Naomi Watts

, 2003

Naomi Watts (b. 1968), actress, was born in England and came to Australia from Wales at the age of 14. After appearing in the Australian films Brides of Christ (1991) and Gross Misconduct (1993) she settled in Hollywood. There, she gained roles in various dead-end ventures until her break came with David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001). After she had made the highly diverse The Ring (2002), Merchant-Ivory’s Le Divorce (2003), and Ned Kelly (2003), her A-list status was confirmed when she became the first actress to be nominated for a Golden Globe, a BAFTA award and an Academy Award in the same year, for 21 Grams (2003). She won the Golden Globe. The Ring 2 was followed by King Kong (2005), in which she played the mutant ape’s love interest. After the lavish period drama The Painted Veil (2007), which she produced with co-star Edward Norton, she returned to anguished roles in Funny Games (2008) and The Impossible (2012). Her recent films include Birdman (2014), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and was awarded five stars from both Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton; St Vincent (2014); and While We’re Young (2014).