ACTOR
Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Known for
- The Matrix (1999), The Haunting (1999), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), America's Sweethearts (2001)
21 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Catherine Zeta-Jones is an actor best known for The Matrix, The Haunting and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
Catherine Zeta-Jones over the years
21 Interesting Facts About Catherine Zeta-Jones
Interesting Facts (7)
- #001
Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas began legal proceedings against the stalker Dawnette Knight, who was accused of sending violent letters containing graphic threats against Zeta-Jones's life. Giving evidence, Zeta-Jones said the threats had shaken her so badly that she feared she would have a nervous breakdown. Knight claimed she was in love with Douglas and pleaded guilty to offences committed between October 2003 and May 2004. She was sentenced to three years in prison.
- #002
Her wedding ring features a Celtic motif and was bought in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth.
- #003
Her production company is Milkwood Films, named after the play "Under Milkwood" by the Welsh writer Dylan Thomas. She and Thomas are from the same Welsh town, Swansea.
- #004
Before Jones was cast in the role at the age of 22, hundreds of actresses were interviewed for the part of Mariette in The Darling Buds of May (1991). Until then most of her career had been in musical theatre, but playing Mariette was her big break. Jones was inexperienced in television and was initially very nervous; David Jason advised her to keep her eyes still while delivering dialogue in close-up, something he had once done himself.
- #005
Largely as a result of joining the amateur show group of her local Catholic community, Catherine Zeta-Jones began singing and dancing at the age of four. She began acting at 11 by playing the title role in a production of "Annie," and at 13 she appeared in the West End production of the musical "Bugsy Malone."
- #006
She turned down the role of Claudia Nardi in the musical Nine (2009) after Rob Marshall refused to expand the part for her. Nicole Kidman was later cast in her place.
- #007
On October 21, 2004, Spice House, "Reno's Friendliest Topless Cabaret," sued her over the unauthorized use of her photograph on its website.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #008
In 2011, Catherine Zeta-Jones invited David Jason, her former co-star from The Darling Buds of May (1991), to a rented house in Richmond for Sunday lunch with her and her husband Michael Douglas.
- #009
Catherine Zeta-Jones was originally set to star in Beyond Borders (2003), but she withdrew due to pregnancy and was replaced by Angelina Jolie.
Career & Awards (2)
- #010
Catherine Zeta-Jones is one of six actresses who were pregnant when they won an Oscar; the others are Eva Marie Saint, Patricia Neal, Meryl Streep, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. Neal is the only one who did not accept her award in person because of her pregnancy. Zeta-Jones was eight months pregnant with her daughter Carys when she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Chicago (2002).
- #011
Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas were awarded £14,000 in damages plus 75% of costs (estimated at £4 million), and OK magazine paid Hello magazine £1 million in damages for publishing their wedding photographs.
Life & Family (10)
- #012
As a child she contracted a virus that made it difficult for her to breathe. It ultimately required a tracheotomy, which left a scar on her neck.
- #013
In 2010 her husband Douglas was diagnosed with tongue cancer, and Zeta-Jones faced an emotionally turbulent period. This trigger led her to suffer from depression, and despite her initial reluctance she spoke publicly about suffering from bipolar II disorder. She sought treatment in hospital in 2011 and again in 2013. Because of the stress caused by both illnesses, the couple decided to live apart in 2013 without starting any legal proceedings toward separation or divorce. They reconciled in 2014, when Douglas stated that they were "stronger than ever".
- #014
Her birth name is Catherine Jones, but she took her paternal grandmother's name because there were so many Catherine Joneses, particularly in her school class.
- #015
Her character in Traffic (2000) was changed to a pregnant woman because Zeta-Jones was pregnant with her son Dylan at the time.
- #016
She likes listening to soul music and is a big fan of Gladys Knight. She also likes Elvis Presley and Van Morrison. For 15 years, every Sunday morning her father woke her by singing Elvis Presley's "American Trilogy" or Van Morrison's "Moondance".
- #017
Speaking at an awards ceremony about her role as Velma Kelly in Chicago (2002), Catherine Zeta-Jones said that although it was just as exciting, it was almost as painful as giving birth to her son.
- #018
In the 1980s, Catherine Zeta-Jones's family won £100,000 on a bingo game and moved to St. Andrews Drive in Mayals, above Swansea.
- #019
Four months after giving birth to her son Dylan, Catherine Zeta-Jones returned to work to begin filming America's Sweethearts (2001).
- #020
On November 18, 2000, Catherine Zeta-Jones married her fiancé of 10 months, Michael Douglas, at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan, New York City, New York. They met at the Deauville Film Festival in France in August 1998 after being introduced by Danny DeVito, and they married two years after Douglas's divorce was finalized.
- #021
She played the beautiful Thracian prophet and Spartacus's woman, Palene, in Jeff Wayne's 1992 musical version of "Spartacus." In Stanley Kubrick's film Spartacus (1960), the title role was played by her future father-in-law, Kirk Douglas.
Related pages
- Liam Neeson — Catherine Zeta-Jones comes up in the facts on that page
- Eva Marie Saint — Catherine Zeta-Jones comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
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