Images Celebrity Ideas: Catherine Zeta-Jones

Monday, 31 October 2011

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones grew up in Swansea, Wales, under the guidance of her seamstress mother, Patricia, and her confectionery-business owner, Dai. Her interest in performing became evident early on as she enrolled in dance classes before her fifth birthday, later joined a troupe at the Hazel Johnson School of Dance and subsequently caught the acting bug through church theater groups. Just when she was ready for a breakthrough, Zeta-Jones suffered a temporary setback when an infection forced her to stay at home and affected her breathing to the point where a tracheotomy was needed.

After overcoming the infection, Zeta-Jones renewed her interest in performing with added vigor -- especially when her parents moved her to a wealthier area of Swansea after winning the lottery. Already comfortable performing for friends and family, Zeta-Jones began auditioning for stage productions and landed her first lead role as the title character in a stage production of Annie. After that, she starred in Bugsy Malone (1983) and The Pajama Game (1986), after which she was invited to tour England as part of the deal. The young actress experienced a career milestone in 1987, when she replaced two illness-stricken actresses to play the lead role of Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street.