So settle in, relax, and enjoy as we take you through this journey where we get up close and personal with Katie.
She's the Youngest of 5 Children
Anyone who grew up with a lot of siblings in their house will know how much fun a full house can be. When we think of actors, we think of self-entitled kids who never had to share anything, but Katie actually grew up in a large household; five children to be exact.
We can only imagine how much fun that was for her and her siblings. The best part is she says she is still close with her family to this day.
Katie Has Midwestern Roots
Katie Holmes is midwestern at heart! She was born in Toledo, Ohio, and regularly goes back to visit her family who still lives there.
Toledo is where she spent most of her childhood. It's where she was baptized, where she went to school, where she starred in high school plays, and where she got to dip her toes in the turbulent water of show business.
She Is a Smarty Pants
While Katie has made a name for herself in acting, she had a promising academic career before then. She was a 4.0 student at the all-female academy she attended in Toledo and was even accepted into Columbia university after high school.
She only stayed a summer session at Columbia before moving to LA to pursue acting full-time. While she didn’t pursue academics, it is there if she ever wanted to go back to school.
Dr. Holmes?
Not everyone thought she was going to be a world-famous actress. In fact, her father wanted her to become a doctor. With the promise she showed in school, it is no wonder why he wanted her to pursue medicine.
She had the grades and potential to excel in the field, but it wasn’t what she wanted to do. While we don’t have Dr. Holmes saving lives today, life still turned out pretty great for her, as she got to follow her dreams.
School Plays
Before appearing in movies, Katie began acting on stage for school plays. Specifically, it was at a neighboring all-male high school, where she appeared in the school musicals “Hello, Dolly” and “Damn Yankees”.
It’s crazy to think that back then the audience had no idea that the young woman who played a waitress and Lola (respectively) would go on to be the famous Katie Holmes. Makes us want to go back and look at our yearbooks to see who we knew before they were famous.
An Icy Start to Her Career
Katie’s big break was in the film “The Ice Storm” where she played Libbets Casey. She acted alongside Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver. That movie was loaded with talent and also starred future Spiderman (Tobey Maguire) and Frodo himself (Elijah Wood).
The movie went on to become critically acclaimed. Who knows where in the world she would be if she never sent in that audition tape?
She Didn’t Want to Slay
After her role in “The Ice Storm,” she was reportedly offered the lead role in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Sadly, she turned it down and we were never graced with Katie as the stake-wielding fighter.
We wonder if she ever regrets that decision because the show would end up going on for seven seasons. 144 episodes were made! It is now a cult classic and Sarah Michelle Gellar makes bank from the royalties she earns from the show each year.
Meet Us Down at Dawson’s Creek
All was not lost for Katie after she turned down Buffy. More was on the horizon as she landed the role of Joey Potter in “Dawson's Creek” in 1998. The show would go on to air for six seasons and turned Katie into a household name along with James Van Der Beek.
The show now lives on in internet fame with Van Der Beek's crying meme (a quick google search will help you out in case you don't know what we're talking about).
She Is Committed and Loyal
“Dawson’s Creek” almost didn’t happen for Katie because she refused to audition in person. The audition overlapped with her opening night for “Damn, Yankees” and she didn’t want to miss that opportunity.
Lucky for her, the producers allowed her to audition via videotape, and the rest is history. Apparently, the executive producer took one view of the tape and knew he found his Joey Potter.
Babe of the Year in Sweden
If anyone wants to vote for us as the babe of the year we will take it, no matter the country. We hope Katie feels the same way because she was voted “Babe of the Year” in 1998 by the Swedish newspaper Expressen Fredag.
It’s kinda cool knowing that you have a reach all across the world. So if any country or person, for that matter, wants to name us that, we will gladly take the honor.
Workplace Romance
Katie’s first love came when she met Joshua Jackson on the set of "Dawson’s Creek" in 1998. The love was incredible and indescribable but sadly burned too quickly.
The pair called it quits in 1999, soon after the premiere of the first season. The two still remain close friends to this day and she even considers him one of her best friends.
Breakthrough Performance
While “The Ice Storm” was her first performance, she was awarded a breakthrough performance award by MTV for her role as Rachel Wagner in “Disturbing Behavior.”
She did star alongside James Marsden in this film, but we don’t know why MTV thought so highly of this teen-horror movie. Not even two amazing actors in Katie and James could have saved this movie from itself.
Stop and “Go”
Katie did redeem herself after “Disturbing Behavior” flopped when she excelled in “Go.” This movie was met with a much better reception from audiences and movie critics alike.
It grossed over 28.5 million at the box office and has a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you should. It’s well worth the time spent watching and will keep you entertained the whole way through.
Her Scandalous Scene
While being nude on the silver screen isn’t uncommon, it’s not always popular. Katie’s first nude scene was for the movie “The Gift” and the people of Ohio did not approve. It’s not always easy seeing someone you grew up with naked in a movie.
We probably would have been stunned too. However, Katie is her own woman and if she wanted to do it, that is her choice. Power to her!
In Love With Chris Klein
In the early 2000s, Katie and Chris Klein were a part of the same red-carpet circles. They began talking and immediately hit it off. One thing led to another, and they were engaged a year later. Like most things that start that fast, they called things off in early 2005.
She had her eyes set on Tom Cruise and went to pursue that love interest. That one also ended like 50% of marriages— in divorce.
Hosting SNL
Hosting SNL is a dream of ours and Katie got to live that dream in 2001. She was at the height of her fame and SNL came calling. We can only imagine how fun and stressful getting ready for that was.
SNL is one of these iconic shows everyone would love to be a part of, if only they were as famous as Katie to live out that dream. Regardless, her show went great, and they even got a standing ovation at the end.
She Dropped Everything for Her First Leading Role
Katie’s first leading role came in 2002 when she starred as Katie Burke in the 2002 thriller-mystery movie “Abandon.” The film did not receive great reviews and now has a 16% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The project has an excellent, star-studded cast with Katie, Ben Bratt, and Zooey Deschanel. Sadly, though, it goes to show that even the best acting team can’t help a bad script or bad directing.
Beautiful People Party
Sweden was not the only country that found Katie hot — America did too. In 2003, she was named among the “50 Most Beautiful People” by People magazine and “25 Hottest Stars Under 25” by Teen People.
Her looks caught the attention of a lot of people and they couldn’t get enough of her at her peak. But again, she has always been about more than just her looks. She's also known as a great actress and a kind person.
Batman’s Lover
Her first major breakthrough came when she landed the role of Rachel Dawes in the 2005 film “Batman Begins.” She starred alongside Christian Bale and the movie came out to much fanfare.
Unfortunately, we don’t know why, but she did not reprise her role in the subsequent movie. Did she have some type of fight with Christopher Nolan? Was she unpleased with her character? Whatever the reason was, Maggie Gyllenhaal ended up replacing her.
Rachel Dawes Was Created for Kaite
Some people might not know, but Rachel Dawes was created specifically for Katie Holmes. The character doesn’t exist in any of the DC Comics, but Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer created the role and thought Katie would be the perfect actress to bring Rachel to life.
It turned out great and she was perfect as Bruce’s childhood sweetheart in “Batman Begins.” Of course, the fact the role was created for her makes us wonder what happened that made her leave the role behind.
Marriage Impossible
Katie started dating Tom Cruise in the spring of 2005 and quickly fell in love. They got married in 2006, but the love didn’t last forever, it barely lasted at all. They only managed to stay married for 6 years before the couple divorced in 2012.
Some outlets say Scientology played the biggest role in the pair’s split, but both parties publicly deny it did. Whatever the reason, we hope they are friendly now, even if at least in front of their child, Suri
Immortalized in Songs
Katie is of such cultural influence that she has been immortalized in a few different songs. British artist Firexit, punk-rock band Bowling for Soup, and even a small, obscure Japanese band all mention her in their songs.
While Firexit went the furthest, with two songs being written about her, Bowling for Soup and the Japanese band both mention her by name. We can only imagine how cool it would be to be referenced in music that will live on well after we are gone.
It’s Just a Phase
We all have experimented while we were younger, even Katie. When she was dating Tom Cruise she dabbled in Scientology for a bit. The actress was originally raised Catholic but began studying the religion when she and Tom started to date.
The experiment only lasted as long as their marriage and in 2012, after their divorce, she left the church for good.
Holmes Was Tom’s Third Divorce
They say the first marriage ends in divorce 50% of the time and the second marriage is up to 60%. For the “lucky” people who make it to the third, we guess the chance of divorce is even higher than 60%. Maybe Katie should have seen the end coming when she said “I do” and became Tom’s third wife.
It’s never a good sign when your husband has been this controversial and it’s even worse when he has two ex-wives.
She Can Read Minds?
We feel close to our siblings. They are literally someone we would run through a wall for. Well, for Katie, that connection might be even stronger.
She claims she feels a telepathic connection to her sister and can tell when her sister is about to call her. The two are not twins, but it sounds like they have some type of twin-like connection, which is pretty cool if you ask us.
Early Modeling Career
Katie has been scouted for her looks since she was little. She was 16 when she competed in her first modeling contest and would go on to have a successful amateur teen career in modeling.
She won a number of awards both domestically and abroad and was known for her monologue recitation of "To Kill a Mockingbird." It's no wonder she was later included in many "Most beautiful actors" lists.
She Knows a Good Lawyer
They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but that wasn’t the case for Katie. Her dad, Joseph Holmes Sr. was a lawyer who specialized in divorces, and her mother, Kathleen Ann (Craft) was a philanthropist.
She didn’t follow either of their footsteps as a career, but we think she turned out pretty well, falling a bit further from the tree in her case.
She Owns a House in Wilmington
When you know something is right, you just know it's right. Well, that is what happened when Katie traveled to Wilmington for the filming of “Dawson’s Creek” and fell in love with the area.
She decided to buy a house there and she still owns the property to this day. We probably would have done the same if we were in the same location filming for 10 months out of the year.
Turning Down Michael Lehmann
Katie knows what she wants and does not have a problem turning down roles she does not want. One example of a role she turned down was the lead role in Michael Lehmann's early 2000s rom-com “40 Days and 40 Nights.”
While we would also have waited 40 days and 40 nights to court Katie given the opportunity, she has done well despite turning it down. She probably is thankful she did because the movie does have a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes.
A Mainstay on “Dawson’s Creek”
Actors staying for the entire duration of a show is rare. Well, when the curtain finally fell for “Dawson’s Creek” in 2003, Katie was the only actor to have appeared in all 128 episodes. That’s pretty impressive for a show that went on for 6 seasons. Not even James Van Der Beek can say that!
We loved watching her and she was easily our favorite character, and no, it’s not because she was in every episode.
She Co-Starred With Michael Keaton
In 2004, Katie Holmes was cast alongside Michael Keaton and Marc Blucas in “First Daughter.” She played Samantha Mackenzie, daughter of the US President. The movie follows her as she heads off to college, which isn't easy, being the daughter of such a high-profile man.
She ends up falling for Marc Blucas, who plays a graduate student at her university. It’s a fun rom-com and worth a watch if you have some time to kill.
Award Winning Role
While it was in a lesser-known award, Katie still got recognition for her role in “Batman Begins.” She earned a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as childhood sweetheart to Bruce Wayne.
She didn’t win, but it’s still cool to be nominated. We don't want to ruin the party but we also have to say she got awarded a Golden Raspberry for Worst Supporting Actress for the same role. Yikes.
Being a Part of a Power Couple
Some people may forget, but Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were quite a power couple. Yes, back in the early 00s, they were considered the holy grail of Hollywood romance. They held the title together with other famous celebrity couples, like Brangelina and Bennifer.
Anyways, TomKat was also thought to be invincible, but sadly, there were cracks that formed over time. TomKat just became Tom and Katie after their divorce, and that was probably for the best.
Katie Is the Centerfold
If you go back through your old “Vanity Fair” magazines you will find an edition where Katie Holmes donned the cover. Yes, it was also with her daughter and with Tom Cruise, but she was still on the cover! That is more than we can say.
The photoshoot was done by world-famous photographer, Annie Leibovitz and is a great cover if we are speaking honestly. The family may not have been perfect, but the photo is close to it.
Getting Married in Italy
On November 18th, 2006, Katie Married Tom Cruise at a 15th Century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy. The castle overlooks the water. It's a place so beautiful that anyone would love to get married there if they had the budget for it.
We would even think about getting married to a Scientologist if it meant having those views. We are kidding, but we did think about it.
Falling in Love in Paris
The city of love is known for many things and engagements are one of them. We couldn’t think of anything more romantic than having someone get down on their knee for us in front of the sparkling lights of the Eiffel Tower.
Tom Cruise also thought so when he proposed to Katie there. The engagement photos were lovely! If only the marriage were as timeless as those photos...
Dreams Coming True
Sure, Katie is special, but she's not THAT special — she had a childhood dream of marrying Tom Cruise just like the rest of us. Who didn’t have a childhood dream to marry Tom Cruise when they were little? He was the hunk from “Top Gun,” and everyone and their mother wanted him.
We were a little more than hot and bothered after that volleyball scene with Goose, and if he would have put a ring on us we would have been in heaven too. So maybe living this dream does make her THAT special.
Slow Fashion
All good things take time, but four years? Well, that’s how long it took Katie to get her first fashion line to New York Fashion Week.
She started her high fashion clothing line, Holmes & Yang, with longtime stylist Jeanne Yang all the way back in 2008, but the pair didn’t have anything ready until 2012. The line was well received, so we guess it was worth the wait.
They Can Dance if They Want To
Everyone loves to boogie, even Katie Holmes! She loved it so much that she created her own dance scholarship fund to help aspiring dancers reach their dreams. She did this alongside Nigel Lythgoe, Adam Shankman, and Carrie Ann Inaba.
The foundation is called the Dizzy Feet Foundation. Now young dancers who are awarded this scholarship can boogie until their feet ache.
Scared of Scientology
Katie left Scientology after her split with Tom Cruise in 2012. However, that didn’t mean Scientology was done with her. Katie has openly admitted she feared intimidation by the Church of Scientology for leaving and had reason to fear they would try to abduct her daughter Suri.
Luckily, they didn’t attempt the latter, but it made her rethink ever joining in the first place.
Still Active on TV
While “Dawson’s Creek” ended in 2003, that did not mean Katie Holmes was done with television. The actress didn’t want to ride off into the sunset with her role on “Dawson’s Creek” and the trajectory she took far exceeded our expectations.
She has been quite active in the medium and has had numerous roles in shows like “The Kennedys,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Ray Donovan.”
No, It’s Just Kate
Oftentimes when people have Katie as their name it is short of Katherine or Katelin. Well, apparently that's not the case for Katie Holmes. Her legal first name is just “Kate.” It took us by surprise too, but we read her birth certificate and that’s what is listed.
Look it up yourself if you don’t believe us, but you will find we tell the truth. We wonder if it was out of uniqueness or whether her parents didn’t want to spell out Katherine in the hospital.
A Friend That Never Was
Apparently, Holmes was supposed to perform on the hit TV show “Friends.” She was originally scheduled to have a three-episode arc but had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts.
Sadly, we will never know if she was going to couple up with Ross, Chandler, or Joey. However, if we had to place a bet on it our money would be on Joey. Who wouldn’t fall for his, “How you doin'?” bit?
She Has Pipes Too
Katie is best known for her acting chops, but some people don’t know that she can sing too. Unlike other actors (Scarlett Johanson and Jeremy Renner for example), she has never pursued it professionally.
But, let us tell you that she does have the pipes to sing with the best of them. If you don’t believe us check out the episode of “Dawson’s Creek” where she sings “On My Own” from Les Miserables. She brought down the house and made us tear up when we watched.
Her First Concert
Everyone remembers their first concert. Most of the time, it's when you're in your early teens at one fair or another with your mom. For Katie, it was Whitney Houston with her mom and sister.
How cool would that have been to see her on stage singing “I Will Always Love You” with 10,000 fans screaming for her? Probably a little cooler than what most of us got to watch, but we love our first time even if it wasn’t Whitney.
A Quiet Birth
Scientology has a lot of unique traditions, one of those being that they recommend having a quiet birth. This means that everyone in the birthing room should refrain from speaking, even the nurses encouraging the mother to push.
Katie found herself in this situation when she was giving birth to her daughter. We don’t know if she stayed silent, but to us, the whole concept sounds nearly impossible.
Moving to New York
Sometimes you just need to get away and reset after a divorce, and that is exactly what Katie did after her split with Tom. Katie and Suri moved to New York where they hoped to escape the chaos of Los Angeles.
It worked, and now all they had to deal with were the honkings of horns and the people walking on the sidewalk. The mother-daughter duo can be seen running errands and doing other daily things in the concrete jungle.
She’s a Gym Bro
Getting exercise is an important part of life, and there are many benefits to getting a sweat daily. This goes for Katie too. The former “Dawson’s Creek” star boasts that she exercises four times a week with a variety of spin classes, boxing classes, and yoga classes.
Good on her for staying active and living a healthy lifestyle. If we had the resources she does we would probably do the same.
She Found a Foxx-y Man
After her divorce from Tom in 2012, the paparazzi spotted Katie and Jamie Foxx together in the Hamptons in 2013. The couple didn’t make their relationship official until 2015, so we assume it was a secret until then.
The pair did spend 6 years together before their mutual split in 2019. Both stated that their different lives were the reason for the split.
If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen
Katie probably doesn’t like to be single for long. Right after her relationship with Jamie Foxx ended, rumors quickly swirled about her new relationship with the chef Emilio Vitolo Jr. They were first spotted in NYC, but this love only lasted 8 months.
The two simply didn’t work out and wanted to focus on different things in their lives. It’s sad, and even sadder now that she won’t have the same access to his food anymore.