Tall, slender and ethereally beautiful, this stunning actress (who was born in the U.S. but raised Down Under) began performing as a teen and was already well known in Australia when she came to Hollywood to costar with Tom Cruise in the 1990 racing flick
Days of Thunder. Within months the couple was married and the 23-year-old became an overnight sensation — albeit more due to her status as Mrs. Cruise than her talent. Undaunted and ambitious, Kidman took on a variety of roles in all genres of films, although most were unsuccessful: thrillers (
Malice), tearjerkers (
My Life), historical epics (
Far and Away, opposite her husband) and one blockbuster (
Batman Forever). But it was her seductive turn as a wickedly aspiring newscaster in the 1995 black comedy
To Die For that proved she was more than a pretty face and perfect body. Kidman worked steadily for the rest of the decade and collaborated once more with Cruise in
Eyes Wide Shut. But in 2001 their 11-year marriage very publicly fell apart as her career heated up, with an Oscar-nominated role in the musical extravaganza
Moulin Rouge and a critically lauded performance as a ghost-plagued mother in
The Others. The next year, with a little help from the makeup department, Kidman buried her beauty under a prosthetic nose and brown wig to play troubled British author Virginia Woolf in
The Hours and won an Academy Award for her portrayal. The star was doing better than ever sans Cruise — and having a lot more fun, too, with a string of high-profile romances (Lenny Kravitz, Keith Urban). Not even missteps such as the tepid comedies
Stepford Wives and
Bewitched could tarnish her A-list reputation. In June 2006, she walked down the aisle a second time, marrying country musician Urban in their Aussie homeland.
Nicole Kidman Fast Facts:
- Made her stage debut as a lamb in her school's Nativity play.
- Was 5'9" by the age of 13.
- Dropped out of high school to care for her ailing mother.
- After starring in The Blue Room in London, Kidman made her Broadway debut in the show when it transferred to New York in 1998. She created a plethora of headlines by appearing completely nude in one scene.
- Although left-handed, taught herself to write right-handed for her role in The Hours (2002).
- Became the celebrity spokeswoman for Chanel No. 5 in 2003 and starred in a very expensive ad for the fragrance directed by Moulin Rouge auteur, Baz Luhrmann.
- Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January of 2003 and said: "I've never been so excited to have people walk all over me for the rest of my life."
- Claims to have overcome a fear of butterflies.
- Writes short stories in her free time and hopes to publish them one day.
- Nicole Kidman Relationships:
- Sunday Rose Kidman Urban - Daughter
- Antonia Kidman Hawley - Sister
- Antony Kidman - Father
- Connor Anthony Kidman Cruise - Son
- Isabella Jane Kidman Cruise - Daughter
- Janelle Kidman - Mother
- Tom Cruise - Ex-husband
- Keith Urban - Husband
- Nicole Kidman Awards:
- 2001 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2002 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Winner
- 2002 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 2004 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 1996 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Winner
- 2002 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Winner
- 1992 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
