Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Catherine Zeta-Jones
There are many interesting things to know about actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.
It was just a few days ago when Catherine Zeta-Jones, 52, appeared to be in high spirits while taking to Instagram to celebrate Thanksgiving with her husband Michael Douglas, 77, and family.
The Mask Of Zorro star wrote in her caption: ‘Happy Thanksgiving to all. So much to be thankful for [praying emoji].
View this post on Instagram
Popular Hollywood star who seems to be staying away from films at the moment but is super active on social media.
Let’s take a look at some facts about her:
Jonesing for Catherine
Catherine Zeta-Jones was actually born with a slightly different name; Catherine Zeta-Jones. Seems similar right? Well, most people think that Zeta-Jones is her last name, but Zeta was actually her second name! She added the hyphen later on in life. Catherine was born in Swansea, in Wales, through from her accent, you would never know it. There are so many interesting things about this actress; for example, did you know that she is one of a few celebrity bingo winners? Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting things about Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Younger Days
Catherine had a passion for the stage from an early age. When she was just a little girl, she joined her church’s amateur theatre group and soon proved herself a very capable actress by securing the titular role of Annie in the troupe’s production. At thirteen, she proved that she was a double threat when she won first prize in a big national tap-dancing contest. A few years later, at 15, she left school and decided to move to London to pursue a career in acting. While her acting skills were never in question, she did have to pay her dues for two years. At seventeen, she won her first onstage role in a West End revival of 42nd Street, the musical when the lead and the understudy were both unable to take the stage.
One performance was all it took for the producer to decide that she was the one for the role; he made her the star for the remainder of the play’s run. Though Catherine’s work on stage was nothing to sneeze at, it would still be some time before she would go on to get a prominent role in a TV series. When Catherine finally landed her first TV role, it was as Mariette Larkin in the 1990s British series The Darling Buds of May.
Being so beautiful and becoming so popular so quickly as the show became a big hit meant that Catherine would become something of a target for the paparazzi and the media in England. There was even one particularly concerning incident when Catherine swerved to avoid paparazzi and ended up driving her car into a lamppost. Immediately after this incident, Catherine decided she would take her chances in the US.
Image by Cottonbro via Pexels
Life in the USA
While she knew that her move would eventually pay off, life in LA wasn’t easy for Catherine from the start. Unable to break into Hollywood films immediately, she started out on made-for-TV films instead. Gaining a role in the 1996 Titanic miniseries would prove to be what catapulted her into the spotlight. Director Steven Spielberg noticed her and would go on to cast her in the then still upcoming Mask of Zorro, opposite Antonio Banderas.
After this breakthrough moment, Catherine’s star was on the rise. She went on to star in Entrapment with the one and only Sean Connery in 1999 and played the wife of a drug dealer in the hit film Traffic the following year. In the year 2000, Catherine would star in the rom-com High Fidelity, and something else amazing would also happen for her: she would marry actor Michael Douglas.
Image by Gerhard Lipold via Pexels
2002 would see Catherine win one of her most significant roles ever, and a role that would make use of her skills as an actress, singer, and dancer all at once. Catherine’s portrayal of Velma Kelly was one of the best versions of the musical Chicago ever to have been released and would win her an Oscar. Catherine’s career in films would go on to be a long and illustrious one, littered with many comedies, some more stage musicals, and starring opposite many excellent actors and actresses.
However, she would slow her acting commitments down considerably in the latter half of the 2000s. The Legend of Zorro and No Reservations kept her busy, and the following decade she went on to play the role of an uptight politician’s wife in the movie musical Rock of Ages, once again showcasing her many talents.
After a few film roles in 2013, Catherine returned to television, winning a role in the Anthology TV series Feud as well as the role of a drug trafficker in the made-for-TV movie Cocaine Godmother. 2009 saw Catherine return to the stage in her Broadway debut in a revival of A Little Night Music, which won her a Tony the following year.
Image by Martin Lopez via Pexels
Wrap Up
Though we haven’t heard much from Catherine Zeta-Jones in the last few years, her illustrious career really speaks for itself. She is a first-class actress and a fascinating lady!
