Birth Name
Nicole Mary Kidman
Nickname
Nic
Height
5' 10½" (1.79 m)
Mini Biography
Elegant redhead Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Australian parents Anthony (a biochemist and clinical psychologist) and Janelle (a nursing instructor) Kidman. The family moved almost immediately to Washington, DC, where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, and then, three years later, made the pilgrimage to her parents' native Sydney. Young Nicole's first love was ballet, but she eventually took up mime and drama as well (her first stage role was a bleating sheep in an elementary school Christmas pageant). In her adolescent years, acting edged out the other arts and became a kind of refuge -- as her classmates sought out fun in the sun, the fair-skinned Kidman retreated to dark rehearsal halls to practice her craft. She worked regularly at the Philip Street Theater, where she once received a personal letter of praise and encouragement from audience member Jane Campion (then a film student). Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favorite Bush Christmas (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and TV offers, including a lead in BMX Bandits (1983) and a turn as a schoolgirl-turned-protester in the miniseries "Vietnam" (1987) (for which she won her first Australian Film Institute Award). With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller Dead Calm (1989).
Kidman's next casting coup scored her more than exposure. While starring as Tom Cruise's doctor/love interest in the racetrack romance Days of Thunder (1990), she won over the Hollywood hunk hook, line, and sinker. After a whirlwind courtship (and decent box office returns), the couple wed on December 24, 1990. Determined not to let her new marital status overshadow her fledgling career, the actress pressed on. She appeared as a catty high school senior in the Australian film Flirting (1991), then as Dustin Hoffman's moll in the gangster flick Billy Bathgate (1991). She reunited with Cruise for Far and Away (1992), the story of young Irish lovers who flee to America in the late 1800s, and starred opposite Michael Keaton in the tear-tugger My Life (1993/I). Despite her steady employment, critics and moviegoers still hadn't quite warmed to Kidman as a leading lady. She tried to spice up her image by seducing Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), but achieved her real breakthrough with Gus Van Sant's To Die For (1995). As a fame-crazed housewife determined to eliminate any obstacle in her path, Kidman proved that she had an impressive range and deadly comic timing. She took home a Golden Globe and several critics' awards for the performance. In 1996, Kidman stepped into a corset to work with her countrywoman and onetime admirer, Jane Campion, on the adaptation of Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady (1996). A few months later, she tore across the screen as a nuclear weapons expert in The Peacemaker (1997), adding "action star" to her professional repertoire.
She and Cruise then disappeared into a notoriously long, secretive shoot for Stanley Kubrick's sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut (1999). The couple's on-screen shenanigans prompted an increase in public speculation about their sex life (rumors had long been circulating that their marriage was a cover-up for Cruise's homosexuality); tired of denying tabloid attacks, they successfully sued The Star for a story alleging that they needed a sex therapist to coach them through love scenes. Family life has always been a priority for Kidman. Born to social activists (mom was a feminist; dad, a labor advocate), Nicole and her little sister, Antonia Kidman, discussed current events around the dinner table and participated in their parents' campaigns by passing out pamphlets on street corners. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17-year-old Nicole stopped working and took a massage course so that she could provide physical therapy (her mom eventually beat the cancer). She and Cruise adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born in 1993) and Connor Antony (born 1995). Despite their rock-solid image, the couple announced in early 2001 that they were separating due to career conflicts. Her marriage to Cruise ended mid-summer of 2001.
IMDb Mini Biography By: IMDb Editors
Spouse
Keith Urban (25 June 2006 - present) 1 child
Tom Cruise (24 December 1990 - 8 August 2001) (divorced) 2 children
Trade Mark
Often plays cold, emotionally vacant characters.
Trivia
Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list. (December 25 1995/January 1 1996 issue)
2000: She and her husband Tom Cruise donated to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York state.
Suffered a broken rib while rehearsing a dance routine for the movie Moulin Rouge! (2001). Production was halted while she recovered.
1999: Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
1996: Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.
Wore a corset while filming The Portrait of a Lady (1996) to take her waist down to 19".
Spent two weeks in bed after filming of The Portrait of a Lady (1996) - diagnosed as suffering from "emotional stress".
Her father is renowned Sydney psychologist Dr. Antony Kidman, famous in his own right for work done with breast cancer patients, among other things.
Family: sister, Antonia Kidman, brother-in-law, Angus Hawley, father, Dr. Anthony David Kidman, mother, Janelle Ann MacNeille Kidman, son, Connor Antony, daughter, Isabella Jane.
10/99: Crusader against child abuse. "Children should be allowed to grow up without fear of cruelty.".
2/5/01: Separated from husband Tom Cruise.
In Moulin Rouge! (2001) Kidman sang alongside Ewan McGregor.
She has two adopted children with Tom Cruise: Isabella Jane Cruise (born December 22, 1992) Connor Antony Cruise (Connor Cruise) (born January 17, 1995).
Sang alongside Robbie Williams in a remake of the duet "Something Stupid", originally sang by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra.
Scared of butterflies.
2001: Named one of People Magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People of 2001.
2001: Named E!'s Celebrity of the Year.
2001: Named Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of The Year.
Played a young girl named Grace on a sketch on "Saturday Night Live" (1975) with Mike Myers, the next time she played a character named Grace was her 2001 movie, The Others (2001). She played a character named Grace for the third time in Dogville (2003).
She was supposed to be the star of Panic Room (2002), but she hurt herself in a stunt for Moulin Rouge! (2001). So, she played the voice of Jodie Foster's divorced husband's wife.
2002: Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine.
Sister of Australian television personality Antonia Kidman.
Although naturally left-handed, she taught herself to write right-handed for her role in The Hours (2002), where she played the right-handed author Virginia Woolf.
1/13/03: Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Found out about her first Academy Award nomination, for Moulin Rouge! (2001), while shooting Dogville (2003) in Sweden.
2003: Ranked #31 in Premiere's annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #83 in 2002.
First Australian actress to win the Best Actress Academy Award.
8/02: Voted the 5th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine.
Measurements: 34B-23-36 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).
In recent polls, she was elected alongside fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman as one of the favorite upcoming romantic couples on screen.
Originally cast as Mrs. Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).
Has appeared in My Life (1993/I) with Michael Keaton, Batman Forever (1995) with Val Kilmer, The Peacemaker (1997) with George Clooney and The Portrait of a Lady (1996) with Christian Bale. All four actors have played Batman in a movie.
She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1999 (1998 season) for Best Actress for her performance in "The Blue Room".
Best friends with Naomi Watts.
1998: She was awarded the Special Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her special and significant contributions to London Theatre for her performance in "The Blue Room".
A very tall woman at nearly 5' 11", she actually stood about 4 inches taller than ex-husband Tom Cruise, and rarely wore heels when seen publicly with him so that they could appear similar in height. Since their divorce, she is rarely seen on the red carpet without high heels, and she often meets 6' 4" actors in the eye. |
