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Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She rose to prominence during the 1990s, with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend’s Wedding and There’s Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie’s Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona in the Shrek series, Any Given Sunday, Knight and Day, The Holiday, The Green Hornet and Bad Teacher.
Diaz has received four Golden Globe Award nominations for her performances in the movies, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, Gangs of New York, and There’s Something About Mary for which she also won the New York Film Critics Best Lead Actress Award. She is also a BAFTA Nominee. In 2013, Diaz was named the highest paid actress over 40 in Hollywood.
Cameron Diaz was born in San Diego, California. Her mother, Billie Joann (née Early), is an import-export agent, and her father, the Cuban American Emilio Luis Diaz (1949–2008), that worked for the California oil company UNOCAL for more than 20 years as a field gauger. Diaz has an older sister, Chimene. Her father’s family coming from Cuba settled in Tampa’s Ybor City, later moving to California, where Emilio was born. Her mother has English, German, and Cherokee ancestry. Diaz was raised in Long Beach, California, and attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
Career.
She began her career as a fashion model at age 16, and contracted with a modeling agency, Elite Model Management. For the next few years she worked around the world on contracts for companies such as Calvin Klein and Levi’s. When she was age 17 she was featured on the front cover of the July 1990 issue of Seventeen. Diaz also modeled for 2-3 months in Australia and shot a commercial for Coca-Cola in Sydney in 1991.
Diaz at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio for the movie Gangs of New York
At age 21, Diaz auditioned for The Mask, based on the recommendation of an agent for Elite, who met the film’s producers while they were searching for the main actress. Having no previous acting experience, she started acting lessons after being cast. The Mask became one of the top ten highest grossing films of 1994 and launched Diaz as a sex symbol.
1995–2004
Preferring to feel her way effectively into the industry, Diaz avoided large studio films for the next three years and took roles in the independent films The Last Supper (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), She’s the One (1996), and Head Above Water (1996). She was scheduled to perform in the film Mortal Kombat, but had to resign after breaking her hand while training for the role. Diaz returned to mainstream films with My Best Friend’s Wedding and A Life Less Ordinary, both released in 1997. The following year, she played the title role in the smash hit There’s Something About Mary (1998), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the category of Best Actress – Musical or Comedy.
She received critical acclaim for her performance in Being John Malkovich (1999), which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Awards. Between 1998 and 2000, Diaz was featured in many movies, such as Very Bad Things, Any Given Sunday, Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, and the successful adaptation of Charlie’s Angels. In 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress for the Golden Globe Awards, the SAG Awards, the Critics’ Choice Awards, and the American Film Institute Awards for Vanilla Sky, and also voiced Princess Fiona in the movie Shrek, for which she earned $10 million.
2005–2009
In 2005, Diaz played opposite Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine in In Her Shoes (2005), a comedy-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Jennifer Weiner, which focuses on the relationship between two sisters and their grandmother. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and Diaz garnered acclaim for her performance of a dyslexic wild child engaged in a love-hate struggle with her plain, sensible sister (Collette), with USA Today calling it “her best work” then. She followed In Her Shoes with a role in Nancy Meyers’ romantic comedy The Holiday, also starring Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. In it she played Amanda, an American movie trailer producer who temporarily exchanges homes with an British woman (Winslet). Released to a mixed reception by critics, the film became on the biggest commercial successes of the year, grossing more than $205 million worldwide.
Diaz’s only film of 2007 was Shrek the Third, the third installment in the Shrek franchise. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, in contrast to the critical acclaim achieved by the previous films, it grossed $798 million worldwide. The same year, Diaz also voiced Princess Fiona in a thirty minute Christmas special, directed by Gary Trousdale. Diaz reportedly earned $50 million during the period of a year ending June 2008, for her roles in the Shrek sequel and her next film What Happens in Vegas opposite Ashton Kutcher. A romantic comedy by Tom Vaughan, Diaz and Kutcher portrayed two strangers who awaken together to discover they’ve gotten married following a night in which they won a huge jackpot after playing the other’s quarter. While audiences reacted positively to the movie, reviews for the film were negative.
In 2009, she starred in My Sister’s Keeper and The Box. Based on Jodi Picoult’s novel of the same name, My Sister’s Keeper was released to mixed reviews in June 2009. In the drama, Diaz plays a former lawyer and mother of two, one of who is dying of leukemia. A moderate commercial, it grossed $95 million worldwide, mostly from its domestic run. Set in 1976, The Box, written and directed by Richard Kelly, stars Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box from a mysterious man who offers them one million dollars if they press the button sealed within the dome on top of a box, knowing that someone, somewhere, will die from it. Critical response towards the psychological horror film was mixed, and, though having grossed its budget back, is was considered a financial disappointment.
2010–present
In 2010, business magazine Forbes ranked Diaz as the richest Hispanic female celebrity, ranking number 60 among the wealthiest 100. Also that year, Diaz reprised her voice role of Princess Fiona in Shrek Forever After, the fourth installment in the Shrek series. Although the film opened to mixed reviews from critics, it grossed a worldwide total of over $752 million and became the fifth top grossing films released that year. Also in 2010, Diaz reunited with her Vanilla Sky co-star Tom Cruise in the action comedy film Knight and Day. In it, Diaz plays a classic car restorer who unwittingly gets caught up with the eccentric secret agent Roy Miller, played by Cruise, who is on the run from the Secret Service. Knight and Day received generally mixed reviews, and while the comedy performed poorly at the box office in its debut, it became a sleeper hit at the box office at a worldwide gross of $262 million.
In 2011, she played Lenore Case, a journalist, in the remake of the 1940s film The Green Hornet. Directed by Michel Gondry, Diaz starred alongside Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, and Christoph Waltz in the superhero action comedy film. Released to mixed to negative reviews form critics, who called it an “overblown, interminable and unfunny update”, the film ended its theatrical run on April 21, 2011, with a worldwide gross total of $228 million. The same year, she played opposite Justin Timberlake and Jason Segel in Jake Kasdan’s adult comedy Bad Teacher. In the film, Diaz plays an immoral, gold-digging Chicago-area middle school teacher at the fictional John Adams Middle School who curses at her students, drinks heavily, smokes marijuana. Again, it received mostly negative reviews from critics who felt that “in spite of a promising concept and a charmingly brazen performance from Diaz, Bad Teacher is never as funny as it should be.” A commercial hit however, the R-rated comedy grossed $216 million worldwide. Also in 2011, Diaz was listed among CEOWORLD magazine’s Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.
In 2012, Diaz was cast in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, directed by Kirk Jones and based on the pregnancy guide of the same name. Diaz, who filmed her scenes in a two week period, portrays Jules Baxer, a contestant on a celebrity dance show and a host to a weight-loss fitness show, who becomes pregnant with her dance partner’s baby. Upon release, the ensemble comedy received mostly negative reviews and became moderate commercial success at a worldwide gross of $84.4 million. Diaz’s other film that year was Gambit, a remake of the 1966 film of the same name directed by Michael Hoffman and scripted by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews, and performed poorly at the box office, grossing only $10 million internationally. Diaz also voiced Sigmund Freud in A Liar’s Autobiography (2012), a 2012 British animated comedy film that is a completely inaccurate portrayal of the life of Monty Python alumnus Graham Chapman.
In Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, Diaz’s only film project of 2013, a thriller film about greed, death, the primal instincts of humans and their consequences, she starred along with Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt. Diaz plays a pathological liar and a sociopath, an immigrant who is now living the high-life after escaping a sordid past as an exotic dancer. While Diaz earned positive reviews for her performance, the film was largely panned by critics.
Diaz’s first film of 2014 was the romantic revenge comedy The Other Woman opposite Leslie Mann and Kate Upton. Primarily filmed in Downtown Manhattan, New York City, it depicts Diaz as a successful, strong-minded lawyer, who discovers her boyfriend is married only to bond with his wife and another woman she discovers he has been cheating with. While The Other Woman received mostly negative reviews from critics, who felt that it settled for cheap laughs, it opened atop the US weekend box office with earnings of $24.7 million across the three days. Diaz next appeared in the comedy Sex Tape, with Jason Segel, and will co-star in a new film adaptation of the musical, Annie, playing Miss Hannigan.
In 2014, she published a health book, The Body Book, co-written with Sandra Bark.
Personal life
Diaz has had long-term relationships with video producer Carlos de la Torre (1990–1995), actor Matt Dillon (1995–1998), actor/singer Jared Leto (1999–2003),singer/actor Justin Timberlake (2003–2006), and New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez (2010–2011). Diaz is unmarried and has no children. On why she has never married, Diaz told Esquire magazine in October 2012, “It just wasn’t the thing I was drawn to.”
Diaz received substantial defamation damages from suing American Media Incorporated, after The National Enquirer had claimed she was cheating on Justin Timberlake. She endorsed Al Gore publicly during 2000. Diaz wore a t-shirt that read “I won’t vote for a son of a Bush!” while making publicity visits for Charlie’s Angels. Diaz has also been involved with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest nonprofit organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spoken as an advocate for military families. Although she was quoted by a 1997 Time magazine article as saying she was germophobic, Diaz specifically denied this on the June 26, 2009, edition of Real Time with Bill Maher, saying that a small comment she made twelve years earlier regarding public bathroom doorknobs was distorted out of proportion.
On April 15, 2008, her Cuban American father, Emilio Diaz, died at the age of 58 from pneumonia.
Filmography
Diaz Last Films.
Year Title Role Notes
2010 Shrek Forever After Princess Fiona Voice
2010 Scared Shrekless Princess Fiona Voice
2010 Knight and Day June Havens
2011 The Green Hornet Lenore Case
2011 Bad Teacher Elizabeth Halsey
2012 What to Expect When You’re Expecting Jules
2012 Gambit PJ Puznowski
2012 A Liar’s Autobiography Sigmund Freud
2013 The Counselor Malkina
2013 The Unbelievers Herself
2014 The Other Woman Carly
2014 Sex Tape Annie
2014 Annie Miss Hannigan[59] Post-production
Awards and nominations
Year Nominated work Award Result
1997 My Best Friend’s Wedding Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated
1998 There’s Something About Mary American Comedy Award for Funniest Leading Actress in a Motion Picture Won
1998 There’s Something About Mary New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Won
1998 There’s Something About Mary Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
1999 Being John Malkovich Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
2000 Charlie’s Angels Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2000 Charlie’s Angels Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated
2001 Shrek Utah Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actress (also for Vanilla Sky) Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
2001 Vanilla Sky Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Won
2001 Vanilla Sky American Film Institute Award for Supporting Actress of the Year Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
2001 Vanilla Sky Utah Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actress (also for Shrek) Nominated
2002 Gangs of New York Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Nominated
2002 Gangs of New York Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Acting Ensemble Nominated
2010 Shrek Forever After Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production Nominated
Agencies/Various/Wiki/InternetPhotos/youtube/thecubanhistory.com
The Cuban History, Hollywood.
Arnoldo Varona, Editor.