For a relatively small country Wales has its fair share of famous celebrities - from the world of film, stage, music, politics, literature and design…
Read on to find out more about some Wales’ best know stars, as well as some very surprising Welsh connections:
Catherine Zeta-Jones
She was born Catherine Jones, on 25th September 1969 near Swansea in South Wales. Catherine’s stage career began at a young age, and by 1987 she was appearing in 42nd Street in London’s West End theatre. It was her role as Mariette in the British television series ‘The Darling Buds of May’ that first set her on the road to international stardom.
She has since starred in many high profile films including America’s Sweethearts in 2001 with Julia Roberts. In 2002 she starred alongside Richard Gere and Rene Zelwegger in Chicago, a role which earned her an academy award for best supporting actress. She has also starred with George Clooney in Intolerable Cruelty, and Ocean’s Twelve. Most recently she revisited her role as Elena alongside Antonio Banderas in the blockbuster The Legend of Zorro, the sequel to The Mask of Zorro.
She is also currently the global spokeswoman for the cosmetics giant Elizabeth Arden.
Catherine is married to Hollywood actor Michael Douglas and has 2 children - Dylan and Carys.
Tom Jones
Born Thomas Jones Woodward on 7th June 1940 in Treforest South Wales. Tom began singing at an early age, and it was apparent from his regular performances at family gatherings and weddings that he was destined to be a star!
He first rose to fame in the mid 1960’s with an extravagant live act featuring his trademark tight trousers and huge billowing shirts.
Following several hits in the UK, he travelled to America, and became a permanent fixture on the Las Vegas circuit. It was during this time that he had a number of hits including It’s Not Unusual, What’s New Pussycat, and Delilah.
He continued touring throughout his forties and fifties, but has enjoyed a huge revival in recent years, recording with artists such as The Art of Noise, The Pretenders, Stereophonics, Cerys Matthews, and Mousse T.
In 2003 he was honoured with a Brit Award for his Outstanding Contribution to Music, and has received a knighthood from the Queen for his services to music.
Anthony Hopkins
Born Philip Anthony Hopkins on December 31st 1937 in Port Talbot, South Wales. He was encouraged to become an actor by fellow Welshman and friend, Richard Burton. His most famous film role is as Hannibal Lecter, notably in the 1991 film Silence of the Lambs for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
He has played many other great characters including Zorro – The Mask of Zorro with Catherine Zeta Jones, Nixon- Richard Nixon and Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Always proud of his Welsh roots, Anthony Hopkins donated 1 million pounds to the National Trust ‘Save Snowdon Campaign’ of which he is president. He said of Snowdonia and North Wales, ‘Snowdonia is one of the most beautiful places in the world and Snowdon is the jewel that lies at its heart. It must be cherished and protected’.
In 2006, he received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
Richard Burton
Born Richard Walter Jenkins on November 19th 1925, in the village of Pontrhydyfen near Port Talbot, South Wales. As a child he excelled in school productions, and it was at this time that he began to develop the distinctive speaking voice that became his trademark. In 1952 he became a Hollywood star, appearing alongside Olivia de Havilland in My Cousin Rachel. He went on to star in many cinema classics, including Alexander The Great, Hamlet, Where Eagles Dare, and probably most famously Cleopatra, in which he stared alongside his then wife, Elizabeth Taylor.
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was born in Swansea on October 27th 1914. Along with Frost, Yeats, and Eliot, he is considered one of the 20th century’s most important and innovative poets.
Ellen McNulty is President of
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