Exuding a preternatural maturity both on and off the screen, Katie Holmes is a captivating newcomer to the acting business, landing major roles both in film and on television with just a handful of auditions. Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Holmes started acting in theater productions in high school, but didn't think she had a shot at stardom living in the Midwest. Fate intervened when she was attending a national modeling and talent convention in New York City, and she met a talent manager who encouraged her to come to Los Angeles for television's pilot season. On her very first professional audition, Holmes dazzled the casting director for the acclaimed feature film "The Ice Storm." Directed by Ang Lee ("Sense and Sensibility"), the Fox Searchlight release won the screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival and starred Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood and Joan Allen. The slice-of-life art house film about the sexual revolution of the 1970s featured Holmes as the love interest of Toby Maguire. When the next pilot season came up during her senior year of high school, Holmes opted to skip coming out to Los Angeles to perform in her school's production of "Damn Yankees" as Lola. For the "Dawson's Creek" audition, she sent in a videotape from Toledo, and when the call back conflicted with her play's opening night, she declined rather than let down her classmates. Fortunately, the producers were able to reschedule her audition and she landed the series regular role of Joey Potter.
This excerpt is from the official Dawson's Creek © Website.
Katie Holmes was born on Dec. 18th 1978, in Toledo Ohio. She is currently 19 years old, and living by-herself in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her father is a lawyer and her mother is a homemaker. Katie is the youngest of her parents 5 children. Katie’s first audition was for "The Ice Storm". "A year before, WB offered Holmes the role of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. All she had to do was get her GED and start work immediately. She passed, and decided to finish school." (There's a thought, Katie as Buffy all gaga for Angel, instead of Dawson). However since she passed on Buffy, Katie got her start with a small role in Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm playing Libbets Casey, directed by Ang Lee (SENSE AND SENSIBILITY). The film, which recently won the screenplay award from the Cannes Film Festival, starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood and Joan Allen, depicts the sexual revolution of the 1970s. After her role in "The Ice Storm" Katie somehow hooked up with the WB network again, and caught the eye of Kevin Williamson, who cast her in the role of Joey Potter, even though Katie chose to stay home and act in her school’s play (the before mentioned "Damn Yankees") as opposed to show up in person for the audition. But that only made Williamson want her for the role even more. Joey's characteris based on Kevin Williamson’s real life friendship with Fanny (a girl he was good friends with, and secretely loved) sinmilar to that of Dawson and Joey's relationship. The role of Joey is of the girl next door, slightly something of a tomboy, sweet, caring, but tough and with lots of attitude (but that's what we love most about her!). This role has given Katie a rather large fan following, and who could blame us. As Holmes explains, "Joey is a 15-year-old girl that uses a tough attitude as a guard because she's been through so much. She's been hurt so many times that she doesn't want to be vulnerable and put herself out there for everyone. She has to be tough. She lost her mom [to cancer] and her dad's in prison. She doesn't have the best reputation in town because her sister, Bessie, is pregnant by Bodie, her black boyfriend, and they all live together. Her relationship with Dawson has been the only stable thing in her life and now it's beginning to change." Durring the hiatus between the first and second season of "Dawson’s Creek" Katie is filming 3 movies, "Disturbing Behavior", "Go", and "Killing Ms. Tingle" (which is directed by Williamson).
Actress filmography Disturbing Behavior (1998) .... Rachel "Dawson's Creek" (1998) TV Series .... Joey Potter Go (1998) .... Claire Montgomery Killing Mrs. Tingle (1998) Ice Storm, The (1997) .... Libbets Casey