Catherine Zeta-Jones: biography, filmography, personal life and figure parameters (photo)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A little girl with big dreams… She was born away from the world of art, but she worked hard to make her dreams come true. Her life path was not strewn with rose petals, but she achieved her goal at an early age. Knowing neither leniency nor mercy towards herself, she seriously undermined her emotional he alth. This forced her to drop out of life, both personal and public, for a period. The disease brought discord into her family, but could not tear her away from her favorite work - in the professional life of an actress, you will not find periods of idleness. The images she creates on the screen are vivid and memorable. She puts all the flame of her character into them. Meet Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Childhood

The biography of Catherine Zeta-Jones begins in the English city of Swansea, located in South Wales. It was here that little Kathy was born on September 25, 1969.

She was the second child in a friendly, close-knit family. Later, she also had a younger brother.

Katherine's parents were far from stage life. His father ran his own confectionery shop, and his mother was a seamstress by profession. However, the desire to be in the center of attention and entertain others manifested itself in little Kathy as soon as she learned to speak.

Even at the age of four, she selflessly entertained her grandmother with singing, using, in the absence of a real microphone, the spout of a small teapot.

An unexpected tragedy

Soon the girl performed almost on a real stage in a homegrown troupe organized by the local Catholic Church. Even then, her singing stood out from the background of other children. However, the very existence of this voice was soon tested.

Katherine is seriously ill. The infection affected the respiratory tract and completely blocked the access of air. The child was near death. Doctors were able to save her only by resorting to a tracheotomy.

Youth

Due to her illness and subsequent recovery, Katherine missed many classes at school. Therefore, caring parents sent her to catch up with lost time in a private school.

But the girl, developed beyond her years, was not interested in studying at all. Together with a small amateur team, she diligently comprehends the intricacies of ballet and is looking for opportunities to participate in productions. She will soon be playing the lead role in the children's musical Bugsy Malone.

The actress herself likes to claim that at the age of 12 she looked 22 and was very sexy. She dreamed of nightclubs and the big stage.

First breakthrough

When Katherine was 14 years old, a producer came to Swansea to recruit local children for the choir. The audition for Katherine was a success. So successful that instead of participating in the extras, she was given a role in the musical "The Pajama Game" and rushed to sign a contract on tour.

At the age of 15, the young actress leaves school for good and moves to London to focus on her career.

On the eve of glory

In the 90s, Catherine Zeta-Jones tried herself as a singer. And although she has a great voice, great success has not been achieved in this direction.

And then, determined to conquer Hollywood, Katherine moves to Los Angeles. It was a bold decision. The future actress could rely solely on herself.

She is working hard and making some progress. The actress plays both in serials and feature films. Her staff on the set included actors such as Marlon Brando, Benicio Del Toro and Ewan McGregor. However, this was just the beginning.

Recognition

In 1996, just a year before the triumphant appearance of James Cameron's Titanic, a two-part TV movie of the same name was directed by Robert Lieberman. Catherine Zeta-Jones played the title role in Lieberman's Titanic. The filmography of the actress, in fact, deserves to start from this moment.

On the game of the actress drew attention not to anyone, but to Steven Spielberg himself. At that time, preparations were underway for the filming of the film. The Mask of Zorro, and Spielberg suggested that director Martin Campbell try out for the role of Catherine Zeta-Jones. The audition was successful and she was approved for the role.

The work was not easy, and Katherine gave all her best. Every day she spent two hours dancing, the next two hours were dedicated to horseback riding, followed by two hours of fencing practice and another two hours spent on public speaking. Total - 8 hours for preparation only.

However, this work paid off with a vengeance. When the film "The Mask of Zorro" was released, in which the main male roles went to such stars as Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins, the brilliant image of the gentle, romantic, but at the same time daring Elena won more than one heart.

Career blossoming

Immediately after the release of The Mask of Zorro, the actress was invited to Rome for an interview with Sean Connery. He was fascinated by her talent, and Catherine Zeta-Jones received the main role in the film "The Trap". The filmography of the actress from that time began to replenish with bright works: "Traffic", "Chicago", "Intolerable Cruelty", "Terminal", "Ocean's Twelve", "The Legend of Zorro", "Taste of Life" - this is not a complete list.

Films with Catherine Zeta-Jones captivate with their sincerity. It is no secret that in order to win the hearts of the audience, it is not enough just to have a beautiful and spectacular appearance. It is necessary that the viewer believe what is happening on the screen. Katherine understands this very well and does everything possible to fully enter the role.

For example, to work in the film "Taste of Life", she went to work in a restaurant as a waitress for the evening. To the surprised comments of visitors about how much she looks like a famous actress, she only noticed with a smile that everyone told her so.

Marriage

Thanks to this attitude towards filming, Katherine's work rarely went unnoticed. And it doesn't matter if she played a chef, a flight attendant or a spoiled rich lady.

For the personal life of the actress, the turning point was that her work in the "Mask of Zorro" did not go unnoticed not just by the general public, but by a very specific man. Moreover, she interested him not just as a heroine, but as a woman. This man was the notorious Michael Douglas. Catherine Zeta-Jones accepted his advances despite being two years older than her father. Their age difference is 25 years.

The star couple registered their relationship on November 18, 2000. By this time, Catherine Zeta-Jones had already turned 31 years old. The couple came out interesting. On the one hand, there is a woman who, until now, has not been caught even by the ubiquitous paparazzi in any scandalous connection or serious relationship. And on the other hand, a man whose adventures have long been the talk of the town in Hollywood circles.

Katherine obviously knew what she was doing though. Douglas had to seek her location for a single month. And when he finally got his way, the burnt ladies' man seemed to have been replaced. Michael did not hide his happiness. And when Katherine got pregnant, his delight simply knew no bounds.

At the moment, the couple are raising two children - son Dylan and daughter Caris. The age difference between the children is three years. This fact was another reason to gossip about the life of the actress. However, she shrugged off exclamations like: “But what about a career?”, “What about a figure ?!”, statements that everything can be combined - there would be desire and perseverance.

By the way, Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose weight ranges from 58-62 kg, is one of the few actresses in Hollywood who is not obsessed with thinness. And in general, her style is more inclined towards the ideals of the second half of the 19th century. And we have to admit - it suits her very much. Indeed, Catherine Zeta-Jones (height - 169 cm) can not be called petite.

Thunder in Paradise

In the summer of 2010, 66-year-old Michael Douglas was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. The next six months were spent in intensive treatment, which gave positive results. The actor officially announced that he was completely cured in January of next year. However, it cannot be said that this period was easy for the spouses.

No matter how strong a woman Katherine is, she also has limits. But, selflessly immersed in her favorite work, she clearly ignored them more than once. Gradually, she develops bipolar affective disorder.

This is a very unpleasant disease that throws a person out of a state of extreme excitement during periods of prolonged depression. As usual, all the bumps go to the family.

At first, Michael suffered strange mood swingsspouses almost resignedly. However, the further, the more heated the atmosphere in the house. In addition, bipolar disorder is not so easy to diagnose. And such a strong personality as Katherine was not going to admit that she had any problems.

The couple lived in the expectation that such a relationship is temporary. You just need to finish the current project, relax, change the situation … But the weeks turned into months, but it did not get easier. Finally Katherine turned to the experts.

The situation was serious. Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is undergoing treatment, but the effect is only temporary. Two years later, she takes a second course, and three months later, Michael Douglas files for divorce. He declares that he is no longer able to endure the oppressed state of his wife.

Reconciliation

But despite all the personal difficulties and the frivolous attitude to the arrangement of marriage in modern society in general, and even more so in the field of show business, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones clearly do not intend to destroy their family so easily. Less than three full months after the official filing of divorce papers, they were able to resolve the conflict and restore their relationship.

Someone continues to consider Catherine Zeta-Jones a kind of mannered high-society prima donna. Personally, it doesn't bother her at all. She is truly confident and clearly knows what she wants. Even now this young woman will gladly drink a couple of glasses of beer with her family and go to play rugby with them. She knows how to workwear, and fully enjoy life. And her acting skills will delight more than one generation of viewers.