Biography

Before finding international success playing a terrorized wife in the Sam Neill vehicle Dead Calm (1989) Nicole Kidman had already established herself as a meritorious actress in Australia. Standing 5'9" and possessing a to-die-for head of thick red hair, Kidman is easily recognizable in films. The daughter of a biochemist/lecturer and a nurse/educator, Kidman was born in Hawaii, but raised in her parents' native Australia where she lived an upper-class lifestyle1in which she was well-educated and exposed to much culture, including ballet lessons from age three. Her interest in acting began in childhood and by age 10, Kidman was studying acting in drama school. Later she trained at the St. Martin's Youth Theater in Melbourne and also at both the Australian Theater for Young People and at the Phillip Street Theater in Sydney. When she was 14, Kidman made her film debut starring in Bush Children (1982), after she was spotted playing a middle-aged American in a regional play. Her next film, The BMX Bandits (1983) provided Kidman her first real starring role. Thus began a steady sequence of filmwork for the willowy redhead that was punctuated by her award-winning work on Australian television that included two Australian Film Institute' Best Actress Awards for the telemovies Vietnam (1988) --Kidman was only 17 when she won it the first time-- and Bangkok Hilton (1989). In 1988 and 89, Kidman was named the Australian public's "Best Actress of the Year." In addition to her filmwork, Kidman was also working in Aussie theater and was awarded the Sydney Theater Critics' "Best Newcomer" award. Her work in Dead Calm caught the eye of American actor/producer Tom Cruise who starred her opposite himself in Days of Thunder (1990). The year of the film's release Kidman and Cruise married. They next appeared together in Ron Howard's disappointing western epic Far and Away (1992). Still, Kidman has managed to keep up her reputation for delivering high-calibre dramatic performances and continues to be well-respected.

Filmography

Human Stain, The (2003) .... Faunia Farley
Cold Mountain (2003) .... Ada
2002 MTV Movie Awards (2002) (TV) .... Herself
Dogville (2002) .... Grace
Hours, The (2002) .... Virginia Woolf
Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men (2002) (TV) (uncredited) (archive footage) .... Herself
Panic Room (2002) (uncredited) (voice) .... Stephen's Girlfriend on the Phone
Orange British Academy Film Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Herself
Who is Alan Smithee? (2002) (TV) (uncredited) (archive footage) .... Herself
Night Club of Your Dreams: The Making of Moulin Rouge, The (2001) (TV) .... Herself/'Satine'
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Herself
Birthday Girl (2001) .... Sophia
Others, The (2001) .... Grace Stewart
... aka Autres, Les (2001) (France)
... aka Otros, Los (2001) (Spain)
Moulin Rouge! (2001) .... Satine ('The Sparkling Diamond')
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001) .... Herself (Interviewee)

Fox Studios Australia: The Grand Opening (1999) (TV) .... Herself
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) .... Alice Harford
... aka EWS (1999) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers (1998) (V) (uncredited) .... Little Girl
Practical Magic (1998) .... Gillian 'Gilly-Bean' Owens
Peacemaker, The (1997) .... Dr. Julia Kelly
Portrait of a Lady, The (1996) .... Isabel Archer
Leading Man, The (1996) .... Academy Awards Presenter
To Die for (1995) .... Suzanne Stone Maretto
Batman Forever (1995) .... Dr. Chase Meridian
... aka Forever (1995/I) (USA: title without logo)
My Life (1993) .... Gail Jones
Malice (1993) .... Tracy Kennsinger
Far and Away (1992) .... Shannon Christie
Billy Bathgate (1991) .... Drew Preston
Flirting (1991) .... Nicola Radcliffe
Days of Thunder (1990) .... Dr. Claire Lewicki

"Bangkok Hilton" (1989) (mini) TV Series .... Katrina Stanton
Dead Calm (1989) .... Rae Ingram
Emerald City (1988) .... Helen, Mike McCord's Girlfriend
Australiana a Roma, Un' (1987) (TV) .... Jill
Bit Part, The (1987) .... Mary McAllister
Room to Move (1987) (TV) .... Carol Trig
... aka Winners: Room to Move (1987) (TV) (Australia: syndication title)
"Vietnam" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Megan Goddard
Watch the Shadows Dance (1986) .... Amy Gabriel
... aka Nightmaster (1986) (USA)
Windrider (1986) .... Jade
Archer's Adventure (1985) .... Catherine
... aka Archer (1985)
Wills & Burke (1985) .... Julia Matthews
"Five Mile Creek" (1984) TV Series .... Annie
Matthew and Son (1984) (TV) .... Bridget Elliot
BMX Bandits (1983) .... Judy
... aka Short Wave (1983) (USA: video title) (bootleg title)
Bush Christmas (1983) .... Helen
... aka Prince and the Great Race (1983)
Chase Through the Night (1983) (TV) .... Petra