Although her mother reportedly thought she looked “like a frog when she was a baby, Catherine Zeta Jones grew up to become one of the most beautiful stars of the Silver Screen. From her childhood home in Swansea, where she performed in numerous Catholic church plays and choirs, to her “discovery” in Swansea by former Monkees member Mickey Dolenz at the age of 14, Jones seemed destined for fame and fortune at an early age.
By the age of 15, she had her union actors’ card, and had dropped out of school to work on the stage full time. Dolenz first hired her to be a member of a touring production of The Pyjama Game, which then led to a role as second understudy in another production. In a stroke of great luck for Jones, both the lead and backup were too sick to perform on the same night, and Jones took the stage in her first lead role at the age of 17. This very performance was seen by the show’s producer, who immediately gave her the job full-time.
Her other love, music, led to a number of failures, but her acting career took off like a rocket. After a number of jobs in minor films and TV miniseries, she achieved breakthrough success alongside fellow Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro. Her sultry and exotic look was easily adapted to a variety of nationalities, and her popularity and skills led to starring performances in a string of hit movies, including Chicago, The Haunting, Ocean’s Twelve, Traffic, America’s Sweethearts, Terminal, and The Legend of Zorro, a sequel to her first major film. She continues to be at the top of Hollywood success, and divides her time between her homes in Bermuda, Majorca, and Swansea.