Kate Noelle "Katie" Holmes (born December 18, 1978) is an American
actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB
teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her part on the show,
only her second professional role, made Holmes a star. Her movie roles
have ranged from art house films such as The Ice Storm to thrillers
such as Abandon to blockbusters such as Batman Begins, but she has not
found the same success in films as she did on television and admits
most of her films have been "bombs".
Weeks after ending her engagement with actor Chris Klein, Holmes began
in early 2005 a highly publicized relationship with actor Tom Cruise,
sixteen years her senior. In June, two months after they first met,
she became engaged to Cruise. Their relationship has made Holmes the
subject of international media attention, much of it negative, the
press speculating that the relationship was a publicity stunt to
promote the couple's films. Many reports commented negatively about
the interest of Holmes, born a Roman Catholic, in Cruise's religion,
Scientology. The couple announced Holmes was pregnant in October 2005;
on April 18, 2006, she gave birth to a baby girl, Suri Cruise. Since
she began dating Cruise, Holmes has not worked as an actress and has
no future roles arranged.