Catherine Zeta-Jones

منصور · #1 28 - 11 - 2007, 16:11

Catherine Zeta-Jones (born September 25, 1969) is an Academy Award-winning British actress based predominantly in the United States. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of UK and US television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as The Phantom, The Mask of Zorro, and Entrapment in the late 1990s. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Velma Kelly in the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago, making her the first and only Welsh actress to do so in that category. Zeta-Jones is married to Michael Douglas, with whom she shares a birthday. They have two children, both bearing Welsh names - Dylan (named after Dylan Thomas) and Carys.

Biography

Early life
Zeta-Jones, the middle of three children, was born Catherine Zeta Jones[1] in Swansea, a maritime city located on the southern coast of Wales and the hometown of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Her mother, Patricia (née Fair), was an Irish seamstress, and her father, David "Dai" Jones, was a Welsh sweet factory owner.[2][3] Her father's cousin is married to singer Bonnie Tyler, who is also from Swansea, Wales. Her uncle owns Swansea's Škoda car dealership as well as Llanelli A.F.C. football club. Her name stems from those of her grandmothers — her maternal grandmother, Katherine Fair, and her paternal grandmother, Zeta Jones. The name "Zeta" originated from a ship that Catherine's great-grandfather used to captain out of Swansea Bay.

Zeta-Jones was raised Catholic.[1][4][5] After her parents won £100,000 at bingo in the 1980s, they moved to St. Andrews Drive in Mayals, an upper class area of Swansea. Zeta-Jones attended Dumbarton House School in Swansea. Welsh comedian and actor Rob Brydon also went there. She left school early to further her acting ambitions without obtaining O levels and went on to attend The Arts Educational Schools in Chiswick for a full-time three year course in musical theatre.

Career
Zeta-Jones' stage career began in childhood. She often performed at friends and family functions when she was younger. She was a part of a Catholic congregation's performing troupe before she was 10. During this time Catherine made her professional acting debut when she played the lead in Annie, a production at Swansea's Grand Theater. She also starred in a version of Bugsy Malone. When Catherine was 14, Mickey Dolenz (of "The Monkees" fame) was visiting Wales and stopped by the Grand Theater to audition Catherine for The Pyjama Game. He was so impressed with her performance that she was offered the opportunity to join his show for the rest of the tour. By 1987 Zeta-Jones was starring in 42nd Street as Peggy Sawyer in the West End. Once the show closed, the actress travelled to France, where she received the lead role in French director Philippe de Broca's 1001 Nights (also known as Sheherazade), her feature film debut.

Her Welsh and exotic looks, along with her singing and dancing ability, suggested a promising future, but it was in a straight acting role, as Mariette in the successful British television adaptation of H. E. Bates' The Darling Buds of May, that made her name. She briefly flirted with a musical career, beginning with a part in the 1992 album: Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of Spartacus, from which the single "For All Time" was released in 1989. It failed to chart. She went on to release the singles "In the Arms of Love", "I Can't Help Myself", and a duet with David Essex, "True Love Ways". The duet was her only chart single, reaching #38 in the UK singles chart in 1994. She also starred in an episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, as well as in Christopher Columbus: The Discovery.

She continued to find moderate success with a number of television projects, including The Return of the Native (1994) and the mini-series Catherine the Great (1995). She also appeared in Splitting Heirs (1993), a comedy starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis and John Cleese.

In 1996, she was cast as the evil aviatrix "Sala" in the action film, The Phantom , based on the comic created by Lee Falk. Her character did her best to kill Billy Zane's Phantom, while assisting villain Xander Drax (Treat Williams) in taking over the world with a weapon of doom. The following year, she starred in the CBS mini-series Titanic, which also starred Tim Curry and Peter Gallagher. Steven Spielberg, who noted her performance in the mini-series, recommended her to Martin Campbell, the director of The Mask of Zorro.[6] Zeta-Jones subsequently landed a lead role in the film, alongside her fellow Welsh compatriot Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. The following year she co-starred with Sean Connery in the film Entrapment, and alongside Liam Neeson and Lili Taylor in The Haunting. In 2000, she starred in Traffic with future husband Michael Douglas.

In 2003, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Velma Kelly in the film Chicago. Chicago also won the Academy Award for Best Picture that year. On 22 October 2005, she referenced her award, as guest host on the television show Saturday Night Live, surrounded by four male dancers, mimicking the Bob Fosse-inspired Chicago-style dancing, suggesting in song that, no matter how bad she might be that night, "They Can't Take My Oscar Away".[7] For her role in Chicago, she specifically requested a 1920s-style short bob wig, so her face could be seen and fans wouldn't doubt she did all her dancing herself.

In 2003 she voiced Marina in Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas opposite Brad Pitt, as well as starring in Intolerable Cruelty with George Clooney. In 2004 she was in The Terminal, as well as Ocean's Twelve, the sequel to Ocean's Eleven. In 2005 she reprised her role as Elena in The Legend of Zorro, the sequel to The Mask of Zorro. In 2007 she starred in the romantic comedy No Reservations, a remake of the German film Mostly Martha. She stars in and produces the rugby union-related comedy, Coming Out. The film is produced by her company Milkwood Films.[8]

Personal life
Zeta-Jones is married to actor Michael Douglas. She claims that when they met, he used the line "I'd like to father your children".[9] They were married at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on 18 November 2000. A traditional Welsh choir (Côr Cymraeg Rehoboth) sang at her wedding; her Welsh gold wedding ring includes a Celtic motif and was purchased in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth. Their son, Dylan Michael Douglas, was born 8 August 2000. Their daughter, Carys Zeta Douglas, was born April 20, 2003.

Her elder brother, David A. Jones (also known as Cameron Jones), is Vice President of the film company, Initial Entertainment. He was an executive producer of Gangs of New York. Her younger brother, Lyndon Jones, is her personal manager and producer for Milkwood Films. Catherine's parents recently moved from their Mayals property to a £2 million home two miles further west along the Swansea coast, paid for by their daughter.

Apart from her acting career, Zeta-Jones is also an advertising spokeswoman. She is currently the global spokeswoman for cosmetics giant Elizabeth Arden.

Zeta-Jones lives predominantly with Michael and the children in Bermuda but they are regular visitors to the new family home in Swansea, Wales.

In popular culture
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders parodied Zeta-Jones as a vacuous über-celebrity named Catherine Spartacus-Zeta-Douglas-Jones on their show French & Saunders in the series Back With a Vengeance. Catherine Spartacus-Zeta-Douglas-Jones alternates between a strong Welsh accent and a strong American accent and uses Welsh-language phrases when she speaks.

In the U.S. version of the sitcom The Office, Catherine Zeta-Jones is the name of Agent Michael Scarn's secretary/love interest in Michael Scott's screenplay "Threat Level: Midnight".[10]

المصدر: منتديات مدينة الاحلام

Catherine Zeta-Jones

منصور · 28 - 11 - 2007, 16:21

Catherine Zeta Jones

Birth Place: Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Date of Birth: September 25, 1969
Heritage: Welsh
Famous for: Her role in 'The Mask of Zorro' (1998)

Staying On Top

Background:

In 1998, a beautiful seductive character named Elena caught the attention of moviegoers in the romantic adventure, The Mask of Zorro, starring Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Catherine, the actress behind Elena, has since starred in several blockbusters and has become Britain's highest paid actress ever. Winning numerous awards, including an Oscar, Catherine also married super-star Michael Douglas, and shows no hint of slowing down.

Catherine is a star.

From Velma Kelly in Chicago (2002) to Isabel Lahiri in Ocean's Twelve (2004), she quenches a thirst that fans possess.

Catherine Zeta-Jones entertains, and she does it well.

With her no nonsense attitude, and commitment to her arts, the trained singer, dancer and actor is smart, attractive, talented and has just what it takes to stay on top.

Catherine Zeta Jones was born on September 25, 1969 in Swansea, Wales to parents Dai (Welsh, candy factory worker) and Pat (Irish, seamstress). She is the middle child, surrounded by older brother David (born 1967) and younger brother Lyndon (born 1972). Lyndon works at Catherine's production company, Milkwood Films.

The name Catherine is derived from her maternal grandmother, Catherine Fair, and Zeta Jones from her paternal side of the family.

Her love for dance and acting began as a child.

Catherine Zeta-Jones's early career includes stage and musicals before landing roles in film and movies such as: Sheherazade in Mille et une nuits, Les (1990), Chirsty in Out of the Blue (1991), Mariette Jane Larkin in The Darling Buds of May (1991), Beatriz in Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), Maya in The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert (1992), Kitty in Splitting Heirs (1993), Victoria Chapman in The Cinder Path (1994), Eustacia Vye in The Return of the Native (1994), Chloe in Blue Juice (1995), Catherine in Katharina die Große (1995), Sala in The Phantom (1996) and Isabella Paradine in the TV movie Titanic (1996). It was her role as Elena in 1998's The Mask of Zorro that caught the attention of the public.

In 1999 Catherine starred with legend Sean Connery in the action film Entrapment, and with Liam Neeson, Lili Taylor, and Owen Wilson in the thriller, The Haunting. She went on to act in High Fidelity (2000) and Traffic (2000). Catherine starred in America's Sweethearts (2001), alongside Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal and John Cusack. She starred as Velma Kelly in the huge smash, Chicago (2002). Zeta-Jones was the voice behind Marina in the animation film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003) and starred in Intolerable Cruelty (2003) with actor George Clooney.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is a leading lady. In 2004 she stars with leading man Tom Hanks in The Terminal and stars in the super-cast of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts (to just name a few) in the long anticipated Ocean's Twelve.

You can see Catherine in upcoming Smoke & Mirrors (2004), Legend of Zorro (2005), and Coming Out (2006).

Awards:

Academy Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role, CHICAGO (2003*)
BAFTA Awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, CHICAGO *(2003)
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Acting Ensemble, CHICAGO *(2003)
*Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Supporting Actress, CHICAGO (2003)
Evening Standard British Film Awards: Best Actress, CHICAGO (2003)
Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a *Supporting Role, CHICAGO (2003)
Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a *Theatrical Motion Picture, CHICAGO (2003)
*ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award - Supporting Actress of the Year (2003)
Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a *Theatrical Motion Picture, TRAFFIC (2001)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards: Favorite Actress - Action, ENTRAPMENT *(2000)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards: Favorite Female Newcomer, THE MASK OF* ZORRO (1999)
European Film Awards: Audience Award - Best Actress, ENTRAPMENT (1999*)
*ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award - Supporting Actress of the Year (1999)

يـاحـيـاتـي · 28 - 11 - 2007, 18:41

thanks for the beautiful words and thanks for all your articles
My greeting to you

thanks but it feels like she is not reading
thanks

all the best to u

منصور · 09 - 12 - 2007, 20:15

thank you for response

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (born September 25, 1969) is an Academy Award-winning British actress based predominantly in the United States. She began her career on ...