birthdays have often reflected that same attitude. When she turned 58 in 2024, Hayek shared 18 swimsuit pictures taken aboard a yacht and made a point of telling followers that none of the images were old throwbacks.
A year later, she marked her 59th birthday with another yacht moment, this time wearing a red bikini while posing against an ocean sunset. She celebrated having completed 59 trips around the sun and thanked her followers for their affection and support.
Now Hayek has officially entered her 60s, a stage of life she once said she was looking forward to rather than dreading. With decades of success behind her and an increasingly open approach to beauty, age and confidence, the actress appears determined to treat this new chapter as another reason to celebrate rather than slow down.
