Catherine Zeta-Jones

Real name: Catherine Jones

Birthday: 25 September, 1969

Birth city: Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK

Height: 5' 8 (172 cm)

Catherine Zeta-Jones (born September 25, 1969) is an Academy Award®-winning Wales actress.

She was born Catherine Jones and hails from Mumbles, Wales. Her name stems from two different grandmothers; one grandmother is named Catherine, while the other is "Zeta," named after a ship that Catherine's great-grandfather sailed on. She was born to a Welsh father and a mother of Irish Catholic extraction, besides English language|English she speaks Welsh language|Welsh fluently. She has 2 brothers. As a child she had a tracheotomy leaving a scar.

Her stage career began in childhood. She sang and danced her way to local stardom as a part of a catholic congregation's performing troupe before she was ten years of age, and by 1987 she was appearing in ''Forty-Second Street'' in the West End. Once the show closed, Catherine travelled to France, where she received the lead role in French director Phillippe De Broca's ''1001 Nights'' (a.k.a. Sheherazade), her feature film debut.

Her exotic good looks, teamed with her singing and dancing ability, ensured her a bright future, but it was in a straight acting role, as Mariette in the successful television adaptation of H. E. Bates' ''The Darling Buds of May'' (1991), that she made her name.

She is married to the actor Michael Douglas, with whom she has 2 children. Her son, Dylan Michael Douglas was born August 8, 2000. (Her American admirers like to think that he is named after Bob Dylan - a favourite of Michael - while her British admirers like to think that Dylan Thomas, also born in Swansea, was the inspiration). Her daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas was born April 20, 2003.

Catherine has not forgotten her roots and has built a seaside dream home in her hometown of Swansea, determined that her children grow up aware of their Welsh heritage.

Apart from her acting career, Catherine is also an advertising spokesperson for the mobile phone company T-Mobile. She is currently the global spokeswoman for cosmetics giant, Elizabeth Arden. She has also starred on the Lifetime Television event of ''Titanic'', also starring Tim Curry and Peter Gallagher.

She won an Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress for the movie ''Chicago (2002 movie)|Chicago'' in 2003.(source: wikipedia)
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