Cameron Diaz
ALL ABOUT CAMERON DIAZ
Full Name: Cameron Michelle Diaz
Date of Birth: August 30, 1972
Place of Birth: San Diego, California, USA
Education: Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California
Relationship: Justin Timberlake (musician; born January 31, 1981; dated since 2003; split January 11, 2007), Jared Leto (actor; born December 26, 1971; 1999-2003), Matt Dillon (actor; born February 18, 1964; 1996-1998), Carlos De La Torre (producer; 1990-1995)
Family: Father- Emilio Diaz (oil foreman), Mother - Billie Early (exporting agent), Sister - Chimene Diaz (older)
Bio:
While her teen contemporaries were struggling with mundane things like school and dating, Southern California native Cameron Diaz was employed by the Elite Modeling agency appearing on magazine covers and in campaigns for clients like Calvin Klein and Levi’s. And just like many women in the modeling industry, she harbored dreams of an acting career. Diaz, of Cuban and Native American descent, burst onto the big screen as the torch-singing moll in 1994’s Jim Carrey blockbuster “The Mask”. Perhaps ironically, she had set her sights lower, auditioning for the supporting part of a reporter (played in the film by Amy Yasbeck), but after some dozen callbacks, she was hired. In spite of, or perhaps because of, her lack of formal training, the now blonde Diaz managed to hold her own against the often over-the-top antics of co-star Carrey. Roger Ebert writing in his review in the Chicago Sun-Times (July 29, 1994) called her “a true discovery in the film, a genuine sex bomb with a gorgeous face, a wonderful smile, and a gift of comic timing,” and correctly predicted that while it was her first film role, it would surely not be her last.
Riding the buzz on her performance in “The Mask”, Diaz was courted by virtually every producer scrambling to cast “this year’s blonde”. In a series of shrewd moves, she opted to take roles in low-budget films which stretched her acting abilities. Diaz joined a cast of other rising players (including Courtney B. Vance, Ron Eldard and Annabeth Gish) as liberal college students who invite right-wingers to “The Last Supper” (1995) before tackling the role of a confused bride-to-be who finds herself attracted to her brother-in-law in “Feeling Minnesota” (1996). Willing to portray less than likable women, she deftly essayed a former hooker now a Wall Street shark in Edward Burns’ comedy “She’s the One” (also 1996). Although she stumbled as a spoiled rich girl who conspires with her kidnapper in Danny Boyle’s uneven “A Life Less Ordinary” (1997), that same year found her playing Dermot Mulroney’s fiancée who encounters a rival in Julia Roberts in the fluffy but enjoyable “My Best Friend’s Wedding”. While most of the attention originally focused on Roberts’ return to lighter fare, the spotlight shifted to Diaz’s scene-stealing turn as the seemingly ditsy bride-to-be.
Having proven her comedic abilities as a supporting player, Diaz graduated to star in one of 1998’s highest grossing (in both senses of the word) feature, the Farrelly brothers’ “There’s Something About Mary”. As Ben Stiller’s dream girl, she is eternally optimistic and a paragon of beauty. Yet she is also a fine comedic performer, especially in bizarre or outrageous situations (like the now famous “hair gel” scene), in part, as Charles Taylor pointed out in the July 18, 1998 issue of Salon, because of “the crazed gleam that sneaks into her eyes, her big toothy smile and the manic trill you can sometimes hear in her voice.” In a surprise move, the
New York Film Critics voted her their Best Actress award.
Although virtually wasted in a cameo as a TV reporter in Terry Gilliam’s attempt to capture the oddball universe of Hunter S. Thompson in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, Diaz delved into the dark side, downplaying her usually bubbly screen persona to play yet another bride-to-be in Peter Berg’s black comedy “Very Bad Things” (both 1998). Here, she essayed a manipulative, cunning almost psychopathic woman determined at all costs to march down the aisle. (The writer-director envisioned the character as “a young Martha Stewart with a bad case of rabies.”) Alternately seductive and bullying to her intended (Jon Favreau), she crafted a comic creation that bordered on the grotesque, yet through her skills managed to make her understandable.
In 1999’s inventive, if not wholly satisfying “Being John Malkovich”, Diaz adopted a dowdy look and mane of frizzy brown hair as Lotte Schwartz, the pet store employee wife of a puppeteer (John Cusack). When her husband discovers a mysterious portal that allows anyone to spend 15 minutes inside the mind and body of the titular actor, she has an epiphany, experiencing a connection to her husband’s brittle co-worker (Catherine Keener) that transcends sex and spins off into a complicated and surprising adventure. Once again, Diaz built a funny persona out of seemingly contradictory parts and proved her versatility.
Adopting a more serious pose, she rounded out the millennium as the ambitious new owner of a struggling football franchise in Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday”, proving with this hard-line role that her talents had more facets yet to be tapped. She continued to stretch, successfully undertaking challenging roles in the female ensemble of “Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her” (screened at Sundance in 2000; aired on Showtime in 2001) and in the drama “Invisible Circus” (2000). Teaming with Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as “Charlie’s Angels” (also 2000) in the unqualified hit offered her an opportunity to show her lighter side with a disarming turn, as well as convincingly kick butt as a pseudo action hero. And she won a legion of youthful admirers with his turn as Princess Fiona in the charming CGI tale “Shrek” (2001) and its sequel “Shrek 2″ (2004).
A supporting role in “Vanilla Sky” (2001) as the woman whose desire for more than a casual physical relationship with Tom Cruise’s playboy drives her to distraction earned Diaz even more critical respect. Likened to Carole Lombard by director Martin Scorsese, Diaz showed something of the uncompromising spirit and sexiness that Lombard had been, and that she herself was increasingly becoming, known for. Later that year the actress played a desirable woman who falls in love with a man she can’t win over in the romantic comedy “The Sweetest Thing.” Although the light-as-a-feather film was not entirely satisfying, certain scenes nearly bubbled over with Diaz’s inherently loopy charm, infectious grin and freewheeling approach. It also further solidified her on-screen status as the girl-next-door who doesn’t mind the occasional raunchy joke.
Diaz shifted gears entirely for the next release, Scorsese’s long-awaited drama “Gangs of New York” (2002), in which she played the comely street pickpocket Jenny Everdeane, the love interest of Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film was certainly admirable—and singled out for many accolades—but also frequently missed the mark; Diaz’s performance was one of the film’s more satisfying elements, however. The following year, Diaz returned to form as the ass-kicking girl-next-door when she returned for the blockbuster comedy hit sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (2003). The sequel reunited Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu—now famously linked as best friends, sort of a mod chick Rat Pack—as the indomitable crime-fighting heroines.
In between film roles, the actress (who made news for her romance with the younger pop star Justin Timberlake) starred in “Trippin’” (2005), a 10-episode travel series for MTV in which the actress and fellow celebrities visited exotic locales and enjoyed unusual activities, riding elephants in Nepal, sand-boarding in Chile and testing the hot springs in Yellowstone. Diaz returned center stage in director Curtis Hanson’s dramedy “In Her Shoes” (2005), which cast the actress and co-star Toni Collette as tight-knit but polar opposite sisters—Diaz played the reckless, sexy party girl, Collette the responsible attorney with low self-esteem—who have a calamitous falling out and must slowly come to learn that they share more than the same size feet. In “The Holiday” (2006), Diaz was a disgruntled woman living in Los Angeles who realizes that the man she has been living with is having an affair. She meets an
English woman (Kate Winslet) in love with a man in love with another woman online and the two impulsively decide to switch houses for the Christmas holiday, only to find the one thing neither of them want: romance. Meanwhile, Diaz voiced Princess Fiona for a third go-round in “Shrek the Third” (2007).
Trivia:
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the “100 Sexiest Stars” in film history (#13). [1995]
Chosen by People Magazine as one of the “50 Most Beautiful” people in the world. [1998]
Has a reputation for being late.
Was set to play Sonya Blade in Mortal Kombat (1995) but broke her wrist prior to filming and was replaced by Bridgette Wilson.
Got alcohol poisoning in Australia at age 18.
Very superstitious.
Father, Emilio Diaz, had a small role in There’s Something About Mary (1998) as a ‘Jailbird’.
Graduated High School from Long Beach Poly Class of 1990 in Long Beach, California.
Was a member of the Polyettes at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, which was the school’s dance team that performed during half-time at football games.
Police caught an airline security guard at Los Angeles International Airport stealing items from Diaz. Diaz reported her passport and a large sum of cash missing. [December 1999]
Engaged to actor Jared Leto. [November 2000]
Auditioned for the film Waking the Dead (2000) but lost the role to Jennifer Connelly.
Cameron’s parents allowed the then-16-year old to spend five years traveling the world to pursue her modeling career beginning in Japan, where she was accompanied only by a 15-year-old fellow model.
Was discovered by a photographer at a Hollywood party who, within a week, helped her land a contract with the Elite Modeling Agency.
Lived with video producer Carlos De La Torre for five years.
Her father is Cuban. Her mother has Cherokee ancestry.
Will ONLY wash her face in Evian spring water!
Became only the second actress to join the coveted $20 Million Club (after Julia Roberts), when she signed for that amount to do Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003) in January 2002.
Named by People Magazine as one of the the “50 Most Beautiful People” in the world. [2002]
Quotes:
“When you’re the star of the film, the crew looks to you to set the tone of everyday work. So when you come into work, whatever it is that you’re giving off, that is what the tone is going to be for the working conditions.”
“I didn’t realize The Mask was a fairly large film that I was a part of. Halfway through I was going, ‘Is there any place that my mom and dad can see this film?’ and they’re going, ‘Cameron, at the theatres.’ I had no idea. Durrrrrrr. I’m blonde. I’m allowed.”
“Your regrets aren’t what you did, but what you didn’t do. So I take every opportunity.”
“I grew up with a lot of boys. I probably have a lot of testosterone for a woman.”
“Growing up, I was the plain one. I had no style. I was the tough kid with the comb in the back pocket and the feathered hair.”
“I would kiss a frog even if there were no promise of a Prince Charming popping out of it. I love frogs. I’d lick him.”
“I can’t say this enough, I’m totally comfortable with my body. I like my body, I don’t think it’s a bad thing, I think I have a nice body, I’m happy with it.”
“After a hard days work, it’s nice to go back to the trailer and see him [her cat] sitting there waiting for me.”
“French fries. I love them. Some people are chocolate and sweets people. I love French fries. That and caviar.”
“I can spend hours in a grocery store. I get so excited when I see food, I go crazy. I spend hours arranging my baskets so that everything fits in and nothing gets squashed. I’m really anal about it, actually.”
“I’m a salty, greasy girl. I give every french fry a fair chance. Could you just lay some lard in my belly?”
“A perfect evening? Being around people who make me laugh, eating good food and I guess that’s pretty much it. Or doing something I’ve never done before. If someone’s around me who can suggest something I’ve never done before, then let’s do it. Pretty boring, huh?”
“It’s very easy once you play a sex symbol to go along and play every role that way. But I decided if I was going to be in this for the long haul and really get something out of acting, what I wanted out of it, I was going to have to make the decision of waiting to get a part that could show people I can do other things, see me in a different light. It was a definite conscious decision.”
“I write constantly, but only in my journals. I have three of them: one for travel, one for home, and one I write in before bed. But the last thing I want is other people reading it….. What’s really fun is reading your journal, like a year later, or even a month, and realizing how much you’ve changed. You’re looking at something you said, something you really meant at the time, and you’re like, ‘I can’t believe I ever really believed that! I am such an asshole!’ I think that’s the greatest thing about growing up..”
“Acting allows me to tell a lot of stories, you know start at the beginning, finish at the end, and tell everything in between. Modelling is just an image.”
“I didn’t realize it [The Mask] was a fairly large film that I was a part of. Halfway through I was going, ‘Is there any place that my mom and dad can see this film?’ and they’re going, ‘Cameron, at the theatres.’ I had no idea. Durrrrrrr. I’m blonde. I’m allowed.”
“One thing I realized from Julia [Roberts, "My Best Friend's Wedding" co-star] - which I knew before, but was made very clear - is that when you’re the star of the film, the crew looks to you to set the tone of everyday work. So when you come into work, whatever it is that you’re giving off, that is what the tone is going to be for the working conditions.”
Filmography:
Cameron Diaz Filmography as an actress:
2008 My Sister’s Keeper
2008 What Happens In Vegas
2008 The Box
2007 Who Is Norman Lloyd?
2007 Shrek the Halls
2007 Shrek the Third
2006 The Holiday
2005 In Her Shoes
2005 Trippin’ [TV Series]
2004 Shrek 3-D
2004 Shrek 2
2003 Power Shift: Energy + Sustainability
2003 Power Shift: Energy + Sustainability
2003 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
2002 Slackers
2002 The Sweetest Thing
2002 Saturday Night Live: Cameron Diaz [2]
2002 Gangs of New York
2001 Hollywood Raw! Wild in the Streets
2001 Shrek
2001 The Invisible Circus
2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes
2001 Vanilla Sky
2000 Saturday Night Live: The Best of the Clinton Scandal
2000 Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her
2000 Charlie’s Angels
1999 Being John Malkovich
1999 Tony Bennett: Live By Request
1999 Any Given Sunday
1999 Hollywood: Wild in the Streets
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
1998 There’s Something About Mary
1998 Saturday Night Live: Cameron Diaz [1]
1998 Very Bad Things
1997 My Best Friend’s Wedding
1997 A Life Less Ordinary
1996 She’s the One
1996 Feeling Minnesota
1996 Head Above Water
1995 The Last Supper
1995 Keys to Tulsa
1994 The Mask
Cameron Diaz Awards:
American Film Institute
2001 Best Supporting Actress Vanilla Sky
British Academy Awards
1999 Best Supporting Actress Being John Malkovich
Broadcast Film Critics Association
2001 Best Supporting Actress Vanilla Sky
Chicago Film Critics Association
2001 Best Supporting Actress Vanilla Sky
Golden Globe
2002 Best Supporting Actress Gangs of New York
2001 Best Supporting Actress Vanilla Sky
1999 Best Supporting Actress (Motion Picture) Being John Malkovich
New York Film Critics Circle
1998 Best Actress There’s Something About Mary
Screen Actors Guild
2001 Best Supporting Actress Vanilla Sky
1999 Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role Being John Malkovich
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