By John Stoddart
Catherine Zeta-Jones is an Academy Award-winning Welsh actress who began her career on stage at an early age.

She made her name in a straight acting role, as Mariette in the successful television adaptation of H. E. Bates' The Darling Buds of May (1991-93),

After starring in a number of television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in films such as The Phantom, The Mask of Zorro, and Entrapment in the late 1990s. Playing Elena Montero in The Mask of Zorro was her first leading role.

She is married to Michael Douglas, with whom she starred in the 2000 film Traffic. They have two children.

She won both a Bafta and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Velma Kelly in Chicago.