Catherine

I was born in London, England, on August 14, 1968. My father, Peter, born in Britain, worked as an architect in London and my mother, Mina, born in Iran, worked as a nurse. An only child, my mother and I (after my parents divorced in Britain) emigrated from England to the United States when I was three years old. Interestingly, I considered myself a British subject until 1998, when I discovered by accident that at the age of 12 I had become a naturalized American citizen. My mother and I lived in Los Angeles, where we stayed, at first, with my mother's parents. During my early school years, I was a bit of a tomboy; however, by Grade 11 I began to adopt a more feminine attitude. I attended UCLA for two years. While at university, I began modeling part-time in Los Angeles, where I did modeling work in catalogues and TV commercials. Eventually, I left school to do some modeling work in Japan for four months. After returning to the U.S. and wanting to become an actress, I hired an acting coach to help me develop my skills. A few movies and TV shows later, I auditioned (five times) for the lead female role of Marine Major Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie on the CBS TV action-drama series "JAG." Knowing the show's originator, Donald Bellisario, from having made a guest appearance in the first season "JAG" episode, "Skeleton Crew," I wrote him a long letter about how I loved the "Mac" character and how I felt I was the best person for the part. I was given the role. ------- Something I bet you wouldn't have guessed about me: in April of 1999, I drove in the 23rd Annual Toyota Pro-Celebrity Race in Long Beach, California. I drove the ..4 car and placed 8th overall (the 2nd woman to finish)---among the fastest female qualifiers