Cameron Diaz was born and raised in San Diego, California, the daughter of Emilio D?az, a Cuban-American father who worked as a foreman for an oil company, and mother Billie Early, an exporting agent whose ancestry includes English, German, and Native American. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
At age 16 she landed a contract with the prestigious Elle modelling agency. 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 modelling took her around the world, working for contracts with major companies.
"At the age of 19 she acted nude for the film, shot back in 1992 by John Rutter had been a real legal “hot potato” for Rutter. Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz had originally demanded an injunction to stop photographer, John Rutter, from trying to exploit topless photographs and video footage of her back in June of 2003. The photos and footage were taken when Diaz, now 31, was a 19-year-old wild model who had not yet gained the fame and maturity as an world known actress."
At the age of 21, D?az auditioned for Jim Carrey's The Mask. To her own surprise, and with no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead. Immediately on getting the part, she signed up for acting lessons.
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 My Best Friend's Wedding and There's Something About Mary, and won critical acclaim for Being John Malkovich, which earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards and the SAG Awards.
She has also starred in the hit adaptation of Charlie's Angels and voiced a character in Shrek and its sequel, for which she earned $10 million. In 2001, she won nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the AFI Awards for Vanilla Sky. For Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, she became the 2nd actress (after Julia Roberts) to earn $20 million for a role, but the film underperformed at the box office.
She will star in Nancy Meyers' Holiday in 2006 and Shrek 3 in 2007.