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.
