Cameron Diaz is an American actress, producer, and author born on August 30, 1972. She is famous for her roles in funny and serious movies. Her films have made more than $3 billion at the box office in the United States. People like her and pay big money to see her in movies. In 2013, she was named the actress who made the most money while being over 40 years old. She’s gotten a lot of praise and awards for her acting, like nominations for a BAFTA Award and four Golden Globe Awards.
She grew up in San Diego, California, and later in Long Beach. When she was still in high school, she started modeling with Elite Model Management. Her first movie part was when she was 21 years old, acting with Jim Carrey in the comedy “The Mask” in 1994. After that, she was in other big movies like “My Best Friend’s Wedding” in 1997 and “There’s Something About Mary” in 1998, which made her even more famous and got her a Golden Globe nomination. She also showed she could do serious acting in movies like “Any Given Sunday” and “Being John Malkovich” in 1999.
People liked her in supporting roles in movies like “Vanilla Sky” in 2001 and “Gangs of New York” in 2002. She was in action comedies like “Charlie’s Angels” in 2000 and its sequel in 2003, as well as voicing Princess Fiona in the “Shrek” movies from 2001 to 2010. Some of her other popular movies include “In Her Shoes” in 2005, “The Holiday” in 2006, “What Happens in Vegas” in 2008, and “Bad Teacher” in 2011. She took a break from acting after some successful comedies in 2014 but came back to acting in 2022.
Besides acting, Cameron Diaz has written two books about health: “The Body Book” in 2013, which was a bestseller, and “The Longevity Book” in 2016. Her personal life has always been a topic for the media, especially her relationships and fashion choices. In 2015, she married Benji Madden, who plays guitar in Good Charlotte. They had their first child through a surrogate in 2019 and a second child in 2024.
| Full Name | Cameron Michelle Diaz |
| Date of Birth | August 30, 1972 |
| Place of Birth | San Diego, California, USA |
| Occupation | Actress (retired) |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.74 m) |
| Spouse | Benji Madden (m. 2015) |
| Children | Cardinal Madden Raddix Madden |
| Net Worth | $140 million |
Cameron Diaz’s Early Life and Education
Cameron Michelle Diaz was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1972. Her parents were Billie Diaz who worked as an import/export agent, and Emilio Diaz who was a foreman at a California oil company called Unocal. She has an older sister named Chimene Diaz. Diaz’s dad’s side of the family is from Cuba, originally from Spain, and they later moved to Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, before settling in Los Angeles. Her mom’s side is mostly English and German.
Cameron Diaz grew up in Long Beach and went to Los Cerritos Elementary School and later Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Interestingly, she went to school with Snoop Dogg. She described her childhood as not wealthy at all. Her family had to work hard to make ends meet. She once said, “I had amazing parents, they were awesome. We weren’t privileged—very much the opposite. My family would collect [soda] cans to turn in for extra money because $20 meant something to us. But we were very happy.”
Even while in high school Cameron Diaz started her modeling career. At just 16 years old, she signed with Elite Model Management. You might have seen her in ads for Calvin Klein and Levi’s. By the time she was 17, she was already gracing the cover of Seventeen magazine in July 1990. She even got to spend a few months modeling in Australia and shot a Coca-Cola commercial in Sydney in 1991.
Career
Back in 1992, when Cameron Diaz was just 19 years old, she posed topless for a photoshoot focused on S&M leather fashion lingerie. A photographer named John Rutter was behind the camera. But here’s the twist: the photos and video from that shoot were never meant to be seen by the public.
Fast forward to 2003, right before the release of “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” Rutter got in touch with Cameron Diaz. He wanted to sell her those private pictures and videos for a whopping $3.5 million. But Diaz saw this as blackmail, not a business deal, so she took him to court.
Then, in July 2004, the 30-minute video of the photoshoot, named “She’s No Angel”, mysteriously popped up on a Russian website. Rutter denied having anything to do with its release. But the law didn’t buy it: on September 16, 2005, Rutter got sentenced to over three years in prison for trying to steal, forging documents, and lying under oath.
When Cameron Diaz was 21, she tried out for a movie called “The Mask”. She got the part of a character named Tina Carlyle because someone from the Elite agency recommended her to the producers. She hadn’t acted before, so she started taking acting lessons after she got the role. “The Mask” was a really popular movie in 1994 and made Cameron Diaz famous as a sexy actress. Around this time, she dated a guy named Carlos de la Torre.
After that, Cameron Diaz was in another movie called “The Last Supper” in 1995. It was an indie movie about some students who invited conservative people to dinner to try to kill them. A famous movie critic named Roger Ebert thought it was a bold movie for its time. Then, she starred in “Feeling Minnesota” in 1996 with Keanu Reeves, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Courtney Love. It was about an ex-stripper, and even though the movie didn’t get great reviews, people thought Cameron Diaz did a good job.
In the same year, she was in a movie called “She’s the One” and another one called “Head Above Water”. She was also supposed to be in “Mortal Kombat”, but she had to quit because she broke her hand. She did a movie called “A Life Less Ordinary”, but not many people saw it. Then in 1997, she was in “My Best Friend’s Wedding” with Julia Roberts, and it was a big hit.
In 1998, she was in “There’s Something About Mary”, which was a huge success. She played Mary, and lots of guys in the movie were crazy about her. It was one of the funniest movies of the year and made a ton of money. Cameron Diaz was even nominated for a Golden Globe because of her role in it. She was also in another comedy that year called “Very Bad Things,” but it didn’t do so well with critics.
Cameron Diaz had some big moments in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Remember “Being John Malkovich”? Yeah, that weird movie where people could crawl into John Malkovich’s head? Well, she played the quirky wife of a puppeteer in that and critics loved her funny performance. Even though she didn’t get an Oscar nod, she got noticed at the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and SAG Awards.
Then there was “Any Given Sunday”, a sports flick where she clashed with Al Pacino‘s character. It made good money, even if critics weren’t sold.
Fast forward to 2000, and she was kicking butt in “Charlie’s Angels” alongside Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. That one made a ton of cash, too.
In 2001, she did some serious acting in “Vanilla Sky” and was praised for her intense performance. Plus, she lent her voice to Princess Fiona in “Shrek”, a huge hit that won an Oscar.
She kept busy with romantic comedies like “The Sweetest Thing” and serious stuff like “Gangs of New York”. Critics had mixed feelings about her role in the latter, but the movie did well at the box office.
She also came back for sequels to “Charlie’s Angels” and “Shrek”, keeping her star power shining bright.
Cameron Diaz won a big court case against a magazine company, American Media Incorporated because they posted a mean article and photos online in May 2005. The article said Diaz was cheating on her boyfriend Justin Timberlake with a married guy from her TV show. But the company had to take down the article and say sorry because it wasn’t true.
After that, Cameron Diaz acted in a few movies. One was called “In Her Shoes” where she played a wild sister who has a complicated relationship with her sensible sister. Critics liked it. Then she was in “The Holiday”, a romantic comedy that made a lot of money.
In 2007, she voiced a character in “Shrek the Third”, which made tons of money worldwide. She also did a Christmas special. Diaz earned around $50 million from her roles in these movies.
In 2008, she starred in “What Happens in Vegas” with Ashton Kutcher. They play two strangers who get married after a wild night. Critics didn’t like it much, but it still made a lot of money.
In 2009, Cameron Diaz acted in “My Sister’s Keeper” and “The Box”. “My Sister’s Keeper” got mixed reviews but did okay at the box office. “The Box” didn’t do so well.
In 2010, Forbes said Cameron Diaz was one of the richest female celebrities. She also did the voice for Princess Fiona again in “Shrek Forever” and acted in “Knight and Day” with Tom Cruise.
In 2011, she was in “The Green Hornet” and “Bad Teacher”. “The Green Hornet” got mixed reviews but made a good amount of money. “Bad Teacher” wasn’t loved by critics but it was a hit at the box office.
In 2012, Cameron Diaz starred in a couple of movies. One was “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”, where she played a character named Jules Baxter. Jules is on a dance show and also hosts a fitness program. In the movie, she gets pregnant by her dance partner. Even though the movie didn’t get great reviews, it still made a good amount of money worldwide.
She was also in a movie called “Gambit” that year, but it didn’t do well with critics or at the box office. Diaz also lent her voice to a character in an animated comedy called “A Liar’s Autobiography”.
The next year, in 2013, she was in a movie called “The Counselor”, directed by Ridley Scott. She played a character who lies a lot and has a dark past. Even though the movie didn’t get great reviews, people liked her acting.
In 2014, Cameron Diaz starred in “The Other Woman”, a comedy about three women who team up to get revenge on a cheating man. It didn’t get great reviews, but it made a lot of money. She also starred in “Sex Tape”, another comedy about a couple trying to find their missing sex tape. Despite mixed reviews, it did okay at the box office.
Her last movie that year was “Annie”, where she played Miss Hannigan, the mean lady in charge of an orphanage. The movie got mixed reviews, with some critics praising Diaz’s performance but others thinking she overdid it. After “Annie”, Diaz decided to take a break from acting because she was tired of traveling for work. She officially retired from acting in 2018.
In late 2013, Cameron Diaz wrote a book about staying healthy called The Body Book: Feed, Move, Understand and Love Your Amazing Body, with Sandra Bark. It became really popular, reaching number 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list in March 2014. Then, in June 2016, she released another book called The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time.
After that, she started investing in companies that focus on health and biotechnology, like Seed Health and Modern Acupuncture. She even spoke at a big food festival called EEEEEATSCON in May 2019. In 2020, she launched a brand of organic wine called Avaline with her friend Katherine Power.
In 2022, Cameron Diaz showed up on the first episode of RuPaul’s “Drag Race All Stars 7” as a guest judge and said she loved the show. One of the contestants said she seemed really into it and knew her stuff.
Then, in June 2022, it was announced that she was going back to acting. She’s going to be in a Netflix action-comedy called “Back in Action” with Jamie Foxx, which is their first time working together since Annie. And in March 2024, she was in talks to star in a movie called “Outcome” for Apple TV alongside Keanu Reeves. They started filming that same month.
Net Worth
Cameron Diaz had an estimated net worth of $140 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Cameron Diaz’s net worth comes from her successful acting career, especially her roles in blockbuster movies like “The Mask,” “There’s Something About Mary,” and the “Shrek” series, where she voiced Princess Fiona.
Additionally, she earned substantial sums from film salaries, backend profits, and endorsements. After retiring from acting, Diaz also made money from writing best-selling health books and investing in various business ventures, including the wine company Avaline, which she co-founded. These diverse income streams have significantly contributed to her impressive net worth.
Personal life
Cameron Diaz starred in “There’s Something About Mary”, she dated her co-star Matt Dillon for a short while. Then, she started dating actor Jared Leto for a bit, but they split up in 2003. Next, from 2003 to 2007, she was in a relationship with singer Justin Timberlake. After that, she dated former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez from May 2010 to September 2011.
Cameron tied the knot with musician Benji Madden at her house in Beverly Hills on January 5, 2015, in a Jewish ceremony. They were introduced by her friend Nicole Richie, who is married to Benji’s twin brother Joel Madden. In December 2019, they had their first child, a daughter Raddix. Then, in March 2024, they welcomed their second child, a son Cardinal Madden.
Cameron Diaz is known not only for her acting but also for her efforts in helping the environment. She was one of the first people to drive a Toyota Prius a hybrid car and she worked hard to support Al Gore’s Live Earth campaign, which aims to raise awareness about climate change. She wasn’t shy about criticizing the George W. Bush administration either.
During promotional events for “Charlie’s Angels,” she wore a T-shirt that said, “I won’t vote for a son of a Bush!” Additionally, Cameron has been active in supporting veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through her involvement with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). She speaks up as an advocate for military families.
Awards
Cameron Diaz has been recognized for her amazing acting skills with nominations for big awards like the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and even a British Academy Film Award. IndieWire even named her one of the best actors who never got an Oscar nomination in 2016.
