Cameron Diaz is a well-recognized name in the entertainment business thanks to her extensive and successful career. She started her career in 1990 and is best known for her work in romantic comedies. However, many might mostly remember her as Natalie from the highly successful acting comedy film, Charlie’s Angels.
Well, thanks to the success she found as an actress, Cameron has been the talk of the town for years now. And many are interested in knowing more about Diaz. So, in this biography, we will take a look at her early life, career, and more.
What Was Cameron Diaz’s Childhood Like?
The Charlie’s Angels star was born Cameron Michelle Diaz in San Diego, California, USA on 30th August 1972. She grew up alongside her older sister, Chimene Diaz in Long Beach, California. Cameron Diaz’s parents Emilio Diaz and Billie Early (Billie Diaz) worked as a foreman for Unocal, the California oil company, and as import/export agents respectively.
While Cameron did not grow up privileged, she has stated that her parents were awesome and gave her a wonderful childhood. As for her familial background, Diaz’s father comes from a Cuban family who settled in Tampa, Florida before moving to the LA area. The family is reportedly originally from Spain while from her mother’s side, Cameron has English and German ancestry.
Talking about her early life, Cameron was first enrolled at Los Cerritos Elementary School. She then attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and signed her first modeling contract while there. Moreover, Diaz once revealed that she was a schoolmate of the popular rapper Snoop Dogg at Long Beach Polytechnic.
When Did Cameron Diaz’s Acting Career Start?
As stated above, Cameron Diaz was in high school when she signed her first contract with Elite Model Management. She appeared in advertisements for big companies such as Levi’s, Coca-Cola, and Calvin Klein. She also posed for the cover of Seventeen magazines for its July 1990 edition.
As a 19-year-old, Diaz was videotaped and photographed topless for an S&M leather fashion lingerie editorial. The pictures were never released but after Cameron found fame as an actress, John Rutter, the photographer, offered to sell the content to her before
After continuing her modeling career for a few years, Cameron auditioned for the part of Tina Carlyle in The Mask. Despite not having any acting experience, Diaz booked the part and started taking acting lessons. The movie was released in 1994 and was one of the highest-grossing films that year. Moreover, the actress herself found much fame for her work and looks after the release.
Following The Mask, Cameron appeared in the black comedy, The Last Supper in 1995 and the show, Space Ghost Coast to Coast the following year. Diaz’s career then saw an upward trajectory with her appearing in movies such as She’s the One, Feeling Minnesota, Head Above Water, My Best Friend’s Wedding, A Life Less Ordinary, There’s Something About Mary, Man Woman Film, Any Given Sunday, and more.
However, it was her performance as Natalie in the 2000 acting comedy Charlie’s Angels that resulted in Diaz finding international prominence. She starred alongside Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu and the movie was the highest-grossing film that year reportedly earning over $264.1 million. The trio returned for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in 2003 and also voiced their characters in the video game for the project.
Continuing with her big-screen success, Cameron wowed the audience with both dramatic and comedic performances. She appeared in The Invisible Circus, Vanilla Sky, Slackers, The Sweetest Things, Gangs of New York, The Holiday, What Happens in Vegas, and My Sister’s Keepers. Moreover, listed below are a few of the other films that Diaz has worked on over the years:
- The Box
- Knight and Day
- The Green Hornet
- Bad Teacher
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting
- Gambit
- In a World
- The Other Woman
- Sex Tape
- Annie
- The Counselor
- In Her Shoes
Well, besides her on-screen appearances, Cameron’s voiceover work also helped her find more success and fame. She voiced the popular character, Princess Fiona in all of the Shrek movies as well as other related projects. However, after decades of success, Diaz took a break from acting in 2014. Annie was her last film and Cameron stated that she got tired of traveling for filming.
Cameron Diaz’s net worth of $140 million mostly comes from her career as an actress. She has been one of the highest-paid actresses in the world and earned a considerable sum from her acting journey. Moreover, with her returning to the industry in the coming days, there is no doubt that her fortune will increase in the coming days.
What Business Ventures Has Cameron Diaz Invested In?
Well even before taking a break from acting, Cameron had already branched out as an author. She co-wrote a health book, with Sandra Bark, titled The Body Book: Feed, Move, Understand and Love Your Amazing Body and it was published in late 2013. She followed it up with The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time, released in June 2016. Both of these books were quite popular among readers.
Continuing with the theme of health and wellness, Cameron has invested in health and biotech startups one of which is Seed Health and Modern Acupuncture. Then in 2020, Diaz and her business partner, Katherine Power launched the organic wine brand named Avaline. This venture was also a huge success and has also helped increase Cameron Diaz’s net worth.
Who Is Cameron Diaz Married To?
Talking about her personal life, over the years Cameron Diaz has dated a few well-known individuals. She was previously in relationships with actor Matt Dillon and Jared Leto, video producer Carlos de la Torre, and also dated Justin Timberlake from 2003 to 2007. She then started dating former baseball player Alex Rodriguez in 2010 before ending the relationship in September 2011.
Following these failed relationships, the talented actress started a relationship with Benji Madden in 2014. The pair were together for around 10 months before tying the knot in January 2015 in a Jewish ceremony at their home. Cameron Diaz’s husband is a musician and has a twin brother named Joel Madden who is married to TV personality Nicole Richie.
Cameron and Benji have enjoyed a blissful marital life and even welcomed a baby together. The Cameron Diaz’s daughter was born in December 2019 via surrogacy and further information about the little girl has been kept secret. Nonetheless, we wish the happy couple more love and affection in the future.