Born: December 18, 1978 Born Kate Noelle Holmes on December 18, 1978 in Toledo, OH, Katie Holmes embodies the wholesomeness and charm of the prototypical All-American girl while exhibiting just enough dark undertones to let her audience know that America's Sweetheart has a few tricks up her sleeve. As angst-ridden tomboy Joey Potter on the WB network's Dawson's_Creek, Holmes went from relative unknown to, as indicated by a 1999 Teen People ranking, one of the '21 Hottest Stars Under 21.'Holmes grew up as part of a close-knit family in Toledo and first acted in high-school productions. Participation in a national model and talent convention landed her a trip to Los Angeles when she was 16, and it was there that Holmes auditioned for a role in Ang_Lee's The_Ice_Storm. The film, which was released in 1997, won critical acclaim, and Holmes' role as the object of Tobey_Maguire's affections caught the attention of Kevin_Williamson. Williamson, known for his screenplays for such movies as Scream and I_Know_What_You_Did_Last_Summer, was casting roles for his new TV series, Dawson's_Creek. Holmes was asked to audition, and did so via videotape. She won the part of Joey Potter, and the series, which premiered in January of 1998, met with a positive reception from both critics and television viewers. Soon the series' young stars were in hot demand, with Holmes in particular receiving attention for her measured and insightful performance as Joey.It was not long before Holmes appeared in her second film, 1998's teen conspiracy thriller Disturbing_Behavior, which met with lackluster reviews but did fairly well at the box office. Holmes' next venture, Doug_Liman's 1999 Go, found greater favor with the critics. In her role as the sweet and slightly insecure Claire Montgomery, Holmes won praise even from critics who disliked almost everything else about the film. Coupled with the continuing success of Dawson, the film helped to set the foundations for what is shaping up to be a lengthy and illustrious career.In 2000, Holmes further built upon this foundation with high-profile turns in Curtis_Hanson's Wonder_Boys and Sam_Raimi's The_Gift. The former featured her as a college student with a crush on her English professor (Michael_Douglas), while the latter, a Southern gothic thriller co-starring Cate_Blanchett and Greg_Kinnear, saw her subvert her nice-girl image by playing a scheming and promiscuous young socialite -- and in the process flashing the audience with substantially more than her famous grin.Holmes alternated between a Joey Potter-esque innocent and a particularly delusional psychopath in 2002's Abandon, and while the movie itself did not fare well with critics or audiences, Holmes won more praise for her versatility.After the long-anticipated end of Dawson's_Creek, Holmes could be seen in the psychological Phone_Booth with Colin_Farrell, and in 2003's Pieces of April, which found the young actress in the part of a punky family outcast.In 2004, Holmes starred alongside Michael_Keaton in director Forest_Whitaker's First_Daughter.2005 became by far the most notable year of Holmes' career, both personally and professionally. Her five year relationship with actor Chris_Klein came to an end and the actress began dating Tom_Cruise. Cruise had recently become publicly outspoken about his beliefs in Scientology, making volatile statements about actress Brooke_Shields' use of anti-depressants following a bout with post partum depression and causing a media stir that questioned his mental and emotional stability, as well as possible cult-like themes in Scientology. These ideas were greatly exacerbated by Cruise's seemingly manic enthusiasm for his new love of Holmes, making a now infamous appearance on the Oprah_Winfrey_Show in which he bounced up and down on the couch and vigorously shook the talk show host by the arms while proclaiming his happiness.In addition to this most curious public display, the pair were surrounded by additional rumors when Holmes, who had been a lifelong Catholic, converted to the church of Scientology and took on a Scientologist advisor to stay by her side through many of her daily activities. She was also said to have been 'lost' for a two week period in April during which she was unreachable to her parents, friends, and extended family. The couple's rumor-generating behavior was believed by some to be an attempt to garner buzz for the movies the stars were respectively starring in that summer. Whether the talk effected the box-office performance of Holmes' Batman_Begins or Cruise's War of the Worlds proved unclear, but Holmes certainly found success as the female lead in the reinvigorated franchise, as the film was a huge critical and commercial smash