Cameron Diaz Biography Filmography Awards

Cameron Michelle Díaz known in her showbiz career with her first name Cameron. She was born August 30, 1972 in San Diego, California. The daughter of Emilio Díaz, a Cuban-American father who worked as a foreman for an oil company, and mother Billie Early, an exporting agent whose ancestry includes English, German, and Native American. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
She was first discovered when she signed contract with the prestigious Elle modelling agency at the age 16. After finishing High School she went to work in Japan, there meeting video director Carlo de la Torre. She went back to America and move in with him. For the next few years her modelling took her around the world, working for contracts with major companies.

She enter the world of acting at the age of 21 when she auditioned for a part in the Jim Carrey movie The Mask. To her own surprise, and with no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead. Immediately on getting the part she signed up for acting lessons.
Over the next three years she honed her acting skills in low budget, independent films such as The Last Supper (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), and She's The One (1996).

With a few acting experiences she then returned to mainstream as the "perfect" fiancée in the romantic comedy, My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) opposite Julia Roberts. Her lead role in the crude comedy hit There's Something About Mary (1998), as a woman desired by every male character in the film, at last established her as a cinema icon of female beauty. The film grossed $369.8 million worldwide and provided her with genuine star status.

Later then, she returned to independent film with the quirky Being John Malkovich (1999), which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards and the SAG Awards. That year she also appeared in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday. Both films enjoyed critical and commercial success and critics heralded Cameron's performances.

Cameron made her biggest box-office hit. In 2000 she starred in the TV-to-film adaptation of Charlie's Angeles that made $264.1 million worldwide and voiced a character in Shrek which made $484.4 million worldwide. In 2001 she starred in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky which made $203.3 worldwide and saw her nominated for Support Actress honors at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the AFI Awards. She won Best Supporting Actress honors for the role at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards and the Boston Society of Film Critics Awards. In January 2002, she became only the 2nd actress ever to be paid $20 million for a role (Julia Roberts was the first). when she signed up for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
In 2002 she saw her chick-flick The Sweetest Thing tank at the box office. She then appeared in Gangs of New York. Despite of having the honor of appearing in a film directed by Martin Scorsese and appearing in a film that was nominated for many Academy Awards, her performance wasn't considered a highlight of the film. In 2003 the sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle underperformed at the box office. Things looked up a bit as she was paid $10 million for a little over a week's worth of voice work on Shrek 2, which smashed box-office records, grossing $920.6 million worldwide in total.
Cameron continues to struggle to appear in a successful film in which she makes a live action appearance. After having avoided smaller films in the past couple of years, she starred in Curtis Hanson's In Her Shoes, based on the Jennifer Weiner novel. While the film may have restored her good graces with some critics, it quickly fizzled out at the box office.

With an upcoming movie that will be release this 2006, Diaz will star in Nancy Meyers' Holiday and Shrek 3 in 2007.
Cameron Diaz is currently in a relationship with Justin Timberlake and in October 2004 she got into even further controversy when she was caught attacking a tabloid photographer. Diaz and Timberlake snatched away a photographer's camera when he and another man surprised them outside the ritzy Chateau Marmont hotel. Representatives for Diaz and Timberlake claimed that they were "ambushed by two men, who jumped out of a concealed hiding place on a dark, deserted street late at night." They added that "any actions by Diaz and Timberlake were merely taken in self-defense." The pictures of Diaz snatching the camera soon appeared in Us Weekly.

Filmography

The Mask (1994)
The Last Supper (1995)
She's the One (1996)
Feeling Minnesota (1996)
Head Above Water (1996)
Keys to Tulsa (1997)
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
There's Something About Mary (1998)
Very Bad Things (1998)
Man Woman Film (1999)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000)
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Welcome to Hollywood (2000) (documentary)
The Invisible Circus (2001)
Shrek (2001) (voice)
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Slackers (2002) (Cameo)
The Sweetest Thing (2002)
Minority Report (2002) (uncredited as woman on train)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Shrek 4-D (2003) (voice) (short subject)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Shrek 2 (2004) (voice)
In Her Shoes (2005)
Holiday (2006)
In Search of Ted Demme (2006) (documentary)
Shrek 3 (2007) (voice)

Awards

American Film Institute
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
2001 Best Supporting Actress, Vanilla Sky (2001) Nominated

British Academy Awards
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
1999 Best Supporting Actress, Being John Malkovich (1999) Nominated

Broadcast Film Critics Association
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
2001 Best Supporting Actress, Vanilla Sky (2001) Nominated

Chicago Film Critics Association
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
2001 Best Supporting Actress, Vanilla Sky (2001) Win

Golden Globe
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
2002 Best Supporting Actress, Gangs of New York (2002) Nominated
2001 Best Supporting Actress, Vanilla Sky (2001) Nominated
1999 Best Supporting Actress, Being John Malkovich (1999) Nominated

New York Film Critics Circle
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
1998 Best Actress, There's Something About Mary (1998) Win

Screen Actors Guild
Year Category Movie Win/Nominated
2001 Best Supporting Actress, Vanilla Sky (2001) Nominated
1999 Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Being John Malkovich (1999) Nominated