Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former fashion model. She is one of only two actresses (the other being Julia Roberts) to join the "$20 Million Club" after receiving this salary for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
Diaz was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Billie (née Earley), and the late Emilio Diaz, who worked for UNOCAL a local California oil company as a Field Gauger and in the pipeline department for twenty plus years until he retired in 1998..[2][3] Her father was a second-generation Cuban-American and her mother is of English, German and Cherokee Native American ancestry.[4][5][6][7] She has one older sister, Chimene. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School at the same time as rapper Snoop Dogg.
At 16 she began her career as a fashion model. Diaz signed with top modeling agency Elite Model Management. After graduating from high school, she went to work in Japan and met video director Carlo de la Torre. On her return to America, she moved in with him. For the next few years, her modeling took her around the world, working for contracts with major companies. She modelled for designers such as Calvin Klein and Levi's. She also graced the cover of the July 1990 issue of Seventeen magazine. During this period she also made a brief but now notorious soft pornographic film, She's no Angel.[8]
At 21, Diaz auditioned for The Mask. Even though she had no previous acting experience,[9] she obtained the role of the female lead. She signed up for acting lessons right after getting the part. Over the next three years, she won roles in low-budget, independent films, such as The Last Supper, Feeling Minnesota, and She's the One. She then regained mainstream success with her roles in My Best Friend's Wedding and There's Something About Mary. She won critical acclaim for her performance in Being John Malkovich, which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards and the SAG Awards.