harmed is certainly how one might describe the life of Catherine Zeta-Jones. Whether she's jet-setting between L.A., Aspen, New York and Europe, gracing the red carpet at gala movie premières or canoodling with hubby Michael Douglas and son Dylan at any one of their luxurious homes, the Welsh beauty certainly has a lot to be thankful for. Ever since she burst on to the screen in 1998's The Mask of Zorro, her career and personal life have accelerated at a steady pace and show no signs of slowing down.   Born Catherine Jones on September 25th, 1969 to David, a manager at a candy factory and Patricia, a part-time seamstress and homemaker, Zeta-Jones was raised in the small Welsh village of Swansea. She discovered her love for acting at the age of four when she began performing in a local theater troupe sponsored by her Catholic Church.   Even in her quiet rural town, her talent did not go unnoticed and she was soon appearing in productions of Annie and Bugsy Malone. At age 15 she left home to star in a London production of The Pyjama Game. At that time she became one of the youngest members of the Actor's Guild, adding Zeta (her grandmother's Christian name) to her last name so as not to be confused with another Catherine Jones already in the Guild.   By the age of 17, Zeta-Jones was playing the lead in 42nd Street in London's West End. Originally cast as a mere second understudy, fate intervened one evening when both the lead and first understudy were unable to perform.   Zeta-Jones took the stage and so impressed the producer that from that night on she was the star of the show. She went on to join the cast of the popular British TV series The Darling Buds of May and soon became a media favorite and subsequent target of the often vicious UK tabloids.   Fed up with the relentless pursuit of the press and yearning for an opportunity to pursue other television and film roles, Zeta-Jones packed up and moved to Hollywood. "The intrusion into my life got so bad I actually drove my car into a lamppost trying to get away from the paparazzi one day. It was at that moment that I decided to flee Britain and live in America," she told one interviewer at the time. In Hollywood, Zeta-Jones returned to a life of obscurity and grueling auditions alongside hundreds of other unknown actresses, but not for long.   Fate smiled on her once more when Steven Spielberg happened to be channel-surfing one evening and spotted the raven-haired beauty in a TV mini-series about the Titanic. The omnipotent producer/director thought she'd be perfect for The Mask of Zorro which he happened to be producing and within a week Zeta-Jones was screen-testing in Mexico. Her feisty performance as the long-lost daughter to Anthony Hopkins' Zorro and love interest to Antonio Banderas won her rave reviews from audiences and critics alike.   Shortly thereafter Sean Connery specifically requested that she co-star with him in Entrapment. Her seductive portrayal of an exquisitely limber fine art thief who steals his heart only further cemented Zeta-Jones' status as a bona-fide star.   Later that year People magazine named her to their list of the "World's 50 Most Beautiful People." The physical attribute she is most at ease with of is the 1 1/2" scar on her neck. A reminder of the emergency tracheotomy she underwent as an infant after a virus obstructed her breathing, she proudly told People magazine, "I wouldn't be here today if I didn't have this scar."   The next two years brought roles in other successful films including Stephen Frears' High Fidelity, Jan de Bont's The Haunting and last year's Oscar-winning Traffic. Director Stephen Soderbergh had high praise for Zeta-Jones for her portrayal of the take-charge-but-no-prisoners wife of an incarcerated drug dealer (a role which she filmed in her sixth month of pregnancy). The Hollywood Foreign Press agreed and Zeta-Jones was honored with a Golden Globe nomination. Last year, she made People magazine's list of the "World's 50 Most Beautiful People" for the second time and this year is on the cover.   While Zeta-Jones admits she was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time, she shrugs off any notion that luck alone is responsible for her success. Citing years of hard work and training as well as the dedication she gives to her roles, she recently told Vanity Fair, "It's funny, the harder I work, the luckier I get."   This summer, Zeta-Jones stars in the ensemble romantic comedy America's Sweethearts. She'll play a diva-like movie star, one-half of a Hollywood power couple on the verge of a messy break-up but forced to lovingly fake their way through one last publicity junket to promote their current film. John Cusack co-stars as Eddie, her megastar husband with Julia Roberts as Kiki, her beleaguered and self-conscious personal assistant. Billy Crystal steps into the role of the couple's legendary press agent, responsible for keeping egos in check and a lid on the pending split.   No doubt Zeta-Jones drew on her own experiences as motivation to play one-half of a Hollywood power couple. It was in 1998 while at a film festival in Deauville, France that Zeta-Jones was introduced to an immediately smitten Michael Douglas. Though years her senior and in the midst of a messy divorce from his wife with whom he has a grown son, Douglas told her he wanted to "father her children." He got his wish.   Last August, Zeta-Jones gave birth to their son, Dylan Michael. The following December, the couple married in a lavish million-dollar ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. The guest list read like a who's who of Hollywood. All reports indicate the evening was nothing short of a fairy tale. Only this time, the clock won't strike midnight.   Zeta-Jones has firmly established herself as one of Hollywood's hottest commodities, motherhood certainly looks good on her, and she and her Prince Charming are currently searching for a project to star in together. There are even rumors that she may be the next Bond girl. Who says fairy tales don't come true? - Amy Ferguson