Catherine was born in London, England, on August 14, 1968. Her father, Peter, born in Britain, worked as an architect in London and her mother, Mina, born in Iran, worked as a nurse. An only child, she and her mother (after her parents divorced in Britain) emigrated from England to the United States when she was three years old. Interestingly, she considered herself a British subject until 1998, when she discovered by accident that at the age of 12 she had become a naturalized American citizen. Catherine and her mother lived in Los Angeles, where they stayed, at first, with her mother's parents. During Catherine's early school years, she was a bit of a tomboy; however, by Grade 11 she began to adopt a more feminine attitude.Catherine attended the University of California at Los Angeles for two years. While at university, she began modeling part-time in Los Angeles, where she did modeling work in catalogues and TV commercials. Eventually, she left school to do some modeling work in Japan for four months

After returning to the U.S. and wanting to become an actress, she hired an acting coach to help her develop her skills. A few movies and TV shows later, Catherine auditioned (five times) for the lead female role of Marine Major Sarah ''Mac'' MacKenzie on the CBS TV action-drama series ''JAG.'' Knowing the show's originator, Donald Bellisario, from having made a guest appearance in the first season ''JAG'' episode, ''Skeleton Crew,'' Catherine wrote him a long letter about how she loved the ''Mac'' character and how she felt she was the best person for the part. She was cast in the role.Catherine is currently married to Adam Beason, 29, and lives in Sherman Oaks, California. She has two Italian greyhound doggies, Zoe and Leo. She is fluent in the Persian language Farsi. She enjoys painting, kick boxing, sky diving, bungy jumping, dirt biking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding. Her mother is her personal assistant