03/29/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

Catherine Zeta-Jones to be awarded Honorary Freedom of Swansea

OSCAR-winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones CBE is set to accept the Honorary Freedom of her home city in a glittering ceremony on July 24.

The A-list actor will be returning to the city where she grew up to accept the highest honour her community can bestow.

On June 27th Swansea Council agreed to offer the accolade to one of the city’s highest-profile ambassadors for her services to Swansea, charity, theatre and film.

Following the ceremony taking place in the Guildhall on July 24, Catherine will host an evening of entertainment, reminiscing about her childhood in Swansea and her career in theatre and film at the Brangwyn Hall.

The show is sponsored by Morgan’s Hotel and hosted by JR Events & Catering in partnership with Swansea Council. The evening will include a four course meal, live entertainment & auction, and will be supporting Swansea charities.

Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said: “We are thrilled that Catherine Zeta-Jones is returning to her roots to accept the highest honour the city can bestow.

“Catherine is one of our own and has always stayed in touch with her home city. Catherine is one of the most recognisable people on the planet and the people have Swansea have followed her career with great interest.

“So it’s brilliant news that in our city’s 50th anniversary year that Catherine will be returning to pick up this award.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones CBE began her career on the stage in London before becoming a TV star in the popular adaptation of HE Bates ’The Darling Buds of May’.

She won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Velma Kelly in the screen adaptation of the Broadway musical ‘Chicago’. Catherine was also nominated for a Golden Globe and won the Critics’ Choice Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

During her career, Catherine has been an ambassador for Swansea and has worked with a number of charities. In 2010, she was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to the film industry and charity.

She is married to Michael Douglas. They have a son, Dylan, and a daughter, Carys.

Catherine won the Tony Award for Lead Actress in a Musical for her critically acclaimed Broadway debut as Desirée Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’.

She earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of the wife of a drug-runner, in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Traffic’.

Catherine recently starred in the Facebook Watch series ‘Queen America’, a dark comedy centered around the beauty pageant coach Vicki Ellis. And most recently she starred in the telefilm ‘Cocaine Godmother’ based on the true life story of the notorious drug lord, Griselda Blanco.

Her other starring roles include the films ‘Ocean’s 12’, ‘The Mask of Zorro’, ‘Entrapment’ and ‘The Terminal’

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