Nicole Kidman

Nicole Mary Kidman, AC (born 20 June 1967) is an Academy Award-winning Australian actress and occasional singer.

In 2006, she became the highest paid actress in the film industry. In the same year, Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australias highest civilian honour.

After making various appearances in film and television, Kidman received her breakthrough role in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm. Since then, Kidmans acting career has developed greatly. Her performances in several films, such as To Die For (1995), Moulin Rouge! (2001), and The Hours (2002), have won her not only critical acclaim but also many film awards.

In 2003, Kidman received her Star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California. Kidman is also a UNIFEM and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a singer and a successful recording artist.

She is also well-known for her former high-profile marriage to Tom Cruise, as well as her current marriage to singer Keith Urban. Because she was born to Australian parents in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kidman has dual citizenship of Australia and the United States.

Early life and family

Kidman was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Janelle Ann (nee Glenny), is a nursing instructor who edits her husbands books and was a member of the Womens Electoral Lobby. Her father, Dr. Antony David Kidman, is a biochemist, clinical psychologist and author, with an office in Lane Cove, Sydney.

At the time of Nicole Kidmans birth, her father was a visiting fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, D.C. The family returned to Australia when Kidman was four years old and Kidmans parents now reside in Sydneys North Shore. Kidman has a younger sister, Antonia Kidman who is a journalist.

She started taking ballet lessons when she was four. She attended Lane Cove Public School in her primary years and later attended North Sydney Girls High School with close friend Naomi Watts. Kidman concentrated on her family responsibilities until her mothers recovery. She then trained at the Phillip Street Theatre. This led to studies at Sydneys Australian Theatre for Young People (of which she is now a patron).

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia