Katie Holmes Bio

From her star-making turn on one of the most popular teen dramas of the 90s to her marriage to one of Hollywood’s most eccentric stars, Katie Holmes generates publicity with her every move. Born (on December 18, 1978) and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Katie acted in her high school’s theater productions and attended modeling school. Not finding modeling challenging enough, she got an agent and began to audition for film roles, landing her first in Ang Lee’s 70s-era drama The Ice Storm, with Elijah Wood and Christina Ricci.

Her breakthrough role was on Kevin Williamson’s teen drama Dawson’s Creek, which introduced Katie, James Van Der Beek and Michelle Williams to the country. Katie played the tough yet vulnerable Josephine ‘Joey’ Potter on the series from 1998 to 2003. While working on the show, she branched out into feature films with limited success, making her debut in the thriller Disturbing Behavior in 1998. Other mediocre films followed, but her small role as a college student with a crush on her professor (played by Michael Douglas) in 2000’s Wonder Boys that got her noticed by the film industry. That same year, Katie also got some added exposure with her first (and only) nude scene in the supernatural thriller, The Gift, which surely burned out a fair share of remote control pause buttons. After Dawson’s wrapped production, Katie continues to act on the big screen, and got favorable reviews for her performance in the 2003 indie comedy Pieces of April. Katie co-starred in the 2005 blockbuster Batman Returns with Christian Bale, but her lackluster performance as attorney Rachel Dawes earned her a ‘Razzie’ nomination for worst supporting actress.

Although her movie career has been less-than-memorable, her love life has been far more interesting. She was engaged to American Pie star Chris Klein, whom she dated for five years. Soon after her breakup with Klein, Katie began to date actor Tom Cruise. In June of 2005, two months after they first met, Holmes and Cruise were engaged. Their relationship was the subject of international media attention, especially after Tom’s notorious couch jumping incident on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show. Katie, who was raised a Roman Catholic, joined the controversial Church of Scientology, of which Tom is a long-time member, shortly after the couple began dating.

On April 18, 2006, the couple gave birth to their daughter, Suri and seven months later, on November 18, 2006, she and Cruise were married in Italy. Katie’s career has taken a backseat to motherhood since marrying Tom, but she hopes to make her Broadway debut in an upcoming revival of All My Sons. Whether Katie returns to acting full-time remains to be seen, but her high-profile marriage keeps her in the spotlight.