Though Cameron Diaz may be the epitome of bubbly, energetic starlets, she has proven herself to be a commendable dramatic actress as well as a brilliant comic performer. Her tremendous exuberance, stunning beauty, and natural abilities have made her one of the biggest box office draws of today, not to mention one of Hollywood’s most entertaining actresses.
Diaz was born in San Diego on August 30, 1972. Her father, a second-generation Cuban-American, worked as an oil foreman while her mother was an exporting agent. Her lucrative modeling career began when she was 16 after she signed with Elite Model Management, and after high school she traveled the world with various print and runway campaigns, including a 1990 cover of Seventeen Magazine. Diaz had aspirations to be an actress, but had literally zero experience as a thespian. Nonetheless, she landed the lead role alongside a red-hot Jim Carrey in 1994’s “The Mask”, which made her an overnight star. The zany comedy was a terrific platform for Diaz’s talents – filled with action, adventure, and screwball comedy, Diaz had the opportunity to prove herself as a leading romantic lady and a capable comedian. Not only did she look truly gorgeous in the film, she surprisingly matched Carrey’s every move, oozing confidence and charm in the process.
The next few years saw Diaz impress in several indie films, including turns with Keanu Reeves in “Feeling Minnesota”, Harvey Keitel in “Head Above Water”, and with Ewan McGregor and Holly Hunter in Danny Boyle’s quirky romance “A Life Less Ordinary”. After a meaty supporting role in the Julia Roberts rom-com “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, Diaz attained superstardom (as did Ben Stiller) with 1998’s “There’s Something About Mary”. Embracing her boyish side without sacrificing her incredible beauty, her part in the smash hit film was truly pitch-perfect casting, and with it she earned her first of four Golden Globe nominations.
Her career has skyrocketed since “Mary”, with critically lauded, against-type performances in films like “Being John Malkovich” and impressive leading roles in Oliver Stone’s football drama “Any Given Sunday” alongside Jamie Foxx and Al Pacino, “Vanilla Sky” with Tom Cruise, and Martin Scorsese’s harrowing “Gangs of New York” alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis. She has also been an important element in two major franchises – as one of the three “Charlie’s Angels” (Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore being the others), and as Princess Fiona in the enormously popular “Shrek” series. Most recently she has starred in “The Holiday” with Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law. Her personal life has always been the subject of considerable gossip-column speculation, but Diaz is no wild-child – she has settled down with her pop star boyfriend Justin Timberlake, who will voice a character in next year’s “Shrek the Third”.