Australians in Hollywood : Biographical Notes

Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman (b. 1967) was born in Honolulu and lived in the U.S. until the age of three, when her parents returned to their native Australia. She entered drama school at ten, and made her film debut at 14 in Bush Christmas (1983). After a strong performance in the mini-series Vietnam (1987) she starred in Dead Calm (1989), which brought her to the attention of Tom Cruise, who summoned her to Hollywood to co-star in Days of Thunder (1990). The pair married the following year, and made two further films together – Far and Away (1992) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – before their divorce in 2001. It was Kidman's performance in To Die For (1995) that alerted Hollywood to her credentials as a serious actress. She has since won Golden Globes for Moulin Rouge (2001) and The Hours (2002), which also brought her Australia 's first ever best actress Oscar. Her first Oscar nomination had come the previous year, for Moulin Rouge.

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