NICOLE KIDMAN

Biography

The ravishing redhead was thrown into the Hollywood limelight as Tom Cruise's wife, but Nicole Kidman became an A-list actress and household name based on the strength of her acting abilities, not because of a wedding ring she once wore.

Many have been fooled into thinking that Nicole was born Down Under because of her accent, but she was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 20, 1967. Her parents had moved to the U.S. to allow Nicole's biochemist father to pursue his research on breast cancer.

nicole heads to australia

When Nicole was 4 years old, her family moved to Australia, where she and her younger sister Antonia were raised under strict rules. Anthony and Janelle Kidman were extremely politically active, and they instilled similar values into their daughters. The Kidman girls were required to discuss a political issue or current affair with their parents at the end of every day.

Difficult though it may be to believe, Nicole felt extremely awkward and out of place while growing up. Although today her statuesque figure is part of her beauty, as a child her figure was disproportionate, and she stood at a lanky height compared to her classmates. A pale complexion did not make matters any better for young Nicole.

Insecure with her awkward appearance, Nicole sought refuge in performing and drama. She became involved in the St. Martin's Youth Theater and then the Philip Street Theater in Sydney, where she impressed future director Jane Campion, a film student at the time. Nicole's love for ballet and the performing arts, combined with Jane Campion's encouraging words, were enough for Nicole to know that acting was her calling.

nicole kidman in dead calm

Nicole made her film debut in 1983, in the Australian films Bush Christmas and BMX Bandits. Her performance spawned further roles, and before long she dropped out of high school to pursue a full-time acting career and tend to her mother, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. As her mother gradually recovered, Nicole began to achieve star status in Australia. She also established visibility in the United States, appearing in the 1989 thriller, Dead Calm.

Nicole's next film would mold her life in more ways than one. Starring in the racecar flick Days of Thunder, she stole co-star Tom Cruise's heart both on and off the screen (even though Tom was actually married to Mimi Rogers at the time). The couple wed after a brief courtship in 1990.

nicole and tom in far and away

While Nicole continued to enjoy prominent roles in such American films as Billy Bathgate (1991), Far and Away (1992), co-starring then husband Tom Cruise, My Life (1993), and Malice (1993), they did not fare particularly well at the box office, and the actress remained low on the ladder of Hollywood's commodities.

nicole kidman is to die for

In 1995, Nicole finally secured A-list status with a critically-acclaimed performance in Gus Van Sant's film, To Die For. Her role as a fame-hungry journalist swept aside any suggestions that Nicole was just another actress and garnered her the Best Actress award at the Golden Globes.

nicole and tom in eyes wide shut

Bigger roles followed: the sexy love interest in the summer blockbuster Batman Forever (1995), a leading role in Jane Campion's film adaptation of The Portrait of a Lady (1996), and a co-starring role opposite George Clooney in The Peacemaker (1997). In 1999, Nicole appeared alongside Tom Cruise in the psychosexual drama Eyes Wide Shut, which was director Stanley Kubrick's final film.

Returning to her theatrical roots, Nicole then starred in the Broadway production of The Blue Room, which garnered her rave reviews and a Theatre World Award.

nicole kidman and tom cruise split

In 2001, Tom filed for divorce from Nicole, which was highly publicized in the media. Nicole and Tom were married for 10 years and adopted two children, Isabella Jane and Connor Anthony.

The divorce didn't stop Nicole: In 2001, she appeared in Birthday Girl, the supernatural thriller The Others, and Moulin Rouge!, the Baz Luhrmann musical that earned Nicole her first Academy Award nomination and another Golden Globe win. Her next film was The Hours (2002), in which she shared the screen with Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep. This time she took home the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her gut-wrenching portrayal of Virginia Woolf.

nicole kidman in cold mountain

Nicole was busy in 2003, with starring roles in Cold Mountain with Renee Zellweger, The Human Stain, and the experimental Lars von Trier drama, Dogville. The latest entries in her filmography are Birth (2004) and The Stepford Wives (2004). In 2005 and 2006, The Interpreter, Bewitched, The Producers, American Darlings, Emma's War, Eucalyptus, and a Baz Luhrmann biopic on Alexander the Great.

Nicole Kidman has also made the leap into producing, serving as producer for In the Cut and executive producer for American Darlings.

When not working on films, Nicole Kidman can be seen in ads for Chanel No. 5, and making headlines thanks to romances with rocker Lenny Kravitz and Liz Hurley's ex, Stephen Bing.