Acclaimed not only as a top-tier movie star but also as a deeply respected actress, Nicole Kidman launched her on-screen career in the late 1980s. Born in Hawaii in 1967 while her parents were temporarily in the U.S. as students, she was primarily raised in Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Kidman showed a keen interest in the arts, studying ballet and acting, and eventually performing with the Australian Theater for Young People.
At just 16 years old, she made her professional screen debut in the Australian family film Bush Christmas (1983), followed shortly by the teen-oriented BMX Bandits (1983). Her growing presence in the Australian film scene led to greater recognition, highlighted by her standout performance in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm, which brought her to the attention of international audiences.
Two years later, Kidman starred alongside Tom Cruise in Days of Thunder (1990), and the two quickly became one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples, getting married the same year. They reunited two years later for the romantic period drama Far and Away (1992). While Kidman was already gaining traction in the U.S., it wasn’t until 1995 and her role opposite Val Kilmer in Batman Forever that she truly broke into the mainstream as a leading lady.
From there, she continued to build her filmography with roles in The Peacemaker (1997), the romantic fantasy Practical Magic (1998), and most notably, the much-anticipated Eyes Wide Shut (1999), directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick. This film marked the final completed project of Kubrick’s storied career and further solidified Kidman’s artistic credibility.
Though her marriage to Cruise ended in divorce in 2001, Kidman’s professional success only continued to grow. That same year, she delivered a chilling performance in the horror film The Others, which became a major box office hit. She also starred in the lavish musical Moulin Rouge! (2001), earning her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Her career reached new heights in 2002 when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of author Virginia Woolf in The Hours. Rather than settling into comfort, Kidman took on bold and unconventional roles in films such as Dogville (2003), Birth (2004), and Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006), showcasing her willingness to explore complex and challenging characters.
In 2006, she married country music star Keith Urban, beginning a new chapter in her personal life while continuing to push creative boundaries in her work. She received another Oscar nomination for her performance in the intense drama Rabbit Hole (2010), followed by a provocative role in The Paperboy (2012) and a critically discussed portrayal of Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco (2014).
Kidman earned yet another Academy Award nod for her moving performance as an adoptive mother in Lion (2016). In 2017, she joined the ensemble cast of the HBO series Big Little Lies, which became an instant cultural phenomenon and received widespread critical acclaim. As the show continued to enjoy immense popularity, Kidman also took on the lead role in the film adaptation of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch.
Nicole Kidman has been part of many films throughout her career, and among those, one that really stands out is Paddington from 2014. That particular movie received a lot of praise and is considered her highest-rated film so far. On the flip side, she also starred in Grace of Monaco, which came out the same year, and that one didn’t do as well in terms of reception. While Nicole Kidman’s performances are often appreciated, Grace of Monaco ended up being her lowest-rated movie. It just goes to show the variety of roles she’s taken on and how differently audiences and critics can respond to her work.