Katie Holmes grew up in the small town known as Toledo in the midst of Ohio. Growing up the youngest of five children, she had a very "sheltered" life. Attending Notre Dame, a "very strict", all-girls Catholic high school, Katie is reportedly as humble as can be. And just as shy - when around strangers, that is. When around friends, that's a very different story. Katie's co-star in Teaching Mrs Tingle, Barry Watson told Seventeen magazine, "Katie is the Karaoke Queen. I actually did a song with her - but I just stood there 'cause she took over the mike."

Katie's film career is in full swing. Making her feature-film debut in the critically acclaimed Ang Lee film, The Ice Storm, her career has roller-coasted. During the first hiatus of her teenage hit television show, Dawson's Creek, Katie filmed three movies. Her first big-screen role was in Disturbing Behavior with X-Men's James Marsden and The Thin Red Line's Nick Stahl. It wasn't the break-through movie of the century, however Katie did win an award for break-through performance at the 1998 MTV movie awards for her portayal of Rachel Wagner. Following this was the well-reviewed Go from Swingers director, Doug Liman. The movie didn't make the money it deserved, but it was enough. Next was Teaching Mrs Tingle directed by Scream and Dawson's creator Kevin Williamson. The film follows three students as they hold their teacher hostage for being a bitch. I hate to say it, but not a very good movie. Acting was done well, but the script lacked in many areas.

While filming the second series of Dawson's Creek, Katie auditioned and won the role of Hannah Green. Director Curtis Hanson (his first film since L.A. Confidential) told Rolling Stone magazine, "She got in line with [other applicants] and came in and read for the part because she wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr and Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire."

Also, while shooting Dawson's, Katie has managed to film yet another movie - a movie that many say will take her out from the teen genre with her "Joey Potter" tag, and place her into more sophisticated and developing roles. The film is The Gift. It is a small budget movie ($10m) with an all-star cast including Australia's Cate Blanchett, Hilary Swank, Keanu Reeves, Giovani Ribiski and Greg Kinnear. Katie plays the role of Jessica King, a spoilt rich girl who, despite an engagement to her ex-high-school principle (played by Greg Kinnear), frollicks in the wim of her sexuality, not limiting herself to one man. Reportedly, she appears topless twice throughout the movie. The first, a very seductive removal of her under garments; the second, a discovery of her dead and naked body, wrapped in chains - "Someone strangles me, throws me in a pond and then drags me through it."

When she first began filming Dawson's, Katie started dating her co-star Joshua Jackson. Once they broke up, they remained close friends. Josh Jackson says of her, "It was the first time I was ever tracked down by a beautiful woman. Life was good."

Currently, Katie is linked to Election and American Pie star, Chris Klien. They have been dating for over a year.

So how exactly does Katie decribe herself? "I'm not that smooth type of girl. I run into things, I trip, I spill food. I say stupid things...I really don't have it all together."