Cameron Michelle Diaz is a retired American actress, writer and former model. She has frequently appeared in comedies throughout her career, while also earning critical recognition in dramatic films. Take a look below for 35 more interesting and fascinating facts about Cameron Diaz.

1. Her accolades include four Golden Globe Award nominations, three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and a New York Film Critics Award.

2. In 2013, she was named the highest-paid actress over 40 in Hollywood.

3. As of 2018, the U.S. domestic box office grosses of Diaz’s films total over $3 billion USD, with worldwide grosses surpassing $7 billion, making her the fifth highest-grossing U.S. domestic box office actress.

4. Born in San Diego, California, Diaz was raised in Long Beach.

5. While still in high school, she signed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management.

6. She made her film debut at age 21 opposite Jim Carrey in the comedy “The Mask.”

7. She was subsequently cast in a supporting role in “My Best Friend’s Wedding” before appearing as the titular Mary in the Farrelly brothers’ hit comedy “There’s Something About Mary”, which brought her increased fame and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.

8. Her following two projects—the sports drama “Any Given Sunday,” and Spike Jonze’s surrealist fantasy “Being John Malkovich” lent Diaz a reputation as a dramatic actress, the latter earning her her second Golden Globe nomination.

9. Diaz earned a third Golden Globe nomination for her supporting role in “Vanilla Sky”, and appeared in numerous high-profile films in the early 2000s, including “Charlie’s Angels” and its sequel “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle”, as well as voicing the character of Princess Fiona in the “Shrek” series.

10. In 2003, she was cast in Martin Scorsese’s period epic “Gangs of New York,” for which she earned her fourth Golden Globe nomination.

11. Her subsequent films included the dramatic comedies “In Her Shoes” and “The Holiday”, and the psychological thriller “The Box”.

12. Diaz appeared in supporting parts in “The Green Hornet” in 2011, followed by starring roles in the comedies “The Other Woman” and “Sex Tape”.

13. After appearing in Will Gluck’s 2014 film adaptation of “Annie,” Diaz confirmed she was formally retiring from acting.

14. Diaz is the author of two health books: “The Body Book,” a New York Times bestseller, and “The Longevity Book”.

15. Diaz was born August 30, 1972 in San Diego, California to Billie, an import/export agent, and Emilio Diaz, a foreman of the California oil company Unocal.

16. Diaz has an elder sister, Chimene.

17. Her father’s family is Cuban, and Diaz’s ancestors had originally moved from Spain to Cuba.

18. Later they settled in Ybor City, Tampa, before moving to California, where her father was born. Her mother has predominantly English and German ancestry.

19. Diaz was raised in Long Beach and attended Los Cerritos Elementary School, and then Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where she was a classmate of Snoop Dogg.

20. She recalled her upbringing as frugal, stating: “I had amazing parents, they were awesome. We weren’t privileged—very much the opposite. My family would collect [soda] cans to turn in for extra money, because $20 meant something to us. But we were very happy.”

21. While still attending high school, Diaz signed a modeling contract with Elite Model Management at age 16, and appeared in advertisements for Calvin Klein and Levi’s.

22. The following year, at age 17, she was featured on the cover of the July 1990 issue of Seventeen magazine.

23. Diaz also modeled for 2 to 3 months in Australia and shot a commercial for Coca-Cola in Sydney in 1991.

24. In 1992, at age 19, she was photographed and videotaped topless for an S&M leather fashion lingerie editorial by John Rutter, photographer, and Clifford Wright, as producer for an editorial for Max Magazine Italy.

25. Rutter approached Diaz in 2003, ahead of the release of “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” offering to sell the pictures and video to her for $3.5 million before attempting to sell them to prospective buyers.

26. He stated that he was offering her first right of refusal to them; she saw it as attempted blackmail and sued him.

27. In July 2004, the 30-minute video of the photoshoot, entitled “She’s No Angel,” was released on a Russian website. Rutter denied releasing it.

28. On July 26, 2005, Rutter was convicted of attempted grand theft, forgery, and perjury. On September 16, 2005, Rutter was sentenced to more than three years in prison.

29. Diaz’s father died of liver cancer in 2008.

30. She married musician Benji Madden at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2015 in a Jewish ceremony.

31. Diaz publicly endorsed Al Gore during the 2000 presidential election.

32. Known for her environmental activism, she was an early adopter of the Toyota Prius hybrid and worked to promote Gore’s Live Earth campaign, raising awareness of climate change.

33. Diaz wore a T-shirt that read “I won’t vote for a son of a Bush!” while making publicity visits for “Charlie’s Angels.”

34. Diaz has been involved with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest non-profit organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spoken as an advocate for military families.

35. She stated on broadcast host Andy Cohen’s Sirius radio program “Town Hall with Cameron Diaz” in 2018, that she was introduced to her husband seven months before her marriage by her close friend and now sister-in-law, Nicole Richie.