Cameron Diaz Biography

Date of Birth
30 August 1972, San Diego, California, USA

Birth Name
Cameron Michelle Diaz

Nickname
Cami

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Mini Biography

A tall, strikingly attractive blue-eyed bottle blonde, Cameron Diaz was born in 1972 in San Diego. She is the daughter of Billie (Anglo-German) and Emilio Diaz (Cuban-American). Self described as "adventurous, independent and a tough kid," Cameron left home at 16 and for the next 5 years lived in such varied locales as Japan, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, and Paris. Returning to California at the age of 21, she was working as a model when she auditioned for a part in The Mask (1994). To her amazement and despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead in the film opposite Jim Carrey. Over the next 3 years, she honed her acting skills in such low budget independent films as The Last Supper (1995); Feeling Minnesota (1996); and Head Above Water (1996). She returned to main stream films in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), in which she held her own against veteran actress Julia Roberts. She earned full fledged star status in 1998 for her performance in the box office smash There's Something About Mary (1998). With her name near the top on virtually every list of Hollyood's sexiest actresses, and firmly established as one of filmdom's hottest properties and most sought after actresses, Cameron Diaz appears to possess everything necessary to become one of the super stars of the new century.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Tom McDonough

Trade Mark

Blonde hair and Blue eyes.

She is filmed dancing in almost every movie.

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.

Cameron's father Emilio Diaz appeared in her movie There's Something About Mary (1998) as a "Jailbird.".

She graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic (Poly) High School (Class of 1990) in Long Beach, California. As a member of that school's "Polyettes" dance-drill team, Cameron 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]

Ex-fiancée of Jared Leto.

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 is Anglo with partial 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]

Has an older sister, Chimene; they also have a brother.

Her mother, Billie, is of German, English and Native American descent.

Voted the 11th "Sexiest Female Movie Star" in the Australian Empire Magazine. [September 2002]

Measurements: 34B-23-36 (on set of The Mask (1994)) (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

30 August 2003 - Broke her nose in a surfing accident in Hawaii on her birthday.

Photographer John Rutter was ordered to stand trial for attempted extortion, attempted grand theft, perjury, and forgery after trying to blackmail her with topless shots he had of her from a 1992 shoot. [20 November 2003]

Voted as #8 on the "Top 100 Sexiest Women" in FHM [DK]. [2004]

Ranked #3 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World." [2002]

During her interview on "Inside the Actors Studio" (1994), said that she doesn't read scripts and wishes movies were filmed from start to finish because sometimes she doesn't understand them.

Her name is mentioned in the lyric of Brian Wilson's 1998 song "South America".

Best friends with Drew Barrymore since Charlie's Angels (2000). Both Drew and Cameron are huge fans of the rock group Ratt.

Lived with Matt Dillon for some years in the 1990s.

Named #11 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.

Used to be a vegetarian.

Named #13 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)

Ranked #1 in the "Worst Hollywood Signers 2006" list by "Autograph Collector" magazine (May 2006).

Christophe Gans originally wanted her to play the part of Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill (2006).

Went to the same high school at the same time as Snoop Dogg.

Named #23 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

After having her nose broken 4 times, she decided to undergo corrective surgery. [November 2006]

Said that her role in Gangs of New York (2002) marked the pinnacle of her career.

Attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California.

Was considered for the role of Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire (1996).

Ranked #19 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list.

Was set to play Jane in Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), but bowed out shortly before production due to scheduling conflicts.

Robbie Williams mentions her in his song "I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen".

December 2007 - According to Forbes, for each dollar she got paid, Cameron Diaz's movies averaged $9 of gross income.

Named #47 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars. (2007).

As a child, her friends nicknamed her "Skeletor," because she was tall and had an infectious smile.

Ranked #26 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

One of her favorite hobbies is knitting. She picked it up from Julia Roberts while they were filming My Best Friend's Wedding (1997).

Received the 2,386th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 22, 2009.

Personal Quotes

There were times when I'd go, 'This outfit would look so badass with stilettos.' You wanted those 4-inch heels, those wrappy, strappy, show-off-your pedicure shoes, but you couldn't do it. At the beginning of the scene it would have been fine because I'm just hanging out with the dude. But the next thing you know, you're kicking the dude's rear, so you had to make sure you had the right shoes on.

I didn't realize it [The Mask (1994)] 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 (1997) 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.

On Being John Malkovich (1999): "It's been said that in Hollywood there are only 14 different scripts. Well, this is number 15."

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.

We have a voice now and we're not using it. Women have so much to lose. I mean, we could lose the right to our bodies. If you think rape should be legal then don't vote. But if you think you have a right to your body and you have a right to say what happens to you and fight off that danger of losing that, then you should vote.

My Latin roots are very strong. All my life, because I'm blonde and blue-eyed, people who aren't Hispanic can't believe I am. And people who are Hispanic always think I'm not, because I don't look like them. Being Latin is part of who I am and I bring that part to every role.

"What we women need to do, instead of worrying about what we don't have, is just love what we do have." quoted Women's World (6-14-05)

Toronto has such a nice balance as far as the films they show there. They kind of give an opportunity to everybody. You get the best of the best there. It's a good standard to be held up against, and it's very flattering to be in that festival.

"I'm like every other woman: a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear: So I wear jeans." quoted in Woman's World 1-3-06

I go, 'God, you know, it all sounds so familiar. I know what you're saying, I really do. I just cannot respond to you back in Spanish. I can barely speak English properly.' I didn't grow up in a Cuban or Latin community. I grew up in Southern California on the beach, basically. And I'm third generation. I'm of Cuban descent, but I'm American. - when asked if she can speak Spanish

The last couple of years were hell. Like, I can't even tell you, it was so hard. I didn't know how to handle it. But I think I'm in a much better place now, because I stepped away for a second and took a breath. Hollywood is a funny place. It offers so much, but it can also take a lot away from you.

I'm not 25 years old anymore, nor do I want to be. I wouldn't even want to go back to being 30. You know what I mean? That journey, I've done it already. I don't want to do it again. It's a lot of work to get through it, and I am excited about moving forward. I think that people get caught up in getting back to some place that they already passed or to a place where you cannot stay.

Men are wonderful. I don't think my feeling about that is ever going to change. I'm never going to feel differently about men. I'm not a man-hater. It's just not in my nature. I think guys are amazing. I love the dichotomy, the differences in men and women. I think it's wonderful. It keeps things interesting. We can't walk in each other's shoes. We don't know what it's really like, but we certainly can make an effort to know each other a little bit better.

My father's death will be a part of me forever, and I'm sure it's going to be a part of all of the roles that I play now. It's been a year since he died, and it's been an incredibly transformative year. It's just something that's going to be with me forever.

We all fall in love with our parents.

What's changed from 10 years ago is that now I want a man who knows who he is. Someone who understands himself, has already dealt with his issues and who can say: "I see where I've been foolish before and I'm not going to be like that again."

It will be cool to be under people's feet. It really is the place where people can understand exactly that actors are not really stars -- they don't exist in the sky, they exist on the ground just like everybody else. - on getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Salary
What Happens in Vegas (2008) $10,000,000
In Her Shoes (2005) $15,000,000
Shrek 2 (2004) $10,000,000
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) $20,000,000
Gangs of New York (2002) $17,500,000
The Sweetest Thing (2002) $15,000,000
Vanilla Sky (2001) $10,000,000
Shrek (2001) $3,000,000
Charlie's Angels (2000) $12,000,000
Any Given Sunday (1999) $500,000
There's Something About Mary (1998) $2,000,000