salma hayek, valentina and oprah© GettyImages

The fascinating life of Salma Hayek's daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault


APRIL 15, 2019 6:00 PM EDT

When your mamá is one of Hollywood's most accomplished actresses and filmmakers and your father is a billionaire businessman, it's guaranteed that your life will be anything but ordinary. That is the case for Salma Hayek and François-Henri Pinault's daughter Valentina, who has been mingling with famous names and hanging out on movie sets nearly from the day she was born in September 2007 in Los Angeles.

Her parents, Mexico-born Salma and French-born François-Henri got engaged in March 2007. The couple married on Valentine's Day 2009 in Paris, following the ceremony with a second celebration in Venice that spring.

As far as Valentina's upbringing, Salma told HOLA! USA that Mexican culture is at the forefront of her daughter's upbringing. "Valentina grew up in Paris, but every year we had a Day of the Dead celebration. I learned how to make pan de muerto in Paris. It has influenced me a lot, always being close to my family. It's what gives you security. It gives you roots."

Scroll though to see the best photos of Valentina Pinault from her toddler years on set to how she's learning to give back.

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Quiet on set!

Here the one-year-old Valentina is carried by her mom Salma on the set of the TV comedy 30 Rock as she filmed a cameo in New York City in October 2008.

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Dressed in a sweet pink dress, Valentina is cradled in her mother's arms as she continued shooting alongside Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in the comedy show. The cute snap was taken in November 2008.

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Film festivals en familia

Film festivals are a big part of Salma's life and, as a fashion boss whose company owns brands from Gucci to Alexander McQueen, François-Henri's as well. Here the happy family spend some time on the Promenade des Planches along the French beach front during the 38th Deauville American Film Festival.

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A little princesa

Salma's little princesa meets some real-life Disney princesses! While she's certainly used to hanging out with famous faces, Valentina looks especially thrilled to chill out with Tiana, Cinderella and Snow White (along with Hollywood queen Salma!) at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

In an exclusive interview with HOLA! USA, Salma acknowledged her daughter is in a "privileged situation" so she tries to teach her the simple lessons day to day. "What I need to do is make sure...that she learns to appreciate the little things in life," she said.

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Learning to give

Salma and husband François-Henri are major philanthropists and it looks like they are teaching Valentina to give back as well. Here mom and daughter – dressed in a cute red flamenco-style dress! – attend the Les P'tits Cracks charity dinner at Pavillon Champs Elysees in Paris.

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Tío Antonio

One of Salma's longtime BFFs is actor Antonio Banderas, her co-star in such films of Desperado, Frida and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Here, in tío mode, he adorably holds hands with little Valentina at the October 2011 screening of the animated film Puss in Boots at Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, California.

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Red carpet natural

It looks like Valentina has some serious red carpet charisma! "Valentina and I are not very similar personality-wise," Salma told HOLA! USA, later adding: "She gets in front of the camera with no problem!"

The then five-year-old looked like a natural hitting the red carpet at the Chime For Change: The Sound Of Change Live Concert in London in June 2013. Chime for Change is a global campaign for girls' and women's empowerment founded by Gucci with a founding committee including mom Salma and Beyoncé.

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Star friends

Attending events with movie star friends is just a day in the life for Salma and François-Henri, and Valentina is already learning the film festival ropes. Here she and her parents step out for Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet party at the 67th Cannes Film Festival. With the Pinault family is HOLA! USA Latina Powerhouse Zoe Saldana and her husband Marco Perego.

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Three generations

Valentina looked very sophisticated in an A-list skirt and pussy bow blouse as she joined her abuela Diana Jimenez Medina and her mother at the Woman Awards in Madrid back in April 2015. The three generations of strong women mingled with Queen Letizia of Spain at the special gala.

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An audience at the Vatican

It was a more solemn occasion as Salma and François-Henri brought their little girl to a special audience with Pope Francis and the participants of the Sixth World Congress of Pontifical Foundation Scholas in May 2016 at the Vatican. Scholas is an international organization of pontifical right created by Pope Francis which combines technology with art and sport to promote social integration and peace.

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Hugs from Oprah

What A-list circle of friends would be complete without Oprah Winfrey? The talk show host and media mogul gave Valentina and her mom a huge huge at the world premiere of Disney's A Wrinkle in Time at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood in February 2018.