Catherine Zeta-jones

Catherine Zeta Jones (born 25.9.1969)

Catherine Zeta Jones is a Welsh actress who first came to prominence when she starred in the UK TV series The Darling Buds of May. She currently lives in Bermuda with her husband, the actor Michael Douglas and their two children.

Catherine Zeta Jones: Childhood

Catherine Zeta Jones was born in Swansea, Wales, to Patricia (a seamstress) and David, the owner of a sweet factory. The singer Bonnie Tyler is married to David's cousin and her uncle owns the Llanelli A.F.C. football club.

Catherine attended Dumbarton House School but left before gaining any O-Levels, in order to pursue her dream of acting. She went on to join the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick, West London, to study musical theatre for three years.

Catherine Zeta Jones: Acting Career

Catherine Zeta Jones began performing as a child, joining the performance troupe of her local Catholic congregation. Her professional debut came when she took the lead role in Annie at the Grand Theatre in Swansea. At the age of 14, Mickey Dolenz auditioned her for a role in The Pyjama Game and offered her the chance of joining the show for the remainder of the tour.

By the age of 18, Catherine Zeta Jones was performing in 42nd Street, playing Peggy Sawyer and she also landed a role in Kurt Weill's Street Scene, playing Mae Jones, at the London Coliseum.

Zeta Jones' film debut came when she traveled to France and starred in Philippe de Broca's 1001 Nights.

Catherine Zeta Jones' big break came when she was selected to play Mariette in The Darling Buds of May. The series was a TV adaptation of an H.E. Bates novel and also starred the actor Sir David Jason.

Zeta Jones continued to work in TV; never quite matching the success of Darling Buds, but maintaining a steady stream of approval from the press. She appeared in The Return of the Native, Catherine The Great and Splitting Heirs, which starred comedy greats John Cleese, Eric Idle and Rick Moranis.

Catherine went on to star in the action feature film The Phantom, which was based on Lee Falk's comic. Following her performance in a CBS-commissioned series of Titanic, Steven Spielberg recommended her to Martin Campbell, who was about to direct The Mask of Zorro. Zeta Jones landed a role in the film, alongside Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins. She had to learn to ride a horse and sword fight in order to take on the role.

She followed up her performance in The Mask of Zorro with roles in Entrapment (starring Sean Connery) and The Haunting, with Liam Neeson.

In 2000, Catherine Zeta Jones starred in Traffic. The film was a huge commercial and critical success and also starred her future husband, Michael Douglas.

Two years later, Zeta Jones returned to the world of musicals in 2002 when she was selected to play Velma Kelly in the film production of Chicago. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.

The following year, Catherine provided the voice for Marine in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, alongside Brad Pitt. She also starred opposite George Clooney in Intolerable Cruelty. 2004 saw Zeta Jones appearing in The Terminal, with Tom Hanks and Ocean's Twelve.

In 2005, Zeta Jones starred in the Zorro sequel, The Legend of Zorro. This was followed by performances in No Reservations and Death Defying Acts, a biopic about Harry Houdini.

Catherine Zeta Jones: Musical Career

Catherine Zeta Jones had a brief musical career in the 1990s. She appeared in Jeff Wayne's Spartacus (a musical version). A single from the show, 'For All Time' was released in 1992. Zeta Jones then went on to release 'In the Arms of Love', 'I Can't Help Myself' and 'True Love Ways', which was a duet with David Essex.

Catherine Zeta Jones: Personal Life

Catherine Zeta Jones married Michael Douglas in New York in November 2000. Douglas is 25 years older than Zeta Jones. In 2001, they had a son together, named Dylan Michael Douglas and in 2003, they had a daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas.