FILM STARS-CATHERINE ZETA JONES

Catherine, the highest ranking woman in the '100 Welsh Heroes' vote, beat stiff competition to scoop the Oscar award for Best Supporting Actress in 2003, for her performance in the musical movie Chicago.



The daughter of Pat and Dai Jones, Catherine has two brothers, and still keeps things in the family - Lyndon, the younger brother, is now her manager.



Catherine's middle name Zeta came from her grandmother, who was named after a boat seen in Swansea harbour.



First taking the stage at the age of four in a local church drama group, Catherine soon developed a love of singing and dancing, a passion which would ultimately carry her to the heights of Hollywood success. Aged ten she starred in the Grand Theatre's production of 'Annie'.



Catherine's lucky break came in 1983, when she was spotted by Monkees star Mickey Dolenz and given the lead role in the London production of 'The Pyjama Game'. Once in London she moved on to the musical '42nd Street'. When the show finished in 1990 Catherine went to France to star in her first movie - 'Scheherazade'.



Everything would change for her in the UK just one year later, when she took one of the main roles in the TV adaptation of H. E Bates' 'The Darling Buds of May'. The show was a massive success, and Catherine went on to become a household name and a regular fixture in the pages of newspapers and magazines.



Although her crossover to cinema took some years, fame did follow a few years later in the USA. In 1996 her lead role in the US TV mini-series 'Titanic' led to a successful screen test for the role of Elena de la Vega in the feature film 'The Mask of Zorro'.



The film's commercial sucess led to her being seen as a 'bankable' star by Hollywood, and also saw her fateful first meeting with film star, producer and member of Hollywood 'Royalty' Michael Douglas. The following New Year's Eve the couple were engaged - Michael marked the occasion by buying an engagement ring for his finacee worth $2 million.

In August 2000 Catherine gave birth to their son Dylan, and in October that year the baby was brought to Swansea to visit his extended family.



Three months later saw the couple marry at the New York Plaza, with a wedding ring from west Wales. The star-studded guest list included Anthony Hopkins, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery and Michael Caine, with the lavish occasion estimated to have cost millions - some of which was covered by the fees for photographic rights to the ceremony paid by celebrity magazines.



Catherine's star continued to ascend with film success in the likes of 'Entrapment', 'High Fidelity', 'Traffic', 'Intolerable Cruelty' 'Ocean's Twelve', 'The Terminal', and her Oscar-winning turn in 'Chicago'. It's reported that she now commands a fee of several million dollars for each film role.



In 2002 Catherine was named the face of cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden, and that Autumn she announced she was pregnant for a second time. The couple's daughter Carys was born on April 22 2003.



In the Sunday Times 2002 'Top British Earners' Catherine was ranked as being the second largest 'movie earner', with an annual haul of some ?20 million.



In August 2005 Catherine and Michael paid another visit to Wales, catching up with relatives in Swansea prior to taking part in an all-star charity golf tournament at the Celtic Manor resort in Newport. Catherine was part of a European golfing team that also consisted of the likes of Chris Evans, Boris Becker and Ronan Keating. They were up against an American team in which husband Michael teed off alongside the likes of Rob Lowe and Haley Osment. Each competitor nominated a charity to benefit from their efforts, and the Douglases raised money for the Noah's Ark Appeal, created to raise money to build and equip the first Children's Hospital in Wales. Catherine is a patron of the appeal.



The Hollywood couple were back in Cardiff in June 2006 to officially open the first phase of the hospital. They unveiled a plaque and talked to patients on a tour of the wards.

Catherine said she was "very proud" but that fund-raising and campaigning would continue towards the next phase of the ?21m unit.
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