Born two months premature at four pounds, Kate Noelle Holmes made her first appearance on December 18, 1978, in Toledo, Ohio. Her parents, Martin and Kathleen, say that her strong-willed personality is probably from being born premature. Being the youngest in the Holmes clan, completing the family of three other sisters and one brother, Katie was always the baby. As a teenager, she began attending modeling school. When she was sixteen, her teacher invited her to go to a modeling competition with other girls from her class. She competed in the International Modeling and Talent Association by singing, dancing, and reciting a monologue from To Kill a Mockingbird. By the end of that time in New York, Katie won many awards. But she said she didn't want to model because it wasn't challenging enough. So when she was seventeen, Katie went to Los Angeles to audition for movies. Luckily, on her second audition, she was cast in the movie, The Ice Storm, directed by Ang Lee. Katie's character was Libbets Casey, a rich New Yorker, who is pursued by two of the main characters. It was a small part, but it marked the beginning of her professional acting career.

After the excitement of her first movie, Katie began sending in audition tapes for pilot shows. During that time, she was also starring in her all-girls Catholic high school musical, Damn Yankees, as Lola. After Kevin Williamson received her audition tape for his new show, Dawson's Creek, the producers wanted her to come to Hollywood right away and read live for them. But because they wanted her to come on the opening night for Damn Yankees, Katie had to tell them she couldn't make it. Fortunately, the show's producers wanted her so much for that role, they rescheduled her callback and the result was she got the part as Joey Potter.

During her first year with Dawson's Creek, Katie was able to do two movies, Disturbing Behavior and Go, and, for the former, she won Best Breakthrough Female Performance in the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. The following year, she starred next to Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys, playing Hannah Green, a published author and a boarder at her teacher's (Douglas) house, who has a crush on him, and tries to seduce him.

Her first leading role came in 2002, with Abandon. She played a college student named Katie Burke, who is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her boyfriend who vanished two years prior.

With Dawson's Creek coming to a close after six years in May of 2003, it was a bittersweet thing for all the cast. Accustomed to being in North Carolina filming ten months out of a year, the cast members now had the opportunity to make more movies. Katie demonstrated this in October, when she had two new movies, Pieces of April and The Singing Detective, coming out in that month alone. Pieces of April is a charming Thanksgiving movie about April (Holmes), the black sheep of her family, who wants to give her family the perfect dinner before her mother passes on. The Singing Detective is a dark musical where the main character (Robert Downey Jr.) is a writer in a hospital for skin conditions who writes a dark world of seduction and murder in his mind. Katie Holmes plays the kind Nurse Mills who tends to his every need. She also gets to lip-sing and dance in this movie. Her 2004 movie schedule included the upcoming romantic movie First Daughter, in which she plays the President's (Michael Keaton) daughter, Samantha, who wants to go to college without any Secret Service tagging along. Currently filming for release in 2005 is Batman Begins, a new Batman movie where Katie plays Rachel Dawes, a childhood sweetheart and love interest to Batman/Bruce Wayne.
Batman Begins (2005): $1,000,000
Pieces of April (2003): $0 (box office % only)
Abandon (2002): $1,000,000
Phone Booth (2002): $500,000
The Gift (2000): $200,000
Her father Martin Joseph Holmes, Sr. is a lawyer, an attorney specializing in divorces, and her mother Kathleen (Kathy) A. is a homemaker and a philanthropist. Voted as "Babe of the Year 98" (Årets Babe 98) by Expressen Fredag, Sweden. Graduated from Notre Dame Academy, an all-girls Roman Catholic school in Toledo, Ohio. Chosen as one of Teen People Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21". [1999] Dated actor and co-star of Dawson's Creek, Joshua Jackson, while filming Season 1 of the show and part of Season 2. She refers to him as her first love. They remain great friends. Deferred attending Columbia University twice, but finally took a single photography class in the summer of 2000. Bought a Wilmington, North Carolina townhouse, while filming Dawson's Creek, and lived there for ten months of the year. Turned down the lead role in 40 Days and 40 Nights, due to scheduling conflicts. Auditioned for the role of Ellie Christianson in Wicked, but Julia Stiles won the part. A small band from Japan have performed a song about her entitled "Katie". Was lined up to have a 3 episode guest spot on Friends but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Likes to run three to four miles a couple of times a week to clear her head. The first movie she ever saw was E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Her fantasy role was playing Sydney in Scream 3. The first concert she ever saw was Whitney Houston. Her favorite movie is My Best Friend's Wedding. Sang Eponine's theme song, "On My Own" from Les Miserables, in an episode of Dawson's Creek. Three older sisters: Tamera (born ca 1968), Holly Ann (born ca 1970), and Nancy Kay, Mrs. Blaylock (born ca 1975). One older brother: Martin Joseph, Jr. (born 1970). Noisy underground British artist 'Firexit' has two songs with references to Katie, one called "K H" (Katie's initials) and a song called "The reason I can't have her" featuring samples of Katie singing 'On my own' from a Dawson's Creek episode. Auditioned for the role as Buffy Summers in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but was too young. December 2003 - She and Chris Klein are engaged. Bust 34C. Ranked #35 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002). Engaged to actor Chris Klein December 2003 - March 2005. They were together for five years. Shares a birthday with Brad Pitt, Casper Van Dien, Christina Aguilera, DMX, film critic Leonard Maltin and legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. Engaged to Tom Cruise as of 17th June 2005. Has worked with two Batmans. In Batman Begins, she works with Christian Bale. Her previous film was First Daughter, in which her father, the President, is played by Michael Keaton. Named #22 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list. Holmes's couch-jumping-worthy engagement ring is a Edwardian-style oval- shaped diamond ring of about 5 carats in a pave setting. Katie and Tom Cruise became the parents of Suri Cruise on April 18, 2006 in Los Angeles. "Suri" weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches. Ranked as #72 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005) Her brother Martin Joseph, Jr. works as a lawyer in Ohio. Friends with Victoria Beckham. Named #90 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006). She and Tom Cruise both wore Armani at their wedding. On November 18, 2006, married Tom Cruise at the Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy in front of family and friends. Lots of celebrity guests included Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy, Richard Gere, Victoria Beckham and David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Jenna Elfman, Bodhi Elfman and Leah Remini. Stepmother of Tom Cruise children Isabella and Connor. Best Man at her wedding to Tom Cruise was David Miscavige. Mentioned in the song High School Never Ends by Bowling for Soup. Participated in and finished the New York Marathon in 2007. Niece of former WCW Superstar Jimmy Golden.