Born on September 25, 1969 in Wales, Catherine Zeta-Jones is an actress best known for her roles in The Mask of Zorro, Entrapment, and Chicago, and her marriage to actor Michael Douglas, who is 25 years her senior. The daughter of a seamstress and a factory owner, her name comes from her grandmothers, Katherine Fair and Zeta Jones. She attended Dumbarton House School in Swansea, then later on The Arts Educational Schools in Chiswich for a three-year course in musical theater, something her fans would see in Chicago.
Catherine Zeta-Jones’ career started in stage during her childhood. As a child, she used to perform at friends and family functions and was part of a Catholic performing troupe even before 10 years. She made her debut in the staging of Annie at Swansea’s Grand Theater. In 1987, she starred in 42nd Street in the West End and the play Street Scene at the London Coliseum in 1989. She made her feature film debut in France in 1001 Nights.
Catherine Zeta-Jones made the jump to British television in the highly successful The Darling Buds of May, taking advantage of her Welsh and exotic looks. Few know that shortly after this, she had a brief musical career, releasing several singles that reached as high as #36 in the UK charts. Later on, she starred in episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery.
Steven Spielberg, who saw Zeta-Jones’ performance in a mini-series, recommended her to the director of The Mask of Zorro, where she landed the lead, alongside fellow Welshman Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. In 1999, she played opposite Sean Connery in Entrapment, then alongside Liam Neeson in The Haunting. It was Chicago, however, which gave Zeta-Jones the respect of the critics and subsequently her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.