Cameron Michelle Diaz (born August 30, 1972) is an American actress and former model. She broke out in the 1990s with her roles in
The Mask,
My Best Friend's Wedding and
There's Something About Mary, and subsequently appeared in
Charlie's Angels,
Shrek,
Vanilla Sky,
Gangs of New York, and several other Hollywood films. Diaz has recieved
Golden Globe nominations for her performances in
There's Something About Mary,
Being John Malkovich,
Vanilla Sky, and
Gangs of New York.
Early life
Diaz was born in
San Diego, California, the daughter of Billie (née Early), an import-export agent, and Emilio Diaz (1949–2008), born in
Los Angeles County, who worked for the California oil company
UNOCAL for more than 20 years as a field gauger, and in the pipeline department, until he retired in 1998.
[Family ties, Father & mother][FilmReference.com: Cameron Diaz Biography (1952-)] Her father was a second-generation
Cuban American (her grandparents settled in
Tampa's
Ybor City)
[CAMERON DIAZ: A Life Less Ordinary: Interview] and her mother is of
English,
German and
Cherokee ancestry.
She has one older sister, Chimene Diaz. She attended
Long Beach Polytechnic High School at the same time as
rapper
Snoop Dogg.
