Catherine Zeta-Jones

September 25, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Catherine Zeta-Jones, born on September 25, 1969, is a multi-award-winning actress best recognized for her main roles in blockbusters including “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Chicago,” and “Zorro.” She achieved television fame and became a household name when she starred in the series “The Darling Buds of May” from 1991 to 1993. This would lead to her constantly being cast as the pretty face of British entertainment, and she then relocated to Los Angeles in the mid-90s. We’ll help you celebrate this amazing woman on her special day right here!

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Nickname:

Maneater

Birth date:

September 25, 1969

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Libra

Height:

5' 6"

Relationship Status:

Married

Net Worth:

$150 million

Background

Timeless beauty and actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has beguiled audiences since her breakthrough role in the Hollywood classic “The Mask of Zorro.” Her talent has seen her win numerous awards and amass a career aspiring actors can only dream of. “Chicago” actress and humanitarian, Catherine Zeta-Jones was born on September 25, 1969, to David and Patricia Jones in Swansea, Wales. She is named after both of her grandmothers. One of three children, Zeta-Jones was raised in Mumbles. Her zodiac sign is Libra and she is of Welsh and Irish Catholic descent. Her interest in acting began as a young child when she was cast as one of the orphan girls in the original West End production of “Annie”.

A national tap dancing champion with a few stage roles to her credit, Zeta-Jones dropped out of high school at age 15 and moved to London to pursue a full-time acting career. She’s never looked back. After graduating from the Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick with a degree in musical theater, Zeta-Jones was soon the toast of the theater scene. She caught the attention of acclaimed director Steven Spielberg in the miniseries “Titanic”, who recommended her for the role of love interest lead Elena in “The Mask of Zorro”, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Antonia Banderas. Her performance earned her the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. This would be the start of a stellar career that included working with some of Hollywood’s greatest, including Sean Connery, Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Abigail Breslin, and Renée Zellweger. She earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as Velma Kelly in “Chicago”. She has also performed two of the musical’s most famous songs at two Oscar ceremonies. Her recent work includes roles in Fox’s procedural drama “Prodigal Son” and Ryan Murphy’s “Feud”. She’ll star in Tim Burton’s “Wednesday,” the latest live-action “The Addams Family” film, in 2023.

Zeta-Jones married the legendary Michael Douglas in 2000, they share a birthday — 25 years apart and are blessed with two children — Dylan and Carys. She is the stepmother and step-grandmother to Douglas’s son Cameron and his two children.

Career timeline

1998

Her Role in ‘The Mask of Zorro’

As the romantic interest, Elena, Zeta-Jones captivates both the public and the reviewers with her sizzling performance, with Antonia Banderas in the lead role.

1999

She Embraces her Inner Scream Queen

Sinking her teeth into the horror genre, Zeta-Jones stars alongside Liam Neeson and Owen Wilson in the 1990s screen adaptation of “The Haunting of Hill House”.

2000

She Works with her Husband

The actress and her famous husband, Michael Douglas, starred together in the Oscar-winning drama "Traffic."

2001

She and Julia Roberts Team up

When two movie legends come together, it’s bound to be magic! Zeta-Jones and Julia Roberts wow audiences in the romantic comedy “America’s Sweetheart."

2002

She wows as Velma Kelly in Chicago

Bringing the larger-than-life character and voice of “Chicago”’s Velma Kelly to life is a dream come true for Zeta-Jones and she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for this musical role.

2017

The Role in Ryan Murphy’s Feud

Coming back to her television roots, the actress starred as Olivia de Havilland in Ryan Murphy’s anthropology series "Feud."

Why We Love Catherine Zeta-Jones

She’s a humanitarian
Zeta-Jones is passionate about her humanitarian work. In honor of her contributions, the British monarchy appointed her Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010.
She’s proudly Welsh
From having a Welsh choir perform at her wedding to having a Celtic emblem engraved on her wedding ring. Without a doubt, the actress is proudly Welsh.
She’s family oriented
Zeta-Jones and her husband have been married for the past 22 years — and they are still going strong. They have a strong family and we admire their resilience to make it work.

5 Surprising Facts

Bonnie Tyler sang at her wedding
Fellow Welsh performer and one of her good friends, singer Bonnie Tyler, sang at Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas’s wedding in 2000.
She was frightened on a movie set
While filming “The Haunting” with Liam Neeson in 1999, the actress and her co-star were too frightened to film on the set after dark.
She has a pet name
Zeta-Jones is step-grandmother to husband Michael’s two grandchildren and their pet name for her is ZeeZee.
She sang at the Oscars twice
In 2003, whilst heavily pregnant with her second child, Zeta-Jones sang “I Move On” from her musical movie “Chicago” at the Academy Awards ceremony.
She lost out to Angelina Jolie twice
Zeta-Jones was considered for the lead roles in “Tomb Raider” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” but both roles went to Angelina Jolie.