Catherine Zeta-Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine Zeta-Jones
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Zeta-Jones at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival
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Catherine Zeta Jones
25 September 1969 Swansea, Wales
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1981–present |
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Works
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Roles and awards |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
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Catherine Zeta-Jones (born 25 September 1969) is a famous actress from Wales. She is known for being able to play many different types of characters. She has won many important awards, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her work in films and for helping others.
Catherine grew up in Swansea, Wales, and always dreamed of becoming an actress. When she was a child, she performed in popular shows in London's West End, like Annie and Bugsy Malone. She later studied musical theatre in London. She became well-known on stage in 1987 with a main role in 42nd Street. Her first movie was a French-Italian film called 1001 Nights (1990). She then became very popular in the British TV series The Darling Buds of May (1991–1993).
Feeling like she was only chosen for pretty roles in British films, Catherine moved to Los Angeles. She became a big star in Hollywood with roles in the action movie The Mask of Zorro (1998) and the heist film Entrapment (1999).
Catherine Zeta-Jones earned great praise for her acting in Traffic (2000) and as Velma Kelly in the musical Chicago (2002). She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Chicago. For many years, she starred in major films like the comedy Intolerable Cruelty (2003), Ocean's Twelve (2004), The Terminal (2004), and No Reservations (2007). She later took on fewer roles to focus on her health and family. She returned to the stage in 2009, playing an older actress in a Broadway show called A Little Night Music, which earned her a Tony Award.
In recent years, Catherine has continued to act in films like Side Effects (2013), Red 2 (2013), and Dad's Army (2016). She has also taken on supporting roles in TV shows, playing Olivia de Havilland in Feud: Bette & Joan (2017) and Morticia Addams in Wednesday (2022–present).
Besides acting, Catherine Zeta-Jones promotes various brands and supports many good causes. She is married to actor Michael Douglas, and they have two children. She has also openly shared about her health journey, including managing her mental well-being, which has been discussed in the media.
Contents
Early Life and First Stage Roles
Catherine Zeta Jones was born on 25 September 1969 in Swansea, South Wales. Her father, David Jones, owned a sweet factory, and her mother, Patricia, was a seamstress. Her father is Welsh, and her mother has Irish Catholic roots. She was named after her grandmothers, Zeta Jones and Catherine Fair. She has an older brother, David, and a younger brother, Lyndon. She grew up in the Mumbles area of Swansea.
Because Catherine was a very active child, her mother sent her to dance school when she was four. She went to Dumbarton House School, a private school in Swansea. Her family wasn't wealthy at first, but their luck changed when they won £100,000 in a bingo game. This money helped pay for her dance and ballet lessons.
Catherine performed in school plays from a young age. She even got local news attention when she won a talent show by singing a Shirley Bassey song. As part of a dance group, she often traveled to London to try out for theater roles. At nine years old, Catherine was chosen to play July, one of the orphans in the original London West End show of Annie. In her early teens, she became a national tap dancing champion. In 1981, she played the main role of Annie in a Swansea show of the musical. Two years later, she played the main role of Tallulah in a West End show of Bugsy Malone.
When she was fifteen, Catherine left school without finishing her exams. She decided to move to London to become a full-time actress. She also got a role in a touring show of The Pajama Game. Catherine said about her teenage years in London, "I would wait in line for auditions and then change my costume or put on a different leotard and audition again. It might take me two tries, but I always got the job. I figured out what they wanted." She then went to the Arts Educational Schools in London for a three-year course in musical theatre.
In 1987, when she was seventeen, Catherine was chosen as the second understudy for the main actress in a West End show of 42nd Street. One night, both the star and the first understudy couldn't perform. Catherine was asked to play the role of Peggy Sawyer, a chorus girl who becomes a star. The producer was very impressed by her acting and let her play the role for the next two years. Her next stage role was with the English National Opera in 1989. She played Mae Jones in Kurt Weill's Street Scene.
Career Highlights
Early Screen Roles and Challenges (1990–1996)
In 1990, Catherine Zeta-Jones made her first movie appearance in 1001 Nights. This French-Italian film was based on the Persian story One Thousand and One Nights. Catherine played Scheherazade, one of King Sharir's brides. The movie didn't do well at the box office.
She found more success when she starred in the ITV TV series The Darling Buds of May from 1991 to 1993. She played the oldest daughter of a family living in the countryside in 1950s Britain. This show was very popular in the country, and Catherine became widely known. She said, "Literally, with one hour of television my life completely changed. I couldn't go anywhere."
After a small role in the movie Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), Catherine appeared as a belly dancer in an episode of George Lucas's TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992). She then played an aspiring duchess in Splitting Heirs (1993). Critics didn't like the film, but Vincent Canby of The New York Times thought Catherine was "very funny."
In 1994, Catherine played Eustacia Vye in the TV film The Return of the Native. She also played the wife of Lloyd Owen's character in the TV war drama The Cinder Path. In 1995, she played the main character in the TV movie Catherine the Great. Lisa Nesselson of Variety said Catherine "imparts a certain grace and resolve" to the role. She then appeared in Blue Juice (1995), a British surf film.
Feeling frustrated that she was only cast as the "pretty girl" in British films, Catherine moved to Los Angeles. She felt that being unknown in America helped her get roles based on her talent. She got the part of Sala in the superhero film The Phantom (1996). The film didn't do well, but a reviewer for Variety said Catherine stood out. The CBS TV series Titanic (1996) was better received.
Hollywood Success (1998–2000)
Steven Spielberg noticed Catherine in Titanic and suggested her to Martin Campbell, who was directing The Mask of Zorro (1998). Campbell cast her as the main female lead. In the film, she starred with Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. She played Elena, the lost daughter of Zorro. Catherine felt her "volatile" personality was similar to her character's. To prepare, she learned dancing, riding, and sword-fighting, and took Spanish lessons. Filming action and dance scenes in the Mexican desert was hard, but Catherine felt it was "worth suffering for." The Mask of Zorro was liked by critics and earned over $250 million worldwide. This role was a big breakthrough for her.
Catherine's first movie in 1999 was Entrapment, where she starred with Sean Connery. She played an insurance agent looking for an art thief. Even though critics didn't like the film, it was a commercial success. Later that year, Catherine appeared in The Haunting, a horror film. The movie got bad reviews but was popular with audiences.
After a supporting role in High Fidelity (2000), Catherine starred in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000). This film was very successful and praised by critics. Edward Guthman of the San Francisco Chronicle said Catherine was "sensational" in a scene where her character confronts a dealer. The cast of Traffic won the SAG Award for Outstanding Cast.
Becoming an Established Actress (2001–2004)
Catherine's only film in 2001 was the romantic comedy America's Sweethearts. She played a clever film star, opposite Julia Roberts. The next year, she starred as the singing nightclub performer Velma Kelly in Chicago (2002). This was a movie version of the popular stage musical. Catherine based her character's look on actress Louise Brooks. She worked to show Velma's "flamboyance" and "desperation."
The film and her acting received great praise. William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said Catherine was "a wonderfully statuesque saloon goddess." Chicago earned $306 million worldwide and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. For her performance, Catherine won the Academy Award, SAG Award, and the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.
After Chicago, Catherine voiced Princess Marina in the animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003). She wanted to do this project so her young children could "hear [her] and get a sense of [her] on film." However, the film did not do well at the box office. Also in 2003, Catherine starred with George Clooney in the Coen brothers' comedy Intolerable Cruelty. The film was a success. She played a woman who divorces many times and is attracted to a divorce lawyer (Clooney). Critics praised her chemistry with Clooney.
In 2004, Steven Spielberg asked her to play an insecure flight attendant in his comedy The Terminal. The film was about a man (Tom Hanks) stuck at JFK International Airport. The Terminal did well financially. She then worked with Soderbergh again on Ocean's Twelve, a sequel to Ocean's Eleven. Catherine played Isabel Lahiri, a Europol agent and the love interest of Brad Pitt's character. The sequel earned over $360 million worldwide.
Taking Time Off and Returning to Stage (2005–2010)
The Legend of Zorro (2005), a sequel to The Mask of Zorro, saw Catherine play Eléna again. The film was not liked by critics and didn't do well financially. She didn't have any film releases in 2006. She starred in Death Defying Acts (2007), a movie about Harry Houdini. Catherine played a Scottish con artist. This film was not successful.
In 2007, Catherine starred with Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin in the romantic comedy No Reservations. She played an ambitious chef whose life changes when she takes in her young niece. To prepare, Catherine worked in a real restaurant kitchen. Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote that Catherine "shines as a character that finely balances off-putting reserve with sympathetic appeal." The film earned $92 million globally.
After No Reservations, Catherine took on fewer roles for five years. She chose to focus on her family and health. Her acting appearances were less frequent and in smaller films. She played a forty-year-old mother attracted to a younger man in the romantic comedy The Rebound. This film was released outside the United States in 2009–10 but did not get a theatrical release in America.
Catherine returned to the stage in 2009 with A Little Night Music, a musical. This was her first time performing on Broadway. She played Desirée Armfeldt, an aging actress. She was drawn to the complex story. Catherine won the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance.
Back to Films (2012–2016)
After three years away from acting, Catherine returned to the screen in Lay the Favorite (2012), a comedy. She played the jealous wife of a gambler (Bruce Willis). Critics did not like the film. In the musical comedy Rock of Ages, Catherine played a religiously conservative mayor's wife. She was interested in playing a "nightmare of a woman." The film received mixed reviews and did not do well financially. Her last film of 2012 was Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy, which also struggled at the box office.
In 2013, Catherine took a main role in the crime thriller Broken City. She played the wife of the mayor of New York City (Russell Crowe). The film was not widely seen and received poor reviews. However, things changed when Catherine worked with Soderbergh again on the critically praised thriller Side Effects (2013). She played a mysterious psychiatrist. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film "a hell of a thriller" and said Catherine was "dynamite" in it.
In the action comedy Red 2 (2013), Catherine played a Russian double agent. She liked the film's "action, the humour, [and] the tongue-in-cheek quality." Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter said Catherine "nicely pulls off Russian spy Katja's mix of allure and menace." With $148 million earned worldwide, Red 2 became her most successful film since No Reservations.
After Red 2, Catherine took another break from acting. She said she would only leave her family for roles she hadn't played before. She found such a role in the British war comedy film Dad's Army (2016). She played a glamorous journalist. Catherine Bray of Variety said Catherine "hits the required single note with some spirit" but was "generally underused."
Television and Streaming (2017–Present)
Catherine returned to television in 2017. She played actress Olivia de Havilland in the first season of the drama series Feud. Dominic Patten of Deadline Hollywood found Catherine to be "wonderfully cast."
She played the main role of Vicki Ellis, a tough pageant coach, in the Facebook Watch series Queen America. Jen Chaney of Vulture wrote that "Zeta-Jones is always at her best when she's fiery."
In 2021, Catherine appeared in the second season of the Fox drama series Prodigal Son. She played Dr. Vivian Capshaw. She then had a guest role as Morticia Addams in two episodes of the Netflix series Wednesday (2022). Dave Nemetz of TVLine found her "exquisitely well-cast." Wednesday became one of Netflix's most-watched English-language series. She later played the main villain in the Disney+ adventure series National Treasure: Edge of History. Joshua Alston of Variety said Catherine was the "best thing" about the show. Her performance earned her a nomination at the Children's and Family Emmy Awards.
Catherine Zeta-Jones will return to films in The Gallerist, an independent film.
Other Activities
Besides acting, Catherine Zeta-Jones supports many charities and good causes. She is a supporter of Swansea's Longfields Day Centre for disabled people. In 2001, she sold an outfit she wore in The Mask of Zorro to raise money for AIDS patients in Africa. In 2005, she became an ambassador for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children charity. She also supports other children's charities like the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children. Catherine is also a host for A Fine Romance, an event that raises money for the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
Catherine tried a singing career in the early 1990s. In 1992, she lent her voice to a musical story called Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus. Three years later, she released her first song, "In the Arms of Love." She also sang a duet with David Essex called "True Love Ways" in 1994.
Catherine Zeta-Jones has been a spokesperson for several brands. She became a global ambassador for the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, Inc. in 2002. That same year, she signed a deal with the phone company T-Mobile for an estimated $10 million per year, making her one of the highest-paid celebrity endorsers at the time. In 2017, Catherine launched her own line of home decoration products called Casa Zeta-Jones. That year, she also performed a monologue in a play called The Children's Monologues. This event raised money for Dramatic Need, a charity that helps African children pursue careers in the arts.
Personal Life
Catherine Zeta-Jones became famous in Britain after the success of The Darling Buds of May (1991–93). Her personal life has been in the news ever since. Her relationships in the early 1990s with TV personality John Leslie, singer David Essex, and pop star Mick Hucknall were widely reported. In the mid-1990s, she was briefly engaged to Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen.
Catherine met American actor Michael Douglas in France in August 1998. They share the same birthday, and he is twenty-five years older than her. They got engaged on 31 December 1999 and married at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on 18 November 2000. Their wedding was a big event, costing an estimated £1.5 million, and was called the "wedding of the year" by the BBC. They sold the photos of the event to OK! magazine.
They have two children: a son named Dylan Michael (born August 2000) and a daughter named Carys Zeta (born April 2003). The family lived in Bermuda until 2009. As of 2016, they live in rural New York state. They also have a home in Mallorca, Spain.
In 2010, her husband Michael Douglas faced a serious health challenge, which was a difficult time for their family. Catherine also took time to focus on her health and well-being. Due to these health challenges, the couple decided to live separately for a time in 2013. However, they got back together in 2014, and Michael Douglas said they were "stronger than ever."
Acting Roles and Awards
Catherine Zeta-Jones's movies that have earned the most money at the box office, as of 2016, include:
- The Mask of Zorro (1998)
- Entrapment (1999)
- The Haunting (1999)
- Traffic (2000)
- America's Sweethearts (2001)
- Chicago (2002)
- Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
- Ocean's Twelve (2004)
- The Terminal (2004)
- No Reservations (2007)
- Red 2 (2013)
For her role in Chicago (2002), Catherine won the Academy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. For her main role in the 2009 Broadway show A Little Night Music, Catherine won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
See also
In Spanish: Catherine Zeta-Jones para niños
