Cameron Diaz Biography

NAME: Cameron Diaz

OCCUPATION: Actress

BIRTH DATE: August 30, 1972 (Age: 39)

PLACE OF BIRTH: San Diego, California

ZODIAC SIGN: Virgo

Actress. Born August 30, 1972, in San Diego, California. The daughter of Emilio Diaz, a second-generation Cuban-American oil company foreman, and his wife Billie, who is of Native American, Italian, and German descent, Diaz began modeling when she was 16 years old. Her successful modeling career took her to Japan, Australia, Morocco, and Paris, among other locales, landed her in such magazines as Mademoiselle and Seventeen, and in advertising campaigns for such companies as Calvin Klein, Coca-Cola, and Levi's.

Perhaps no actress had a faster ride to the top than Cameron Diaz, who was launched into stardom with "The Mask" (1994), her first-ever onscreen performance. Though originally slated for a minor role, Diaz won over the movie's producers with her unique charm and looks, and took on the lead actress role with verve. Though she followed up her success with a string of mediocre independent features like "Feeling Minnesota" (1996) and "A Life Less Ordinary" (1997), Diaz firmly established her bona fides with an exuberant co-starring role in "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997) that managed to pull the rug out from under the feet of star Julia Roberts. But it was "There's Something About Mary" (1998), the Farrelly Brothers' wildly successful gross out comedy, that cemented her status atop the A-list. Despite success in mainstream features, she did broaden her horizons with challenging performances in "Being John Malkovich" (1999) and "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her" (2000), two critically-lauded indies that allowed Diaz to display her strong acting chops. Easily fluctuating between the worlds of small-budge indies and major Hollywood blockbusters like "Charlie's Angels" (2001) and "Shrek 2" (2004), Diaz demonstrated that she was so much more than a pretty face.

The sultry moves that Cameron Diaz exhibited in The Mask made her a Hollywood sexpot, as well as a movie star. Her athletic frame, model looks, and continued on-screen sexiness easily earned her a coveted spot on Empire's list of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History, as well as two mentions as one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People, and the title of Ultimate Lady of Film, courtesy of Cosmopolitan. Cameron Diaz also ranks high on the list of ideal celebrity girlfriends. Apart from the fact that she usually looks great, Cameron Diaz is usually so bubbly and cheerful onscreen that it's hard not to imagine her being equally fun as a real life dating partner.