Dawson's Creek Girl

Background:

"I'm not as sweet as you think I am. I'm human." Katie Holmes Young actress Katie Holmes first broke in to the TV scene while portraying tomboy Josephine "Joey" Potter (1998-2003) on the teen TV series Dawson's Creek. She later graced the big screen, receiving recognition for acting in such films as Disturbing Behavior (1998), Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999), Wonder Boys (2000), The Gift (2000), Abandon (2002), and Pieces of April (2003). Recently starring in the 2004 film First Daughter, Holmes will soon star in such upcoming films as Batman Begins, Thank You for Smoking, and Shame on You. "I think every little girl dreams about her wedding. I used to think I was going to marry Tom Cruise." Katie Holmes

Hazel-eyed, brunette Katie Holmes stands 5'9" and is currently making headlines for her romantic involvement with handsome actor, 16 years her senior, Tom Cruise (born on July 3, 1962). She was formally linked to the American Pie star, actor Chris Klein (born on March 14, 1979), her former fiancé whom she had dated for five years. Katie also briefly dated Dawson Creek costar Joshua Jackson (born on June 11, 1978).

As for the media, stunning Katie Holmes has been listed as one of Teen People Magazine's 21 Hottest Stars Under 21 (1999) and Stuff Magazine's 102 Sexiest Women in the World (2002). She was also named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People (2003) and in Teen People Magazine's 25 Hottest Stars Under 25 list (2003). Moreover, her fans can watch her model for Garnier Lumia shampoos and The Gap advertisements.


Naive Kate

Childhood and Family:

"I know I grew up very naive and sheltered, but I like that. I feel sad when I see kids who have experienced too much too young. I'm just learning myself what the real world is like. I'm glad I could wait this long before I had to deal with reality." Katie Holmes The youngest child of the family, Katherine Noelle Holmes was born two months premature on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. Her parents are Martin Holmes (lawyer) and Kathy Holmes (homemaker). The last child of five children, Katie has three older sisters, Tamera, Holly and Nancy, and one older brother named Martin Holmes Jr. (lawyer).

Katie Holmes, nicknamed Kate, was a student at the all-girls Catholic school Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, Ohio, from which she graduated in 1997. She began to model and signed up with Margaret O'Brien's Modeling School in Toledo. At age 16, she competed at the International Modeling and Talent Association and took home many awards. Despite her promising modeling career, Katie opted for acting as her full time job. She felt modeling was not enough of a challenge.

Katie was a bright student and was admitted to the Columbia University in 1997. After delaying enrollment due to an acting schedule conflict, Katie later attended the university in the summer of 2000, studying photography.


Disturbing Behavior

Career:

"It's overwhelming - yesterday I was just your average kid from Toledo. Now I have my own web site." Katie Holmes Initiating her career as a model, 17-year-old Katie Holmes was
discovered by a Los Angeles talent agent while competing in a modeling and talent convention in New York City, where she sang, danced and recited a monologue from To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Despite her accomplishments in modeling, Katie chose acting as her career and headed to Los Angeles with her mother to join film auditions.

Fortunately, on her second audition, she landed the part of Tobey Maguire's girlfriend, Libbets Casey, in Ang Lee's adaptation of Rick Moody's 1970s novel, The Ice Storm (1997, starring Kevin Kline and Joan Allen). She also returned to high school and won the role of Lola in a local production of "Damn Yankees." Moreover, she won a role for the popular TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1998), which she dropped in order to finish her high school studies. "I'm a small-town girl just like Joey. I was a little bit of a tomboy and also the youngest in my family, so I thought I knew everything. Like Joey, I made a lot of mistakes, but fortunately I haven't had the tragedy that she's experienced in her life." Katie Holmes

1998 was probably Katie's breakout year. TV series creator Kevin Williamson was impressed by her video audition and handed her the role of Josephine "Joey" Potter in his teen soap, WB's Dawson's Creek. A drama about young people and their lives in a small coastal town, she portrayed James Van Der Beek's tomboy best friend. Featuring then unknown stars, the series received warm reviews and stayed on-air from 1998 to 2003.

"I'll never forget the day when, after weeks of searching for the right actress to play the virtuoso role of Joey, we got [Katie's audition] tape. After viewing it, everyone in the room was speechless." Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek director) While working on the series, Katie also won roles in several movies.

Her first leading role on the big screen was that of Rachel Wagner in the high-school thriller Disturbing Behavior (1998, with James Marsden), which earned her an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. She followed it up with more significant roles in the next year's movies. Katie played supermarket checkout clerk Claire in Doug Liman's comedy Go (opposite Sarah Polley) and became Helen Mirren's desperate student, Leigh Ann Watson, in Kevin Williamson's directional debut, the thriller comedy Teaching Mrs. Tingle (both in 1999).

In 2000, filmgoers remembered her as Michael Douglas' student, amorous coed Hannah Green, in Curtis Hanson's adaptation of Michael Chabon's novel, the drama comedy Wonder Boys (also with Tobey Maguire). She was also noted performing her first nude scene in Sam Raimi's Southern Gothic story The Gift, in which she was cast as enticing rich girl Jessica King (also starring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi and Keanu Reeves). Commenting on her nude scene in the film, Katie said, "I just hope there aren't a lot of pauses on DVD players."

After hosting Saturday Night Live in February of 2001, Katie became Colin Farrell's mistress, Pamela McFadden, in Joel Schumacher's thriller Phone Booth (2002, also starring Kiefer Sutherland). She also nabbed the lead role of an under-pressure, elite college senior Katie Burke, in the horror drama Abandon (2002), directed and written by Oscar winner Stephen Gaghan. Katie then appeared as Robert Downey Jr.'s kind nurse in Keith Gordon's movie version of the television series, The Singing Detective, and starred as wayward daughter April Burns in Peter Hedges' Thanksgiving movie Pieces of April (both in 2003). On television, Holmes guest starred in Ashton Kutcher's show Punk'd in November of 2003.

More recently, Katie became the US president's (played by Michael Keaton) young daughter who falls in love with an under cover secret agent (played by Marc Blucas) in Forest Whitaker's romantic comedy First Daughter (2004).

Katie will soon be seen portraying Batman's (played by Christian Bale) childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes in the approaching Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. Asked about her role in the film, Katie revealed, "Christian's great - very sexy, in and out of his suit." She added, "I had the time of my life making it. You just kind of step into a comic book. I got to ride in the Batmobile and that was one sexy machine".

Currently, the rising star is busy filming Jason Reitman's satirical comedy film based on Christopher Buckley's novel, Thank You For Smoking (with Aaron Eckhart and Adam Brody), and will be seen as Dennis Quaid's estranged wife Ella Mae in his biography movie of the "King of Western Swing," Spade Cooley, in the musical drama Shame on You.

Awards:

- MTV Movie: Best Breakthrough Female Performance, Disturbing Behavior, 1999