Catherine was born in London, but moved to California with her Iranian mother at age 2. Her mother still acts as her personal assistant. As a child, she acted in various TV adverts. She went to UCLA to study biology, but dropped out to become a model in Japan. She moved back into acting with a Mexican commercial for Amex and then followed that up by being Isabella Rossellini's nude body double in Death Becomes Her, where she also met her future husband, Adam Beason, who was director Robert Zemeckis's assistant. The couple currently live near L.A. with their daughter Gemma.



Studied for awhile at UCLA, and wanted to be either a surgeon or a biomedical engineer. She is fluent in the Persian language, as well as English. When she was in her 20s, she had thyroid cancer and had to have her thyroid removed. She doesn't cover the scar on her neck because she thinks it's kind of cool. She was selected #84 in year 2001, #38 in 2002, and #20 in the 2004 list of the FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World. Correctly predicted the winner and final score of Super Bowl XXXVI, in a survey of 70 celebrities who had nothing to do with football conducted by The Sporting News. Specifically, she correctly predicted that the New England Patriots would beat the St. Louis Rams by a score of 20-17. (She is incorrectly rumored to have made this prediction before the season began; in fact, she made it after after both teams had already won their respective conference championships.). Often plays roles in military movies and TV shows: "JAG" (1995), Black Thunder (1998/II), Crash Dive (1997) (V), Men of War (1994), and "Army Wives" (2007). Named #75 on the Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list. Rides a motorcycle. Expecting her second child, a boy [February 26, 2010].