With eyes as blue as Paul Newman's legendary ones, actress Cameron Michelle Diaz (1972-) was born on this day in San Diego, California.

Called Skeletor as a child for being so skinny, the Cuban/English/German beauty became an Elite model at age 16 and sold Levis and Calvin Klein fashions.

Having no previous acting experience, she got first big movie break in The Mask (1994) with Jim Carrey. She confessed to reading for the part 12 times and "getting an ulcer over it. I think I was in the right place at the right time, but now it’s part of the grand scheme."

"'Model turned actress' is a silly phrase. People just assume you don't have the capacity to think," observed the dimpled star, known for her honest laugh and earthy humor.

Film critic Roger Ebert called her "a genuine sex bomb with a gorgeous face, a wonderful smile, and gift of comic timing." The Last Supper (1995) director Stacy Title said Diaz had developed the "old movie-star glamour of Rita Hayworth and the incredible timing and physical comedy of Lucille Ball."

Oliver Stone, who directed her in Any Given Sunday (1999) admitted, "Every director falls in love with her in some way... I did."

The radiant girl of everyone's dreams in the comedy There's Something About Mary (1998), who stole My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) from Julia Roberts, and was adorable (and unrecognizable) in Being John Malkovich (1999), Diaz admitted, "I just live my life for me... All good."

Celebrate what you're passionate about.