Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Known for her versatility, she is the recipient of
various accolades, including an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a
British Academy Film Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
, and a
Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her film and humanitarian work.
Born and raised in
Swansea, Zeta-Jones aspired to be an actress from a young age. As a child, she played roles in the
West End productions of the musicals ''
Annie'' and ''
Bugsy Malone
''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actors ...
''. She studied musical theatre at the
Arts Educational Schools, London and made her stage breakthrough with a leading role in a 1987 production of ''
42nd Street''. Her screen debut came in the unsuccessful French-Italian film ''
1001 Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
'' (1990), and she went on to find greater success as a regular in the British television series ''
The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–1993). Dismayed at being
typecast
In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
as the token pretty girl in British films, Zeta-Jones relocated to Los Angeles. She established herself in Hollywood with roles that highlighted her sex appeal, such as in the action film ''
The Mask of Zorro
''The Mask of Zorro'' is a 1998 American swashbuckler film based on the character of the masked vigilante Zorro created by Johnston McCulley. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jone ...
'' (1998) and the heist film ''
Entrapment'' (1999).
Zeta-Jones received critical acclaim for her performances as a vengeful pregnant woman in ''
Traffic'' (2000) and a murderous singer in the musical ''
Chicago'' (2002), winning the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. She starred in high-profile films for much of the decade, including the black comedy ''
Intolerable Cruelty'' (2003), the heist film ''
Ocean's Twelve
''Ocean's Twelve'' is a 2004 American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by George Nolfi. The second installment in the ''Ocean's'' film trilogy franchise and the sequel to ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), the film features an ...
'' (2004), the comedy ''
The Terminal'' (2004), and the romantic comedy ''
No Reservations'' (2007). Parts in smaller-scale features were followed by a decrease in workload, during which she returned to the stage and played an ageing actress in a
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
A Little Night Music
''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...
'' (2009), winning a
Tony Award. Zeta-Jones worked intermittently in the subsequent decades, starring in the films ''
Side Effects
In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequenc ...
'' (2013), ''
Red 2'' (2013) and ''
Dad's Army'' (2016). She took on supporting roles in television, portraying
Olivia de Havilland
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
in ''
Feud: Bette & Joan'' (2017) and
Morticia Addams in ''
Wednesday'' (2022).
Aside from acting, Zeta-Jones is a brand endorser and supports various charitable causes. Her struggle with
depression and
bipolar II disorder has been well documented by the media. She is married to actor
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
, with whom she has two children.
Early life and initial stage career
Catherine Zeta Jones was born on 25 September 1969 in
Swansea, Wales, to David Jones, the owner of a sweet factory, and his wife Patricia (née Fair), a seamstress.
Her father is Welsh and her mother is of
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...
descent.
She was named after her grandmothers, Zeta Jones (derived from the name of a ship that her great-grandfather sailed on)
and Catherine Fair.
She has an older brother, David, and a younger brother, Lyndon, who worked as a sales representative before venturing into film production.
She was raised in the
Mumbles
Mumbles ( cy, Mwmbwls) is a headland sited on the western edge of Swansea Bay on the southern coast of Wales.
Toponym
Mumbles has been noted for its unusual place name. The headland is thought by some to have been named by French sailors, ...
district of Swansea. Because Zeta-Jones was a hyperactive child, her mother sent her to the Hazel Johnson School of Dance when she was four years old.
She was educated at
Dumbarton House School, a private school in Swansea.
The family came from a modest background, but their fortunes improved when they won £100,000 in a
bingo
Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Gaming
* Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers
** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland
** Bi ...
competition, thus enabling them to pay for their daughter's dance and ballet lessons.
Zeta-Jones participated in school stage shows from a young age and gained local media attention when her rendition of a
Shirley Bassey song won a Junior Star Trail talent competition.
As part of a dance troupe, she routinely took trips to London, where she auditioned for roles in the theatre.
At age nine, Zeta-Jones was selected to play July, one of the orphan girls in the original
West End production of the musical ''
Annie'', and in her early teens, she became a national tap dancing champion.
In 1981, she played the lead role of
Annie in a Swansea production of the musical, which was staged at the
Swansea Grand Theatre.
Two years later, she played the lead role of Tallulah in a West End production of ''
Bugsy Malone
''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actors ...
''.
When she was fifteen, Zeta-Jones left school without obtaining
O-levels and decided to live in London to pursue a full-time acting career; she was also engaged to perform in a touring production of ''
The Pajama Game''.
Describing her teenage years in London, Zeta-Jones said, "I would queue up for auditions and then change my costume or put on a different
leotard
A leotard () is a unisex skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso from the crotch to the shoulder. The garment was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard (1838–1870). There are sleeveless, short-sleeved, and lo ...
and audition again. It might take me two tries, but I always got the job. I figured out what they wanted".
She went on to attend the independent
Arts Educational Schools
Arts Educational Schools, or ArtsEd, is an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Overview
ArtsEd provides specialist vocational training at secondary, further and higher education level in musi ...
in the
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Ful ...
district of London, for a three-year course in musical theatre.
In 1987, seventeen-year-old Zeta-Jones was picked as the second understudy to the lead actress in a West End production of ''
42nd Street''. During one of the performances, both the star and the first understudy were unavailable, and Zeta-Jones was asked to play the role of Peggy Sawyer—a chorus girl who becomes a star. The producer was impressed by her acting ability and allowed her to play the role for the following two years.
Her next stage appearance was with the
English National Opera
English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English. ...
at the
London Coliseum in 1989 where she played Mae Jones in
Kurt Weill's ''
Street Scene''.
Career
1990–1996: Screen debut and career struggles
In 1990, Zeta-Jones made her film debut in the director
Philippe de Broca
Philippe de Broca (; 15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) was a French movie director.
He directed 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful '' That Man from Rio (''L'Homme de Rio'')'', '' The Man from Acapulco (Le Magnifique) ...
's film ''
1001 Nights
''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...
''. An adaptation of the Persian fable ''
One Thousand and One Nights'', the French-Italian production recounts the tale from the perspective of
Scheherazade
Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the '' One Thousand and One Nights''.
Name
According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' der ...
(Zeta-Jones), one of the brides of King Sharir (
Thierry Lhermitte
Thierry Lhermitte (; born 24 November 1952) is a French actor, director, writer and producer, best known for his comedic roles. He was a founder of the comedy troupe ''Le Splendid'' in the 1970s, along with, among others, Christian Clavier, Gérar ...
).
''1001 Nights'' did not perform well at the box office, and according to de Broca's obituary in ''
The Daily Telegraph'', the film "is best remembered for its enjoyable nude scenes." Greater success followed when she starred opposite
David Jason
Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...
and
Pam Ferris in the
ITV period comedy-drama television series ''
The Darling Buds of May'' from 1991 to 1993. Adapted from
H. E. Bates novel of the same name, Zeta-Jones played the role of the eldest daughter of a family living in the countryside in 1950s Britain.
The series was the highest-rated television show in the country at the time, and Zeta-Jones gained wide public recognition for it. "Literally, with one hour of television my life completely changed. I couldn't go anywhere", she remarked.
Following a brief appearance as
Beatriz Enríquez de Arana in the unsuccessful adventure film ''
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' (1992), Zeta-Jones featured as a belly dancer in disguise in a 1992 episode of
George Lucas television series ''
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles''. She next took on the part of an aspiring duchess in ''
Splitting Heirs
''Splitting Heirs'' is a 1993 British black comedy film directed by Robert Young and starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese and Sadie Frost. It features music by Michael Kamen. It was entered in t ...
'' (1993), a farcical period drama from the director
Robert Young about two children (
Eric Idle and
Rick Moranis) who are separated at birth. Reviews of the film were negative, though the critic
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
of ''
The New York Times'' found her to be "very funny". In 1994, Zeta-Jones played the melancholic Eustacia Vye in the television film ''The Return of the Native'', an adaptation of the
1878 novel of the same name by
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
, and the wife of
Lloyd Owen
Richard Marcus Lloyd Owen (born 14 April 1966) is an English actor. Trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, he is known for portraying Indiana Jones's father Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. i ...
's character in the television war drama ''
The Cinder Path''.
She was then cast as the
eponymous protagonist of the 1995 television biopic ''
Catherine the Great
, en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes
, house =
, father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst
, mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp
, birth_date =
, birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...
''. In a mixed review, critic Lisa Nesselson of ''
Variety'' found the miniseries to be "brightly colored" but "wooden and hollow", though thought that Zeta-Jones "imparts a certain grace and resolve to her sovereign-in-the-making". She next appeared as the pragmatic girlfriend of
Sean Pertwee
Sean Carl Roland Pertwee''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer with an extensive career since the 1980s in television and cinema productions.
He is known ...
's character in ''
Blue Juice
''Blue Juice'' is a 1995 British drama film directed by Carl Prechezer and starring Sean Pertwee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ewan McGregor, and Steven Mackintosh. It follows JC (Pertwee) as he attempts to reconcile his surfer lifestyle and loser f ...
'' (1995), publicised as Britain's first
surf film
Surf movies fall into three distinct genres:
*the surfing documentary - targeting the surfing enthusiast
*the 1960s beach party films - targeting the broader community
*fictional feature films with a focus on the reality of surfing
Surfing d ...
, which the critic
Leonard Maltin dismissed as a "superficial and predictable" production.
Dismayed at being typecast as the token pretty girl in British films, Zeta-Jones relocated to Los Angeles, stating: "There was all this fuss about who I was and wasn't dating. I was a pretty face and a big bust and nothing else. People in the business believed what they read about me. So I decided to move away and start again."
She believed that her anonymity in America helped her obtain roles on merit and not due to her public image.
She earned the part of Sala, the henchwoman to the villainous Drax (
Treat Williams
Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor, writer and aviator who has appeared on film, stage and television in over 120 credits. He first became well known for his starring role in the 1979 musical film ''Hair'', and lat ...
) in the superhero film ''
The Phantom'' (1996), starring
Billy Zane
William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film '' Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Prom ...
in the
titular role
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
.
A reviewer for ''Variety'' considered Zeta-Jones to be a standout in her part, but the film received a negative critical reception and earned little at the box office.
The
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
television miniseries ''
Titanic'' (1996), however, was better received.
Starring opposite
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series ''The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recur ...
and
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor, director, and producer who had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his port ...
, she played the lead role of Isabella Paradine, a young mother who engages in an extramarital affair aboard the ill-fated
RMS ''Titanic''.
1998–2000: Hollywood breakthrough and success
Steven Spielberg took notice of Zeta-Jones in ''Titanic'' and recommended her to
Martin Campbell, who was directing ''
The Mask of Zorro
''The Mask of Zorro'' is a 1998 American swashbuckler film based on the character of the masked vigilante Zorro created by Johnston McCulley. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jone ...
'' (1998) for Spielberg's production company. Campbell cast her as the leading lady instead of
Izabella Scorupco, who was his original choice for the part.
Co-starring
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...
and
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...
, the film tells the story of
Zorro
Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...
(Hopkins), a Spanish warrior (the film is set in Old California) who sets out to avenge the death of his wife and find his lost daughter Elena (Zeta-Jones). She found similarities between her "volatile" Celtic personality and her Latin character's temperament, and in preparation she studied dancing, riding and sword-fighting, and took diction lessons in Spanish. Filming the action and dance sequences while wearing heavy corsets in the dry Mexican desert proved challenging for Zeta-Jones, but she found the experience "worth suffering for".
''The Mask of Zorro'' was positively received by the critics and grossed over $250 million worldwide. The role proved to be a breakthrough for her and she was nominated for the
MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance
This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award
The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renam ...
.
Zeta-Jones's first release of 1999 was the heist film ''
Entrapment'', in which she starred opposite
Sean Connery as a seductive insurance agent on the lookout for an art thief. Despite a negative critical reception, the film was a commercial success;
Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' thought the film provided Zeta-Jones a platform to "show off her slithery skills", and
Desson Howe
Desson Patrick Thomson is a former speechwriter for the Obama administration and former film critic for ''The Washington Post''. He was known as Desson Howe until 2003 when he changed his name after reuniting with his birth father.
Biography
...
of ''The Washington Post'' called on viewers to appreciate the sex appeal she brought to the role. Later that year, Zeta-Jones appeared alongside
Liam Neeson
William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The ...
and
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor (born February 20, 1967) is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films '' Mystic Pizza'' (1988) and '' Say Anything...'' (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s ...
in ''
The Haunting'', a remake of the
1963 film of the same name about a team of paranormal experts who look into strange occurrences in an ill-fated mansion. The horror feature received generally poor reviews but found a significant worldwide audience. In a scathing review, the critic
Mick LaSalle
Mick is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in England as a derogatory term for an Irish person or a person of Irish descent. In Australia the meaning broade ...
wrote that "Zeta-Jones seems less an actress and more a pretty face, and not an interesting one at that".
After taking the supporting part of the lead
John Cusack's former romantic interest in the comedy-drama ''
High Fidelity'' (2000), Zeta-Jones starred in
Steven Soderbergh's ''
Traffic'' (2000). In the ensemble thriller on drug abuse co-starring
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
and
Benicio del Toro
Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez (born February 19, 1967) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Act ...
, she played Helena, the pregnant wife of a drug lord who takes over the business when her husband is arrested. Originally written as a mother of two, Soderbergh changed the part to that of a pregnant woman on Zeta-Jones's suggestion to accommodate her own pregnancy. Highly profitable at the box office and critically acclaimed, ''Traffic'' was described by the ''
Dallas Observer'' as "a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, a beautiful and brutal work". Edward Guthman of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle'' considered Zeta-Jones to be a standout among the cast and labelled her "sensational" in a scene in which Helena confronts a
Tijuana dealer, adding that "through sheer conviction, she electrifies a moment that could have been absurd". The ensemble of ''Traffic'' won the
SAG Award for Outstanding Cast and Zeta-Jones was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
2001–2004: Established actress
The romantic comedy ''
America's Sweethearts
''America's Sweethearts'' is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Joe Roth and written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan. It stars Julia Roberts, Crystal, John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Seth Gr ...
'' was Zeta-Jones's sole film release of 2001. She starred as a shrewd movie star, opposite
Julia Roberts who featured as her character's under-confident sibling. The critic
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
compared the film unfavourably to the musical ''
Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), but thought that Zeta-Jones was aptly "chilly and manipulative" in her part. The following year, she starred alongside
Renée Zellweger as the murderous nightclub singer
Velma Kelly in ''
Chicago'' (2002), a film adaptation of the
stage musical of the same name from the director
Rob Marshall. She based her character's look and mannerisms on the actress
Louise Brooks, and as the script did not provide a backstory to Kelly, she worked to convey her character's "flamboyance" and "desperation" through "little looks and nuances". The film and her performance received widespread critical acclaim. William Arnold of the ''
Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' believed that Zeta-Jones had made "a wonderfully statuesque and bitchy saloon goddess", and
David Edelstein of ''
Slate'' wrote that she has "a smoldering confidence that takes your mind off her not-always-fluid dancingalthough she's a perfectly fine hoofer, with majestic limbs and a commanding cleavage" and particularly praised her rendition of the song "
All That Jazz". ''Chicago'' grossed $306 million worldwide, and was the recipient of the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...
. For her performance, she won the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
,
SAG Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
, and the
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
for Best Supporting Actress, among other awards and nominations.
Following the success of ''Chicago'', Zeta-Jones voiced the part of Princess Marina in ''
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas'' (2003), an animated film featuring
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...
as the voice of
Sinbad the Sailor. She was drawn to the project to give her then-young children an opportunity to "hear
erand get a sense of
eron film", but the film proved to be a
box office bomb
A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...
. Also in 2003, Zeta-Jones starred alongside
George Clooney in the
Coen brothers black comedy ''
Intolerable Cruelty''. A commercial success, the film saw her play the role of a serial divorcée who is drawn towards a divorce lawyer (Clooney). Writing for ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', the critic Damon Wise labelled the film a "dazzling screwball comedy" and felt that Zeta-Jones had shown "an admirable facility for old-school quickfire patter". Other reviewers praised her onscreen chemistry with Clooney.
In 2004, Spielberg approached her to play an insecure air hostess in his comedy ''
The Terminal'', a film about a man (
Tom Hanks) who is trapped at the
JFK International Airport when he is denied entry into the United States. Spielberg was intent on her playing against type as a strong-willed woman, with a vulnerability in her character,
but the critic
A. O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott (born July 10, 1966) is an American journalist and cultural critic. He has been chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' since 2004, a title he shares with Manohla Dargis.
Early life
Scott was born on July 10, 1966 in ...
felt that it came across as using her for "her looks rather than for the arch, self-mocking wit that is her secret weapon as a comic actress". Commercially, ''The Terminal'' performed well. She next worked with Soderbergh to film ''
Ocean's Twelve
''Ocean's Twelve'' is a 2004 American heist comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by George Nolfi. The second installment in the ''Ocean's'' film trilogy franchise and the sequel to ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), the film features an ...
'', a sequel to his heist film ''
Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), which also reunited her with stars Clooney, Pitt, and Roberts. The production, which was filmed in several European countries, saw Zeta-Jones play Isabel Lahiri, a
Europol agent, and the love interest of Pitt's character.
Paul Clinton
Paul Clinton (1953 – January 30, 2006) was an American film critic. He served as CNN.com film critic for 20 years. He was the co-founder of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA).
Clinton was born in Columbus, Ohio and attended Ohio ...
of
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by t ...
noted that her sex appeal benefited the film. Conversely,
Ken Tucker
Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer.
Early life and education
Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...
of ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
'' magazine argued that her character was redundant to the film's plot. Despite dividing critics, the sequel grossed over $360 million globally.
2005–2010: Decrease in workload and return to the stage
''
The Legend of Zorro
''The Legend of Zorro'' is a 2005 American Western swashbuckler film directed by Martin Campbell, produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Lloyd Phillips, with music by James Horner, and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It ...
'' (2005), a sequel to ''The Mask of Zorro'', saw her reprise the role of Eléna opposite Banderas. Set ten years after the first film, the sequel follows Eléna struggling with married life.
Unlike the original, the film was disliked by critics and was a commercial disappointment. She did not have any film releases in 2006. A biopic of
Harry Houdini, titled ''
Death Defying Acts
''Death Defying Acts'' is a 2007 supernatural romance film, directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It concerns an episode in the life of Hungarian- American escapologist Harry Houdini at the height of hi ...
'' (2007), starring
Guy Pearce as the
escapologist
Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and o ...
Houdini, featured Zeta-Jones as a Scottish con artist who claims psychic powers. The unsuccessful production was given only a limited theatrical release.
In 2007, Zeta-Jones starred alongside
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his hi ...
and
Abigail Breslin
Abigail Kathleen Breslin (born April 14, 1996) is an American actress. She rose to prominence with the comedy-drama film '' Little Miss Sunshine'' (2006), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at ...
in the romantic comedy ''
No Reservations'', a remake of the German film ''
Mostly Martha'' (2001). ''No Reservations'' tells the story of an ambitious chef (Zeta-Jones) whose life changes for the better when she takes in her young niece (Breslin) after her sister's death. In preparation for her part, Zeta-Jones worked in the kitchen and waited on tables at New York's Fiamma Osteria restaurant.
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig (born September 10, 1956) is an entertainment journalist and an American film critic. She was on staff at USA Today as lead film critic and prior to that was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. She is currently a critic for NPR ...
of ''
USA Today'' wrote that Zeta-Jones "shines as a character that finely balances off-putting reserve with sympathetic appeal", and Roger Ebert, despite disliking the film, did find her to be "convincing" in her role. With a global gross of $92 million, the film marked her final commercial success of the decade.
After ''No Reservations'', Zeta-Jones significantly decreased her workload in the following five years. She instead chose to focus on her family and health, having been diagnosed with
bipolar II disorder, and her infrequent acting appearances were in smaller-scale and less successful productions.
She took on the role of a forty-year-old mother attracted to a younger man (
Justin Bartha) in the romantic comedy ''
The Rebound
''The Rebound'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Bart Freundlich, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha. It was released in theaters in several countries in late 2009. It was originally scheduled to be re ...
''. The production was released theatrically in markets outside of the United States in 2009–10, but due to financial troubles of its distributor, The Film Development, the film failed to release theatrically in America.
Zeta-Jones returned to the stage in 2009 with a revival of the
Stephen Sondheim musical ''
A Little Night Music
''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...
'', which marked her
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
debut. Set in Sweden during the early twentieth century, the musical follows the relationships between three people (Zeta-Jones,
Angela Lansbury
Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
and
Alexander Hanson) during the course of a summer. She played Desirée Armfeldt, an ageing actress, and was particularly drawn to the complexities of the piece, explaining: "There's no jazzy hands, no high kicks, no fishnet stockings, ... It's not one of those shows where you can dig about three inches and come out the other end. You can keep digging and digging and digging".
She did not listen to past recordings of the songs in the musical so she could bring her own interpretation to them.
The critic Claire Prentice of ''The Daily Telegraph'' wrote that Zeta-Jones brought in a "quiet, reflective poignancy" in her rendition of the song "
Send In the Clowns", but
Emma Brockes
Emma Brockes (born 1975) is a British author and a contributor to ''The Guardian'' and ''The New York Times''. She lives in New York.
Biography
The daughter of a South-African-born mother,Emma Brockes"My mother's secret past" extract from ''She ...
of ''
The Guardian'' was more critical, remarking that "with her pretty voice, head wresting this way and that,
heseems to be auditioning for stage school".
For her performance, Zeta-Jones won the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre among Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions. The awards were established in 1955, ...
and the
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
2012–2016: Return to film
After a three-year sabbatical from acting, she made her screen comeback in ''
Lay the Favorite
''Lay the Favorite'' is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by D.V. DeVincentis, and stars Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joshua Jackson. Based on Beth Raymer's 2010 memoir of the same n ...
'' (2012), a comedy co-starring
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series '' Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero ...
and
Rebecca Hall, in which she played the jealous wife of a gambler (Willis). Reviews of the film were negative, and Betsy Sharkey of the ''
Los Angeles Times'' found Zeta-Jones to be "far too shrill to amuse". In the ensemble musical comedy ''
Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to:
Films
* ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips
* ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below)
Music
* ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...
'', co-starring
Tom Cruise and
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000� ...
, Zeta-Jones played the part of a religiously conservative wife of a mayor. She was attracted to the idea of playing a "nightmare of a woman" and based the role on the politician
Michele Bachmann
Michele Marie Bachmann (; née Amble; born April 6, 1956) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2007 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she was a candidate for President of the United States in the 2 ...
;
the film received mixed reviews and failed commercially. Her final release of 2012 was ''
Playing for Keeps'', a romantic comedy with
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as '' Mrs Brown'' (1997), the James Bond film ''Tomorrow Never D ...
, which proved to be her third box office failure of the year.
In 2013, Zeta-Jones took on a leading role in the crime thriller ''
Broken City
''Broken City'' is a 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Allen Hughes and written by Brian Tucker. Mark Wahlberg stars as a police officer turned private investigator and Russell Crowe as the mayor of New York City who hires ...
'', co-starring
Mark Wahlberg and
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...
. The film tells the story of a private detective (Wahlberg) who is hired by the mayor of New York City (Crowe) to spy on his wife (Zeta-Jones). The critic
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy (born February 16, 1950) is an American film critic and author. He wrote for ''Variety'' for 31 years as its chief film critic until 2010. In October of that year, he joined ''The Hollywood Reporter'', where he subsequently served ...
thought that Zeta-Jones "looks like class itself and nicely underplays", and Liam Lacey of ''
The Globe and Mail'' observed that the actress "does a fair, if incongruous, impersonation of a forties vamp". However, as with her previous few projects, the film was not widely seen, and received poor reviews. This changed when Zeta-Jones collaborated with Soderbergh for the third time to film the critically acclaimed thriller ''
Side Effects
In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequenc ...
'' (2013). Co-starring
Channing Tatum,
Jude Law and
Rooney Mara
Patricia Rooney Mara ( ; born April 17, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, ...
, the film saw her play a mysterious psychiatrist who recommends an
antidepressant
Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, heada ...
drug with serious side effects.
Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
, writing for ''
Rolling Stone'', called the film a "hell of a thriller, twisty, terrific and packed with surprises" and found Zeta-Jones to be "dynamite" in it.
In the action comedy ''
Red 2'' (2013), which served as a sequel to the 2010 film ''
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...
'', Zeta-Jones played a seductive Russian double agent, alongside Bruce Willis,
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...
, and
Mary-Louise Parker. She was drawn to the project, which follows the comic adventures of retired spies, for "the action, the humour,
ndthe tongue-in-cheek quality of it".
Writing for ''
The Hollywood Reporter'', Justin Lowe stated that Zeta-Jones "nicely pulls off Russian spy Katja's mix of allure and menace", and with a worldwide gross of $148 million, ''Red 2'' emerged as her most widely seen film since ''No Reservations''.
Following ''Red 2'', Zeta-Jones took another sabbatical from acting, saying: "If I'm going to leave my family for any length of time it had better be for a role that I haven't played before,
therwiseI would prefer to stay at home".
She found the role opposite
Bill Nighy
William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ga ...
and
Toby Jones
Tobias Edward Heslewood Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 7 September 1966) is an English actor. Jones made his film debut in Sally Potter's period drama ''Orlando'' in 1992. He ...
in the British war comedy film ''
Dad's Army'' (2016), based on the
television sitcom of the same name. She was cast as a glamorous journalist reporting on a British Home Guard platoon based in
Walmington-on-Sea
Walmington-on-Sea is a fictional seaside resort that is the setting of ''Dad's Army'', including the BBC Television sitcom (1968-1977), the BBC Radio 4 series and two feature films (1971 and 2016).
Walmington-on-Sea is on the south coast of Engl ...
. Catherine Bray of ''Variety'' found the film to be an "amiable but creaky resurrection" of the sitcom, and thought that while Zeta-Jones "hits the required single note with some spirit" she was "generally underused" in it.
2017–present: Television and streaming
Zeta-Jones returned to television in 2017, portraying actress
Olivia de Havilland
Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British-American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her time. ...
in the first season of
Ryan Murphy's anthology drama series ''
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...
'' about the rivalry between the actresses
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...
and
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...
(played by
Jessica Lange and
Susan Sarandon, respectively). Dominic Patten of ''
Deadline Hollywood'' found Zeta-Jones to be "wonderfully cast" and Sonia Saraiya of ''Variety'' credited her for providing "the best turn in the show". Displeased with an "unauthorized use of her name and identity" in the series, de Havilland, at 101 years old, sued the network and producers of ''Feud'' for invasion of privacy and other
personality rights. The lawsuit was later dismissed by a California
appellate court
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...
.
In 2018, Zeta-Jones starred as the drug lord
Griselda Blanco
Griselda Blanco Restrepo (February 15, 1943 – September 3, 2012), known as ''the Black Widow'', was a Colombian drug lord of the Medellín Cartel, and in the Miami-based cocaine drug trade and underworld, during the 1970s through the early ...
in the
Lifetime
Lifetime may refer to:
* Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey
* ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band
* ...
television film ''
Cocaine Godmother
''Cocaine Godmother'' is a 2017 American biographical crime drama film directed by Guillermo Navarro and written by David McKenna. The film stars Catherine Zeta-Jones as Griselda Blanco, who was known as the Cocaine Godmother. It premiered at the ...
''. Despite her character's misdeeds, she was drawn to her character's fortitude and ability to stand out in a male-dominated business. Writing for
IndieWire, Hanh Nguyen criticised the decision to cast Zeta-Jones in the part of a Latino woman, adding that "she's not just unconvincing; she's outlandish". She next played the lead role of Vicki Ellis, an unrelenting pageant coach, in the
Facebook Watch comedy-drama series ''
Queen America
''Queen America'' is an American drama series that aired from November 18, 2018 to January 6, 2019 on Facebook Watch. It stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Belle Shouse, Teagle F. Bougere, Rana Roy, Molly Price, Isabella Amara and Megan West. The series ...
''. To play a character who has
bulimia
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eate ...
, she drew on her teenage experiences of interacting with dancers who had eating disorders. In a positive review, Jen Chaney of ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' wrote that "Zeta-Jones is always at her best when she's fiery, and this part gives her plenty of opportunities to shift into beast mode".
In 2021, Zeta-Jones appeared in a recurring role in the second season of the
Fox drama series ''
Prodigal Son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son (also known as the parable of the Two Brothers, Lost Son, Loving Father, or of the Forgiving Father) is one of the parables of Jesus Christ in the Bible, appearing in Luke 15:11–32. Jesus shares the parable with ...
''. She played Dr. Vivian Capshaw, a doctor, opposite
Michael Sheen. The series was cancelled after its second season. She next took on a guest role as
Morticia Addams in two episodes of the
Netflix fantasy series ''
Wednesday'' (2022). Dave Nemetz of
TVLine found her "exquisitely well-cast" in her small part. ''Wednesday'' emerged as the second most-watched English-language Netflix series within three weeks of release. She subsequently played the main antagonist of the
Disney+ adventure series ''
National Treasure: Edge of History''. Joshua Alston of ''Variety'' found Zeta-Jones to be the "best thing" about the show, adding that "her snarling villainy veers so close to camp that it sounds at times like she’s workshopping a comedic impression of her own voice".
Other ventures
Aside from acting, Zeta-Jones supports various charities and causes. She is a patron of Swansea's Longfields Day Centre for the disabled, and has made sizeable donations to the centre. In 2001, she auctioned an outfit she wore in ''The Mask of Zorro'' (1998) to raise funds for
AIDS patients in Africa. In 2005, she became the ambassador of the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.
History
Victorian era
On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New York ...
charity, and launched the Full Stop appeal in Wales to raise awareness on child abuse. She has also given her support to other charitable organisations for children such as the
International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and the
Noah's Ark Appeal, among others. Zeta-Jones is also the founding host for ''A Fine Romance'', an annual charitable program that helps raise funds for the
Motion Picture & Television Fund, and is one of the members of the
Cinema for Peace Foundation
The Cinema for Peace Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. It supports film-based projects dealing with global humanitarian and environmental issues, and coordinates the Cinema for Peace awards.
History
The ...
.
Zeta-Jones briefly dabbled with a singing career in the early 1990s. In 1992, she provided her voice to the character of actress
Jean Simmons
Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank, J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made ...
in
Jeff Wayne's musical retelling of ''
Spartacus'', entitled ''
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus
''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus'' is a 1992 concept album produced and composed by Jeff Wayne with Lyrics by Gary Osborne, telling the story of Roman gladiator, Spartacus.
It starred Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones (in her first ...
''. Three years later, she released her first single, "In the Arms of Love", on Wayne's Wow! Records. She later sang "
True Love Ways", a duet with
David Essex
David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...
in 1994.
Zeta-Jones has featured as an advertising spokeswoman for several brands and products. She was named the global ambassador for the cosmetics company
Elizabeth Arden, Inc. in 2002. Also that year, she was signed on by the phone company
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic (T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland (T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobile ...
for an estimated $10 million per year, making her the highest-paid celebrity endorser at the time. In 2017, Zeta-Jones launched her own line of home decoration products named Casa Zeta-Jones. Also that year, she featured in a theatrical production of ''
The Children's Monologues
''The Children's Monologues'' was a theatrical performance, produced by Amber Sainsbury at Old Vic Theatre in London on 14 November 2010 and at Royal Court Theatre on 25 October 2015 for the benefit of Dramatic Need. It featured the adapted sto ...
'', in which she performed a monologue as a mathematically inclined young girl. The event raised funds for
Dramatic Need
Dramatic Need is a UK-registered charity (number 1119443) that sends international arts professionals (such as musicians, artists and actors) to host workshops in underprivileged and rural communities in Africa. The charity promotes creative expr ...
, a charity that helps African children pursue a career in the arts.
Media image
Zeta-Jones's beauty and sex appeal have been picked up by various media outlets, including ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of propert ...
'' magazine, which placed her at number one on their "Most Beautiful People" listing in 1998.
She continued to feature on the list from 2000 to 2004.
In 2003, ''
Esquire'' labelled her "the most beautiful woman on the planet". In 2011, she was named the most beautiful British woman by a poll conducted by the television network
QVC. She was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the
Monarchy of the United Kingdom in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
for her film and charity work. In 2019, she was honoured with the
Freedom of the City
The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...
of Swansea.
The journalist Sheila Johnston of ''The Daily Telegraph'', in 2010, described Zeta-Jones as "the ultimate self-made success" who "constantly made bold decisions, and scrubbed up very nicely into a luscious star who radiates a classic
��brand of big-screen glamour."
Guy Adams of ''
The Independent'' considers her personality to be "self-effacing and energetic" but takes note of her "steely core" in her off-screen persona.
Zeta-Jones's success in her early Hollywood films ''The Mask of Zorro'' (1998) and ''Entrapment'' (1999) relied predominantly on her sex appeal, but she was later appreciated for her versatility.
Zeta-Jones's career graph and marriage to Douglas have been a subject of satire. A 2006 episode of the satirical British television show ''Star Stories
''Star Stories'' is a British television comedy programme that took a satirical look at celebrities and their lives. It was first shown on Channel 4 on 15 September 2006.
''Star Stories'' is made by Objective Productions commissioned for Channe ...
'' (2006–2008) was entitled ''Catherine Zeta-Jones—Her Quest to Prove Herself ... And Also Find Love'', about a fictitious life story of Zeta-Jones. Addressing her perceived media image, she remarked in a 2004 interview with ''USA Weekend
''USA Weekend'' was an American weekend newspaper magazine owned by the Gannett Company. Structured as a sister publication to Gannett's flagship newspaper ''USA Today'' and distributed in the Sunday editions of participating local newspapers, i ...
'': "The biggest misconception of me is that I'm some die-hard, ambitious, do-anything-to-get-anything kind of person, I'm not. I'm very shy socially." Zeta-Jones is protective of her public image, and the use of her likeness is carefully controlled. As well as taking legal action against ''Hello!
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich ...
'' magazine, she sued a Nevada-based topless club for including her image on their advertising. In 2003, the celebrity biographer Cliff Goodwin wrote an unauthorised biography
An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...
of the actress, entitled ''Catherine Zeta Jones: The Biography'', but the publication was indefinitely postponed after her lawyers issued threats of legal action against both Goodwin and his publisher.
Personal life
The success of ''The Darling Buds of May'' (1991–93) made Zeta-Jones a celebrity in Britain, and her personal life has since been chronicled by the media. Her relationships in the early 1990s with television personality John Leslie, singer David Essex
David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...
, and pop star Mick Hucknall were widely reported by the British press. In the mid-1990s, she was briefly engaged to Scottish actor Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen (born 21 September 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in ''Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in '' Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the '' ...
. In a 1995 interview with the '' Daily Mirror'', she described her lifestyle thus: "I drink, I swear, I like sex".
Zeta-Jones met American actor Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...
, with whom she shares her birthday and who is 25 years her senior, at the Deauville American Film Festival in France in August 1998, after being introduced by Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him a Gold ...
. They became engaged on 31 December 1999, and were married at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on 18 November 2000 after Douglas's divorce was finalised. The high-profile ceremony, which cost an estimated £1.5 million, was labelled the "wedding of the year" by the BBC. They signed a £1 million deal with ''OK!
''OK!'' is a British weekly magazine that primarily specialises in royal and celebrity news. Originally launched as a monthly magazine, its first issue was published in April 1997. In September 2004, ''OK''! launched in Australia as a monthly ...
'' magazine to release photographs of the event, and the rest of the press were not permitted to enter. Despite that, journalists for ''Hello!'' magazine surreptitiously took pictures of the ceremony, and the couple successfully sued the magazine for invasion of privacy. Zeta-Jones and Douglas have two children: a son, Dylan Michael (born August 2000), and a daughter, Carys Zeta (born April 2003). The family lived in Bermuda
)
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, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
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, mapsize2 =
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
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until 2009, and , live in rural New York state. The family has a coastal estate near Valldemossa
Valldemossa is a village and municipality on the island of Majorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is famous for one landmark: the Royal Charterhouse of Valldemossa, built at the beginning of the 14th centu ...
, Mallorca.
In 2010, Douglas was diagnosed with tongue cancer
Oral cancer, also known as mouth cancer, is cancer of the lining of the lips, mouth, or upper throat. In the mouth, it most commonly starts as a painless white patch, that thickens, develops red patches, an ulcer, and continues to grow. When on ...
, and Zeta-Jones faced an emotionally turbulent time; she said, "When you get sideswiped like that ith the illnessit's an obvious trigger for your balance to be a little bit off – not sleeping, worry, stress." This trigger led to Zeta-Jones suffering from depression, and despite initial apprehension, she spoke publicly about having bipolar II disorder. She sought treatment by checking herself into hospital in 2011, and again in 2013. Owing to the stress of both their illnesses, the couple decided to live separately in 2013, though without taking legal action towards separation or divorce. They reconciled in 2014, with Douglas saying they were "stronger than ever".
Acting credits and awards
Zeta-Jones's films that have earned the most at the box office, , include:
For her role in ''Chicago'' (2002), Zeta-Jones was awarded the Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, Screen Actors Guild Award, and BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
for Best Supporting Actress. She has received two Golden Globe Award nominations: Best Supporting Actress for ''Traffic'' (2000) and Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for ''Chicago'' (2002). For her leading role in Broadway's 2009 revival of ''A Little Night Music
''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...
'', Zeta-Jones was awarded the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeta-Jones, Catherine
1969 births
Living people
20th-century Welsh actresses
21st-century Welsh actresses
Actresses from Swansea
Audiobook narrators
Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Douglas family
Drama Desk Award winners
European Film Awards winners (people)
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children people
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners
People educated at Dumbarton House School
People educated at the Arts Educational Schools
People with bipolar disorder
Tony Award winners
Welsh expatriates in the United States
Welsh female dancers
Welsh film actresses
Welsh musical theatre actresses
Welsh people of Irish descent
Welsh television actresses
Welsh voice actresses