Nicole Kidman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nicole Kidman
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Kidman in 2024
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Nicole Mary Kidman
20 June 1967 Honolulu, Hawaii, US
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| Other names | Nicole Urban |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
| Organization | Blossom Films |
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| Children | 4 |
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| Relatives | Antonia Kidman (sister) |
| Awards | Full list |
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is a famous actress and producer from both Australia and the United States. She is known for her many roles in movies and TV shows. Since the late 1990s, she has been one of the highest-paid actresses in the world.
Nicole has won many important awards for her acting. These include an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA), and six Golden Globe Awards. In 2024, she became the first Australian actor to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award. This award celebrates a person's entire career in film.
Nicole started her acting journey in Australia in 1983. Her first movies were Bush Christmas and BMX Bandits. She became well-known after starring in Dead Calm and the TV miniseries Bangkok Hilton (both in 1989). She became famous around the world with her role in Days of Thunder (1990).
She has starred in many popular films like Far and Away (1992), Batman Forever (1995), and Practical Magic (1998). In 2002, she won an Oscar for her role as Virginia Woolf in The Hours. She was also nominated for Oscars for her roles in Moulin Rouge! (2001), Lion (2016), and Being the Ricardos (2021).
Nicole has also been in big movies like The Others (2001), Cold Mountain (2003), Paddington (2014), and Aquaman (2018). She has also acted in smaller, independent films.
On TV, Nicole has starred in shows like Big Little Lies (2017–2019), The Undoing (2020), and Nine Perfect Strangers (2021). For Big Little Lies, she won two Primetime Emmy Awards. One was for her acting, and the other was as an executive producer for the show.
Since 1994, Nicole has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She has also worked with UNIFEM since 2006. In 2006, she was given the title Companion of the Order of Australia. This is a high honor in Australia.
Nicole was married to actor Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001. She has been married to country music singer Keith Urban since 2006. In 2010, she started her own production company called Blossom Films. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004 and 2018.
Contents
Early Life and Childhood Dreams
Nicole Mary Kidman was born on June 20, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her parents were Australians who were living in the United States for a short time. Her mother was a nursing instructor and her father, Antony Kidman, was a scientist and psychologist. Nicole also has a younger sister named Antonia Kidman, who is a journalist.
Because she was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, Nicole has dual citizenship. This means she is a citizen of both Australia and the United States. She has English, Irish, and Scottish family roots. When she was born, she was given the Hawaiian name "Hōkūlani" (/ˌhoʊkuːˈlɑːni/), which means "heavenly star." This name was inspired by a baby elephant born at the Honolulu Zoo around the same time.
Nicole's family moved back to Australia when she was three years old. She grew up in Sydney. She started ballet lessons at age three and showed a natural talent for acting in school.
Nicole has said she wanted to be an actress after watching Margaret Hamilton play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. She was a shy child and even had a stutter. Acting became a way for her to express herself. She attended the Phillip Street Theatre and the Australian Theatre for Young People. She loved drama and mime. Because of her fair skin and red hair, she often practiced indoors. She was encouraged to pursue acting full-time and left high school to do so.
Becoming a Star: Early Career and Breakthrough
First Steps in Acting (1983–1994)
In 1983, when she was 16, Nicole Kidman made her first movie, Bush Christmas. Later that year, she had a role in the TV series Five Mile Creek. In 1984, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Nicole paused her acting to study massage therapy to help her mother.
She started to get noticed in the 1980s. She appeared in Australian films like BMX Bandits (1983) and Windrider (1986). She also appeared in TV shows, including the 1987 miniseries Vietnam. For this role, she won her first Australian Film Institute Award.
Nicole then starred in the Australian film Emerald City (1988). This role earned her another Australian Film Institute Award. Her big breakthrough came in 1989 with the thriller Dead Calm. She played Rae Ingram, a wife on a boat who faces danger. This film helped her become known internationally. Critics praised her strong performance.
After Dead Calm, she starred in the miniseries Bangkok Hilton. Then, she moved on to star with Tom Cruise in the 1990 sports action film Days of Thunder. This movie was a huge success and helped her become famous worldwide.
In 1991, Nicole co-starred in the Australian film Flirting with Thandiwe Newton and Naomi Watts. This coming-of-age story won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film. That same year, her role in Billy Bathgate earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. In 1992, she reunited with Tom Cruise for the Irish film Far and Away. In 1993, she starred in the thrillers Malice and My Life.
Worldwide Recognition and Awards (1995–2003)
In 1995, Nicole played Dr. Chase Meridian in the superhero movie Batman Forever. That same year, she starred in To Die For, playing a newscaster who wants to be famous. Critics loved her performance, and she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for this role.
In 2001, Nicole starred as Satine, a cabaret actress, in Baz Luhrmann's musical Moulin Rouge!. Her singing and acting received great reviews. She won her second Golden Globe Award for this role and was nominated for her first Academy Award.
Also in 2001, Nicole starred in the horror film The Others. She played a mother who believes her house is haunted. The movie was a big success, earning over $210 million worldwide. Her performance earned her many award nominations.
The next year, Nicole received huge praise for playing Virginia Woolf in The Hours. She wore special makeup to look like the author. The film was a big hit with critics. Nicole won many awards for her performance, including her first BAFTA Award, her third Golden Globe Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was the first Australian to win this Oscar.
After winning her Oscar, Nicole appeared in three different films in 2003. She starred in Dogville, an experimental film that earned her praise from critics. She also appeared in The Human Stain. Her third film that year was the war drama Cold Mountain. She played Ada Monroe, a woman separated from her love during the American Civil War. Her performance was highly praised, and she received another Golden Globe nomination.
Continuing Success: Established Actress
New Roles and Endorsements (2004–2009)
In 2004, Nicole starred in the drama Birth, which earned her another Golden Globe nomination. That same year, she was in the comedy The Stepford Wives. The next year, she starred with Sean Penn in the thriller The Interpreter and with Will Ferrell in the comedy Bewitched. While these films didn't do as well in the U.S., they were successful internationally.
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Nicole also became the face of the Chanel No. 5 perfume. She appeared in TV and print ads for the fragrance. She reportedly earned a lot of money for a three-minute commercial, setting a record at the time.
In 2006, Nicole played photographer Diane Arbus in Fur. She also lent her voice to the animated film Happy Feet, which earned over $384 million worldwide. The next year, she starred in the science-fiction film The Invasion and the comedy-drama Margot at the Wedding. Also in 2007, she played the villain Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass, which made over $370 million worldwide.
In 2008, Nicole worked again with Moulin Rouge! director Baz Luhrmann on the Australian film Australia. She starred with Hugh Jackman in this film set during World War II. The movie was a box office success. In 2009, she appeared in the musical Nine with a large cast of stars.
Biographical and Independent Films (2010–2016)
In the 2010s, Nicole started by producing and starring in Rabbit Hole. She played a grieving mother, and her performance was highly praised. She received nominations for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2012, Nicole starred in the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn, playing journalist Martha Gellhorn. She received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for this role. That same year, she played Charlotte Bless in The Paperboy. Her performance earned her more award nominations. Also in 2012, she narrated the audiobook of Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. In 2013, she starred in Stoker, which was well-received.
In 2014, Nicole played Grace Kelly in the biographical film Grace of Monaco. She also starred in two films with Colin Firth: The Railway Man and Before I Go to Sleep. Also in 2014, she played the main villain in the live-action animated comedy Paddington.
In 2015, Nicole starred in the dramas Strangerland and The Family Fang, which her company Blossom Films produced. She also played writer and explorer Gertrude Bell in Queen of the Desert. That same year, she returned to the stage in London for the play Photograph 51. She played British scientist Rosalind Franklin, who helped discover the structure of DNA. Her performance was highly praised, and she won an Evening Standard Theatre Award.
In 2016, Nicole starred in Lion. She played Sue, the adoptive mother of an Indian boy. Nicole felt a strong connection to this role because she is also a mother of adopted children. Her performance received positive reviews and earned her an Academy Award nomination. Lion was a big success, earning over $140 million worldwide.
Television and Film Success (2017–Present)
In 2017, Nicole returned to television for Big Little Lies on HBO. She also worked as an executive producer for the show. She played Celeste Wright, a former lawyer dealing with a difficult relationship. Critics called her performance "career-defining." She won a Primetime Emmy Award for her acting and another Emmy as a producer for the show. She also received a Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Awards for her work.
Nicole also starred in Sofia Coppola's drama The Beguiled, which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. She had two other films at the festival: How to Talk to Girls in Parties and the thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
In 2018, Nicole starred in two dramas: Destroyer and Boy Erased. In Destroyer, she played a detective. Critics said she was "unrecognizable" in the role. In Boy Erased, she played a mother whose son is sent to a gay conversion program. That same year, Nicole played Queen Atlanna, the mother of Aquaman, in the superhero film Aquaman. This movie earned over $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming her highest-grossing film.
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In 2019, Nicole continued her role in the second season of Big Little Lies. The show became HBO's most-watched original series that year. In September 2019, she appeared in the drama The Goldfinch.
Nicole started the 2020s with her role in the HBO miniseries The Undoing. She also served as an executive producer. The show gained a lot of viewers and became HBO's most-watched show of 2020. Her only film in 2020 was the musical comedy The Prom.
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In August 2021, she starred in and produced the Hulu drama series Nine Perfect Strangers. It became the most-watched Hulu original on its premiere day. That same year, she played actress-comedian Lucille Ball in the biographical drama Being the Ricardos. Despite some initial doubts about her casting, her performance was highly praised. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and received her fourth Academy Award nomination.
In September 2021, Nicole starred in a popular commercial for AMC Theatres called "We Make Movies Better". The ad played before every film in AMC theaters and became a cultural hit.
In April 2022, Nicole appeared in an episode of the series Roar. That same month, she starred in the historical drama The Northman, which received widespread praise.
In 2023, Nicole began starring in the Paramount+ TV series Special Ops: Lioness, where she is also an executive producer. In December 2023, she returned as Queen Atlanna in the Aquaman sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
In January 2024, Nicole starred in and produced the drama TV series Expats. In June 2024, she reunited with Zac Efron in Netflix's A Family Affair. The film was popular with audiences, reaching #1 on Netflix.
In September 2024, Nicole starred in and produced the Netflix series The Perfect Couple. It became a global hit for Netflix. In November 2024, she was set to voice Queen Ellsmere in the animated film Spellbound.
Working with Female Filmmakers
Since 2017, Nicole Kidman has promised to work with a female director every 18 months. She made this commitment to help address the lack of women in the film industry. This has led to her involvement in many projects with female directors. By November 2024, she had worked with 15 female directors in seven years. This helps create more jobs and opportunities for women in the industry.
Personal Life and Family
Relationships and Family Life
Nicole Kidman met actor Tom Cruise in 1989 while filming Days of Thunder. They married on Christmas Eve in 1990. While married, they adopted a daughter, Isabella (born 1992), and a son, Connor (born 1995). They separated in 2001. Nicole later said their marriage ended because she was very young when they married and needed to grow up.
In 2005, Nicole met Australian-American country singer Keith Urban. They met at an event celebrating Australians in Los Angeles. They got engaged in May 2006 and married on June 25, 2006, in Sydney, Australia. Nicole has said that they got to know each other during their marriage.
Nicole and Keith have homes in Nashville, Beverly Hills, and Sydney. Their first daughter, Sunday Rose, was born in 2008. In 2010, they welcomed their second daughter, Faith Margaret, who was born via gestational surrogacy.
Beliefs and Causes
Nicole was raised in a Catholic family and continues to practice her faith. She has spoken about how her religious beliefs guide her choices.
Nicole is a strong supporter of women's rights. In 2009, she spoke to the United States House of Representatives to support a law against violence towards women internationally. In 2017, she supported the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia.
Giving Back: Philanthropy
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Nicole Kidman has worked to raise money and attention for children in need around the world. In 1994, she became a Goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She also joined a campaign to raise money for breast cancer care, inspired by her mother's experience with the disease.
In 2006, she was also named a Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Fund for Women. She visited Kosovo to learn about women's experiences during conflict. She is also the international spokesperson for UNIFEM's "Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women" initiative.
In 2014, Nicole designed a gold-colored Paddington Bear statue. It was one of fifty statues placed around London before the release of the Paddington movie. The statue was auctioned to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). In 2016, she donated $50,000 to UN Women.
Endorsement Deals
Nicole Kidman has worked with several companies as a brand ambassador. In 2003, she was the face of Chanel No. 5 perfume. Since 2005, she has been an ambassador for Omega watches. In 2007, she was the face of Nintendo's advertising campaign for the Nintendo DS game More Brain Training in Europe. She has also been the face of Jimmy Choo shoes (2013), Etihad Airways (2015), and Neutrogena (2017). In 2023, she became a brand ambassador for Balenciaga.
Nicole is also a fan of sports. She supports the Nashville Predators ice hockey team and the Sydney Swans Australian Rules Football team.
Acting Credits and Awards
Nicole Kidman has starred in many highly-rated films. According to Rotten Tomatoes, some of her top movies include Paddington (2014), Flirting (1990), To Die For (1995), Rabbit Hole (2010), and Lion (2016).
Her most financially successful films include Aquaman (2018) and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), Happy Feet (2006), The Golden Compass (2008), and Batman Forever (1995).
Here are some of her other notable film roles:
- Moulin Rouge! (2001)
- The Hours (2002)
- Dogville (2003)
- Cold Mountain (2003)
- Birth (2004)
- Australia (2008)
- The Paperboy (2012)
- The Beguiled (2017)
- Destroyer (2018)
- Being the Ricardos (2021)
Nicole Kidman has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscars) multiple times:
- Nomination for Best Actress for Moulin Rouge! (2001)
- Won Best Actress for The Hours (2002)
- Nomination for Best Actress for Rabbit Hole (2010)
- Nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Lion (2016)
- Nomination for Best Actress for Being the Ricardos (2021)
In 2003, Nicole received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has won many other awards, including a BAFTA Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards. In 2024, she received the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award, a major honor in the film industry.
In 2004, the United Nations honored Nicole as a "Citizen of the World." In 2006, she was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for her work in the performing arts, healthcare, and humanitarian causes. In 2009, she was featured on a series of Australian postage stamps.
Music Career
Nicole Kidman is mostly known for acting, but she has also recorded music. She sang several songs for the soundtrack of the 2001 musical film Moulin Rouge!. Her duet with Ewan McGregor called "Come What May" was her first single. It was a top-selling song in Australia and reached number 27 on the UK charts.
She also recorded "Somethin' Stupid" as a duet with English singer Robbie Williams. This song was a big hit, reaching number one in New Zealand, Portugal, and the UK. It also reached the top ten in many other European countries and Australia.
In 2002, Nicole released her third single, "One Day I'll Fly Away." In 2006, she sang a version of the Prince song "Kiss" for the Happy Feet soundtrack. She also sang "Unusual Way" for the soundtrack of the 2009 musical film Nine. In 2017, she provided background vocals for her husband Keith Urban's song "Female." In 2022, she joined Luke Evans to release a cover of "Say Something."
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See also
In Spanish: Nicole Kidman para niños
- List of Australian Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
- List of actors with three or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
