CATHERINE ZETA-JONES MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures

AS A young girl in Swansea, Wales, Catherine Zeta-Jones “never, never, never saw myself as a movie star. I always wanted to be a theater actress.”

- Catherine Zeta-Jones

And, through her days as a chorus girl in the London productions of Annie, Bugsy Malone and 42nd Street, it remained her focus. “I never really thought about movies until I hung up my tap shoes and went, ‘OK, I can’t be a hoofer for the rest of my life. What am I going to do now?’” What she did was become a British TV sensation, an Oscar and Tony winner, wife of Hollywood icon Michael Douglas and a multitalented individual in her own right. Yet she’d admit, “Somewhere along [the way], I got frightened. I started to question myself as an actor, my choices. As I matured as a woman, as a mother, as a wife, I’m not scared anymore.” Now, Catherine, who turns 55 on Sept. 25, finds continued strength in her chosen profession. “That’s what I love, and the rest of my life is a joy because I’ve got two beautiful kids and a healthy, happy husband. It’s all good, and I’m not going to be humble for that.”

1 1991 A BUDDING CAREER "It screened on a Sunday night at 8 o'clock, and by Monday morning my life changed," she'd say of finding sudden fame with the U.K.series The Darling Buds of May. "For me, it was wowza. [But] be careful what you wish for. I craved a break like that. And when it came, [the attention] was really terrifying."

2 1998 ON THE MARK If The Mask of Zorro "holds a special place" in Catherine's heart, it's not only because it was her breakout film. "If my daughter says, 'What was your favorite year?' I always say 28. [With the success of Zorro], I was my own woman. I was independent. I was fearless in new adventures. [And] Michael Douglas wanted to meet me, for God's sake!"