Catherine Zeta Biography

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Actress

Birthdate: September 25, 1969

Birthplace: Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, U.K.

Sign: Libra

Catherine Zeta-Jones was born Catherine Jones on September 25, 1969 to an Irish seamstress mother, Patricia, and a Welsh father, Dai, who ran a confectionery company. Catherine showed an interest early on in entertainment. Catherine quickly added Dai's mother's name, Zeta, when the aspiring actress began a showbiz career in a world full of Catherine Joneses.

Catherine began taking dance classes at the age of four and by the age of 10, she was performing regularly with a local church-sponsored theater group. Following her recovery from a serious childhood illness that kept her off stage and out of school, she was enrolled in a private school to help her catch up on her missed studies.

When Catherine was 14, a traveling musical theater production helmed by former Monkee, Mickey Dolenz, came to Swansea where they were casting local talent to participate in the chorus of "Annie." She also landed a role in "Bugsy Malone." Then producers cast her in a touring production of "The Pajama Game." Zeta-Jones soon quit school and moved to London and received her Actor's Guild card.

At 15, Catherine was camping out in the spare room of an acting tutor. At 15, the newcomer won the lead in the British revival of "42nd Street." She was originally cast as second understudy but when the star and the first understudy fell ill the night the producer was in the audience, she was given the lead for the rest of the production.

By the age of 19, Catherine was ready for a change. She left London for a year to explore Paris. While there, director Philip de Broca gave her a screen debut in the feature, "Scheherazade: 1001 Night" in 1990. In 1991, Catherine returned to England and was offered a role in the British television series, "The Darling Buds of May." The show was a huge success and it launched Catherine into a bona fide TV star in the U.K.

It wasn't long before she began to land roles in the United States, appearing in the television film, "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery" in 1992 and an episode of "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." In 1993, she turned out a memorable performance in the comedy "Splitting Heirs." Her performance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of "The Return of the Native" was equally memorable.

With an extensive performing background, Catherine had the credentials to take her career in any direction. Her choice was to move to Los Angeles to take a crack at American films. "Blue Juice" in 1995 and "The Phantom" in 1996 were flops but a supporting role in the CBS miniseries, "Titanic" in 1996, caught the eye of filmmaker, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg told director Martin Campbell about Catherine who promptly cast her in "The Mask of Zorro." The film was an instant hit and propelled Zeta-Jones to stardom. Catherine starred alongside Sean Connery in the romantic thriller, "Entrapment" in 1999, a role in which she did many of her own stunts. She starred in "The Haunting" in the same year. Many feel she was robbed of a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in "Traffic" in 2000. She played this role while pregnant with her first child.

In 2001, Zeta-Jones was featured in the romantic comedy, "America's Sweethearts." Catherine was cast as Velma Kelly in the film version of the Broadway musical, "Chicago" in 2002. Her performance earned Zeta-Jones an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress as well as a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical.

Her starring role in the 2003 film, "Intolerable Cruelty" did not keep the film from falling flat with audiences. In 2004, she teamed with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg for the first time in "The Terminal." In that same year, she starred with George Clooney and Brad Pitt in "Oceans Twelve." Catherine's film appearances eased a bit as she raised her two children. In 2005, she reprised the role of Elena in "The Legend of Zorro."

Catherine started her own production company, Milk wood Productions, while raising her children. Following her starring role as a chef in the romantic comedy, "No Reservations" in 2007, Zeta-Jones added "producer" to her credits with Milkwood's debut, "Coming Out" in 2008.

Catherine Zeta-Jones has been married to Michael Douglas since 2000 and the couple have two children; a son, Dylan and a daughter, Carys.