From humble beginnings in Wales, to a true Hollywood romance, and revelations about
her mental health, Catherine Zeta-Jones has never let her experiences define her.
Though she married into a Hollywood family,
Catherine Zeta-Jones's upbringing took place far from the glitz and glamor of
Tinseltown. The actor was born in Swansea, Wales, into a working-class family headed
by a candy factory owner and a seamstress. In 2021, Zeta-Jones told "Homes & Gardens,"
According to an interview with The New Yorker, Zeta-Jones spent her earliest years idolizing
Elizabeth Taylor and dreaming of life as a performer. She began tap dancing at age five,
and that set the stage for her future in musicals. She said,
Little could she have known that she would join Richard Burton and Sir Anthony Hopkins
to become one of the biggest names ever to come from her home country.
Given that many of her early film roles were in action flicks like "The Mask of Zorro" and
"Entrapment," American audiences were, for a long time, privy to only a small sliver
of Catherine Zeta-Jones' talents. In addition to singing and dancing, Zeta-Jones also plays
the piano. She eventually got to show off the full array of what she could do, even earning
an Oscar for her performance in "Chicago." But that was far from Zeta-Jones' first experience
with musicals. She began singing and dancing at the tender age of nine. It was then that she got
her first taste of professional theater when she was cast in "Annie" in London's West End.
After "Annie," Zeta-Jones auditioned for and was cast in "Bugsy Malone,"
but she didn't have nannies or chaperones, which meant she was alone in London at age
13. But it was acting that she dreamed about, and once she moved to the screen,
Zeta-Jones assumed the musical part of her career was done. She said in a "Playbill" interview,
In addition to her Oscar-winning role in "Chicago," Zeta-Jones also drew upon
her skills in 2010, winning a Tony Award for her work in "A Little Night Music."
Because of her stage career in London, Catherine Zeta-Jones left
school before completing her studies. She had already appeared in multiple musicals,
and Wales simply could not provide what she wanted at the time, which was to get
her Equity card. It's an important step for a performer because acquiring an Equity card in
the United Kingdom is similar to joining SAG/AFTRA in the United States. She told the "New Yorker,"
Once she left school, she quickly found work in "The Pajama Game," where she was in the chorus.
This is the show that earned Zeta-Jones. her Equity card. She then went on to appear in
"42nd Street," where she was also in the chorus. She left the stage toward the end
of her teens to pursue work in film and TV. Her first screen role was in the french film,
"1001 Nights," but it was the television series "The Darling Buds of May" that turned her into a
major star in the United Kingdom. Zeta-Jones appeared on the program from 1991 to 1993.
"The Darling Buds of May" changed Catherine
Zeta-Jones' life in a big way, launching her nearly overnight.
"A party?! Oh, Pa, what a lovely idea!"
She told The New Yorker that, while she was grateful for the success,
she was unprepared for the attention that came with stardom, saying,
The overwhelming attention and the intensity of the British tabloids are why Zeta-Jones decided
to head to the United States. Zeta-Jones made her way to Los Angeles in 1997,
on a temporary work visa she received for a single scene in a Universal Studios Project.
Being in the US allowed her to start to audition there, and establish connections in Hollywood.
She began to hang out with other foreign actors, like Russell Crowe and Salma Hayek,
and quickly booked her breakout role, Elena in "The Mask of Zorro." She told Bustle,
The pressures to stay thin and fit are high in Hollywood, but that does not seem to be
what drives Catherine Zeta-Jones in her exercise routine. Instead,
she draws upon her natural athleticism and chooses to engage in activities that
make her happy. Zeta-Jones loves to ski, for instance, and she has been known to incorporate
her talents as a dancer into her workouts. Speaking with "Good Housekeeping," she said,
Beyond dancing, Zeta-Jones has a vast array of activities in her routine,
from typical activities like running on a treadmill to less conventional activities like
weighted hula hooping. She loves to play sports like tennis. And she works out in her home gym,
which has a ballet barre, a Peloton, and more. Finally, she likes water sports and has posted
numerous Instagram videos of her doing this like swimming and kayaking. She told the "Telegraph,"
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have been married for decades and, though they have faced
hurdles, remain deeply in love with one another. The pair first met when Zeta-Jones was promoting
"The Mask of Zorro" and Douglas was promoting "A Perfect Murder." Douglas reached out to meet,
but Zeta-Jones assumed it was a professional connection he was after. She told Bustle,
Zeta-Jones claims that Douglas said he "wanted to father" her kids that night, but they did not
officially start dating for a while. He sent her flowers, and they talked on the phone for about a
year before taking the next step. They married in 2000 and briefly split in 2013, but reconciled and
have weathered everything from Douglas' cancer to a #MeToo allegation. Despite Zeta-Jones and
Douglas' 25-year age gap, the pair have proven that true love can persevere, even in Hollywood.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Catherine Zeta-Jones is worth $150 million, while her
husband Michael Douglas is worth $350 million. Unsurprisingly, the duo lives a rather extravagant
lifestyle that puts much of that wealth on display. They have many homes, including a lavish
Central Park West apartment, which has a library that Zeta-Jones has called her favorite room.
The couple also has a mansion in Westchester County, north of New York City, as well as
houses in Swansea, Wales, and Mallorca, Spain. Their 10-bedroom Spanish home is
11,000 square feet and has everything from a home theater to a personal vineyard.
It's not just real estate that Zeta-Jones and Douglas spend their money on,
either. Take her engagement ring, which has a vintage diamond "inspired by the
lips of King Louis XV of France's lover, "Madame de Pompadour" and is worth around
$442,000. Zeta-Jones also spends a lot on fashion, as she has showcased on
Instagram in a tour of her massive walk-in closet, itself bigger than many apartments.
Whether you agree with her or not,
Catherine Zeta-Jones thinks her beauty caused a lot of typecasting early in her career.
"Fast hands. I like that in a man."
Her concerns are more about the perception of her being amongst the "most beautiful" rather
than her own belief that she actually is. Zeta-Jones has expressed frustration with
the attention that has been afforded to her looks. She told the "Sydney Morning Herald,"
Even if she doesn't consider her looks exceptional, Hollywood did,
and Zeta-Jones' early years were spent in films that centered on her attractiveness and
sex appeal. Movies like "Entrapment," "America's Sweethearts," and "Intolerable Cruelty" focused
more on her looks than anything else, and that was not lost on Zeta-Jones. She said,
Like so many others, Catherine Zeta-Jones has established herself as a lifestyle guru
and businesswoman. And while she is not quite at the Kate Hudson or Gwyneth Paltrow level,
Zeta-Jones has built a decent following for her Casa Zeta-Jones lifestyle brand. The company sells
everything from activewear to footwear to coffee. In a "Sydney Morning Herald" article, she said,
In a People article, Zeta-Jones discussed working on her beauty line,
where she detailed her involvement in all parts of the process including idea generation,
formula creation, testing, and packaging.
Makeup and home décor are two big parts of the Casa Zeta-Jones brand. The actor sells
her home products — including bedding, décor, and holiday items — on QVC.com, and her makeup
and beauty products on Wunderbrow.com. In an interview with "New Beauty," she revealed,
For a celebrity couple of their stature, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas keep a relatively
low profile. This is because privacy is important for Zeta-Jones, who craves the
comforts of home and the companionship of family above all else. In an interview with New Beauty,
she distinguishes between "Catherine Zeta-Jones" and "Cath," her everyday self. She said,
Protecting her children from the lens of the paparazzi and the judgmental eyes of
the public was so important to Zeta-Jones and Douglas that they even moved out of the
country during their kids' formative years. Speaking with "The New Yorker," she said,
The family chose Bermuda as their new residence,
partly because Douglas's mother was from there. They lived there full-time for 12
years. According to an article in The Sydney Morning Herald, Zeta-Jones and Douglas moved
so their kids could have a "normal childhood," which included always having one parent at home.
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas have two children, son Dylan Michael Douglas and
daughter Carys Zeta Douglas, who is 19. Michael also has an older son, Cameron,
from a previous marriage. Though both of them have expressed an interest in joining
the family business, Zeta-Jones and Douglas made it a point to shield their kids from the
limelight as they were growing up. Zeta-Jones said to "The Sydney Morning Herald in 2021,
Despite their un-Hollywood upbringing in Bermuda, both Dylan and Carys have made it
clear they want to act in the future. In a 2018 interview with The Mirror, Zeta-Jones explained
that her kids valued the craft of acting, not the pursuit of celebrity. She admitted,
Self-care is key to looking and feeling one's best, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is
no stranger to the concept. She treats her body as a temple, which includes drinking
a lot of water, abstaining from alcohol, and eating healthily. Beyond those basics,
the actor is also a big believer in yoga and meditation, and she sees these things
as just as valuable as taking care of her outer appearance. She told New Beauty,
She lists long walks and decluttering as other exercises that help her feel clear-headed.
The spa is also central to Zeta-Jones's overall approach to health and beauty. Her favorite spa
is in Montecatini, Italy, and it has natural hot cave saunas, amongst other features. COVID-19
was especially hard for the spa fanatic, who had to stay away from her beloved massages,
reflexology, and facial peels. In March of 2021 to "New Beauty," she admitted,
There are not a ton of big celebrities who hail from Wales,
but the ones that do are stellar. In addition to Catherine Zeta-Jones,
other famous Welsh actors include Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Rhys,
Iwan Rheon, and Michael Sheen. It's such a small circle that Hopkins even directed
Zeta-Jones in a play when she was a kid before they appeared together in "The Mask of Zorro."
Sheen is another standout actor that Zeta-Jones had long wanted to work with,
but she only got the chance in 2021. She told "The Playlist,"
It's the reason that Zeta-Jones accepted a role in "Prodigal Son," where she played Dr.
Vivian Capshaw opposite Sheen's serial killer character, Dr. Martin Whitley.
Zeta-Jones still has plenty of people on her list of dream collaborations. She told
Variety that she longs to work with people like Meryl Streep and Dame Helen Mirren, saying,
While it has become more common for celebrities to discuss their mental health in public in
recent years, there still exists plenty of stigma surrounding certain disorders.
For Catherine Zeta-Jones, being open about her bipolar disorder was never a choice,
as she was all but forced to make a statement after being spotted in a treatment center.
"Because I never wanted to be the poster child
for this. And I never wanted this to come out publicly."
Michael Douglas said to Oprah,
After the news broke in 2011, Zeta-Jones graced the cover of "People" magazine, where she said,
through a statement, that she sought to decrease the stigma and shame surrounding the disorder. In
the years since, many high-profile celebrities — including Mariah Carey and Demi Lovato — have
disclosed their own bipolar diagnoses. Though she went back to an in-patient treatment
center in 2013, Zeta-Jones has said that her diagnosis was a turning point in her life.
She admitted to "Good Housekeeping" in 2016,