The world first took notice of Catherine Zeta-Jones when she acted in The Mask of Zorro (1998), wondering who this Spanish beauty was. But she was Irish-Welsh not Spanish and already a household name in the UK.
Born on 25 September, 1969, in Swansea, Zeta-Jones’ road to fame began early. She loved performing and was part of a Catholic congregation’s performing group before the age of ten. She first acted as a lead in the stage versions of Annie and Bugsy Malone. Her first big break came at the age of 14, when she was auditioned and won a role in The Pyjama Game , and joined the show for the whole tour. She did more stage shows before travelling to France where she made her debut in a feature film entitled 1001 Nights.
Zeta-Jones loved singing and dancing and always wished she was born in the era of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. Despite making use of her singing and dancing abilities, her singing career was unsuccessful – after releasing a few singles that didn’t do well she continued to act in television and films.
After playing the role of the evil Sala in The Phantom (1996), she landed her career’s biggest role as the love interest of Zorro in The Mask of Zorro . The film won her international recognition. In 2005 she went on to do the sequel The Legend of Zorro..
With her career riding a new high, Catherine starred in Entrapment (1999) with Sean Connery and The Haunting (1999) with Liam Neeson. Her most critically acclaimed film was Traffic (2000). Her role in the film was changed to a pregnant woman because Zeta-Jones was herself pregnant at the time. It was for Traffic that she won her first nomination for a Golden Globe for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Her first nomination for an Oscar came when she played the role of jazz performer Velma Kelly in Chicago (2002). She went on to win the award for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She has starred in many more films with big star casts such as America’s Sweethearts (2001), The Terminal (2004), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and No Reservations (2007).
Zeta-Jones has always remained proud of her Welsh heritage. She married actor Michael Douglas in 2000 and had a traditional Welsh choir singing at her wedding. She also wears a Welsh gold wedding ring with a Celtic motif from her hometown. She has a house on the coast in Swansea which she visits regularly with her children and she makes it a point to make them aware of their Welsh heritage.
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