(1967-)

Who Is Nicole Kidman?

Nicole Kidman was born on June 20, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii, but grew up in Sydney, Australia, where director Jane Campion encouraged her to pursue acting. Kidman’s first indie hit, Flirting, was followed by bigger films like Dead Calm (1989) and Billy Bathgate (1991), and she went on to win an Academy Award for her lead role in 2002’s The Hours. The actress was married to screen heartthrob Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001, before her second marriage to musician Keith Urban in 2006. Her later films include The Paperboy (2012),Queen of the Desert (2015), Lion (2016) and Aquaman (2018). Kidman also claimed Emmy and Golden Globe wins for her contributions to the first season of HBO’s Big Little Lies.

Acting Debut

Born Nicole Mary Kidman on June 20, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Nicole Kidman is one of Hollywood’s most beautiful and well-regarded leading female stars. At age 4 she moved with her parents to Sydney, Australia. As a schoolgirl she attended a local theater group and, encouraged by director Jane Campion, made a notable film debut in Bush Christmas (1983). Kidman also met one of her best friends, actress Naomi Watts, around this time. The two were at an open call for a bathing-suit ad and later worked together on the 1991 film Flirting.

Early Films and Marriage to Tom Cruise

Her U.S. breakthrough came with Dead Calm (1989), and success followed with Billy Bathgate (1991), To Die For (1995), Practical Magic (1998) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999), in which she co-starred with husband Tom Cruise. She and Cruise divorced in 2001 after 10-plus years of marriage. They had adopted two children, Isabella and Connor, during their relationship.

Awards for ‘Moulin Rouge!’ and ‘The Hours’

While her marriage was ending, Kidman’s career reached new heights. She won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of a Parisian singer and courtesan in Baz Luhrmann’s musical extravaganza Moulin Rouge! (2001). The following year, Kidman wowed critics and audiences alike with her performance in The Hours (2002), playing famed writer Virginia Woolf. She received several major honors for her work, including her first Academy Award as best actress.

‘Cold Mountain,’ ‘Dogville’ and ‘The Stepford Wives’

Working with acclaimed director Anthony Minghella, Kidman starred in the Civil War epic Cold Mountain (2003), with Jude Law and Renee Zellweger. She took on less mainstream projects as well, working with director Lars von Trier on the starkly rendered Dogville (2004).

Though more known for her dramatic work, Kidman tried her hand at comedy in The Stepford Wives (2004), with Matthew Broderick and Bette Midler, and Bewitched (2005), with Will Ferrell. In 2006 she lent her voice to the lighthearted animated film Happy Feet, but also returned to a more serious role that year with her portrayal of legendary photographer Diane Arbus in Fur.

Marriage to Keith Urban

Kidman had been dating country singer Keith Urban for some time when she announced that the pair had gotten engaged in May 2006. They married in Sydney, Australia, on June 25. Guests included other Australian stars such as Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Watts.

A few months after their marriage, Kidman supported her husband as he decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to receive treatment for his problems with alcohol. The couple appeared to be devoted to each other throughout the crisis and seemed to emerge from it as strong as ever. They welcomed their first child, Sunday Rose, in July 2008, and had a second daughter, Faith Margaret, in December 2010.

‘Australia,’ ‘Nine’ and ‘Rabbit Hole’

Reuniting with director Luhrmann, Kidman starred in the epic drama Australia (2008) with Jackman. She also appeared as a gorgeous screen icon in the 2009 movie musical Nine—based on the Broadway smash hit—with Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench, among others.

Kidman continued to tackle an interesting mix of film projects. She co-starred with Aaron Eckhart in the 2010 independent drama Rabbit Hole, which brought her glowing reviews and a third Oscar nomination.

In 2012, Kidman raised eyebrows for her unusual scenes in The Paperboy with Zac Efron and John Cusack. That year she also co-starred with Clive Owen in the HBO television film Hemingway & Gellhorn. Kidman played journalist Martha Gellhorn, the third wife of Ernest Hemingway.

Portraying another famous real-life personality, she took the lead role in 2014’s Grace of Monaco, an Emmy-nominated film about the life of actress Grace Kelly. Kidman also starred in two other 2014 films—the mystery/drama Before I Go to Sleep and the children’s flick Paddington.

‘Queen of the Desert’ and ‘Lion’

In 2015, Kidman appeared in a number of film projects. She starred in the Australian film Strangerland, about a family in crisis after a terrible dust storm hits the desert town where they live. That same year, she also appeared as real-life adventurer/journalist/cartographer/British spy Gertrude Bell, alongside James Franco and Robert Pattinson, in Werner Herzog’s Queen of the Desert.

After co-starring with Jason Bateman in The Family Fang, showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival, Kidman next appeared in the remake Secret in Their Eyes as the supervisor of an investigative team. The terse police thriller co-stars Julia Roberts and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

In 2016, Kidman delivered a moving performance as an Australian woman who adopts a lost Indian boy in Lion, earning Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her performance.

‘Big Little Lies’ and ‘Aquaman’

The following year, the actress garnered more acclaim for her performance in the HBO series Big Little Lies. Along with nabbing an Emmy for her role as Celeste Wright, she claimed a second award as a producer, and followed with a Golden Globe win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

2018 was a busy year for Kidman, who starred in Destroyer as a Los Angeles police officer still reeling from her undercover work with a criminal gang two decades earlier, and as Queen Atlanna in the superhero flick Aquaman. That year it was also announced that she was in talks to portray former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson in Fair and Balanced, about the fall of the network’s former chief, Roger Ailes.

In June 2019, Kidman was back on the small screen with the season 2 debut of Big Little Lies, alongside series newcomer Meryl Streep.

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Nicole Kidman
• Birth Year: 1967
• Birth date: June 20, 1967
• Birth State: Hawaii
• Birth City: Honolulu
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman starred in such films as ‘Moulin Rouge!,’ ‘Cold Mountain,’ ‘The Hours,’ and ‘Lion.’
• Industries
• Film
• Television
• Theater and Dance
• Astrological Sign: Gemini
• Nacionalities
• Australian
• Interesting Facts
• Kidman made her Broadway debut in December 1998 in the provocative ‘The Blue Room,’ opposite Iain Glen.

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Nicole Kidman Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/nicole-kidman
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: January 6, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 3, 2014