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| Catherine Zeta-Jones |
Date of Birth
25 September 1969, Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Birth Name
Catherine Jones
Nickname
Cathy
Cath
Height
5' 6�" (1.69 m)
Mini Biography
Catherine Zeta-Jones was born on 25 September 1969, in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales, UK, the daughter of Dai Jones, who formerly worked for a candy factory, and Pat Jones. Her brother David Jones (b. 1967) is a development executive and brother Lyndon Jones (b.1972) works at her production company. Catherine showed an interest early on in entertainment. She starred on stage in "Annie", "Bugsy Malone" and "The Pajama Game". At 15 she had the lead in the British revival of "42nd Street". She was originally cast as the second understudy for the lead role in the musical but when the star and first understudy became sick the night the play's producer was in the audience, she was given the lead for the rest of the musical's production. She first made a name for herself in the early 1990s when she starred in the Yorkshire Television comedy/drama series "The Darling Buds of May" (1991). The show was a smash hit and made her one of the United Kingdom's most popular television actresses. She subsequently played supporting roles in several films including Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992), the miniseries Catherine the Great (2000) (TV) and a larger part as the seductive Sala in The Phantom (1996) before landing her breakthrough role playing the fiery Elena opposite Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas in The Mask of Zorro (1998). She starred in many big-budget blockbusters like Entrapment (1999), The Haunting (1999) and Traffic (2000), for which many believed she was robbed of an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. In November 2000 she married actor Michael Douglas. She gave birth to their son Dylan Michael in August 2000.
Catherine Zeta-Jones is heading back to work this week after seeking inpatient treatment for bipolar II disorder.
On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Oscar-winner said that "After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder. She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films."
Zeta-Jones' husband, actor Michael Douglas, battled stage four throat cancer last year and announced in January that he is cancer free after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. The couple has a 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter.
A friend told People magazine that the actress' stay in the undisclosed treatment facility lasted about five days.
"Catherine has had to deal with Michael's illness, and that's been hard," the friend added. "She went in for a few days because she's about to start working, and wanted to make sure she's in top form, which she is."
Bipolar II disorder is characterized by mood swings and depressive episodes, which can be triggered by stress or major life changes, and is commonly treated with medication and psychotherapy.
