Nicole Mary Kidman is an Australian-American actress, Academy Award winner, and one of the most influential female performers in contemporary Hollywood cinema. Born on June 20, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was the first of two daughters of Anthony Kidman and Janelle Kidman. She has a younger sister, Antonia Kidman. Nicole spent the first three years of her life in Washington, D.C., where her father, a biochemist and clinical psychologist, was conducting research on breast cancer, before the family returned to their native Sydney, Australia.

During her childhood, Nicole Kidman studied ballet, mime, and drama, developing an early passion for performance. As she grew to 5'10" with naturally curly auburn hair and blue eyes, she often felt awkward and socially reserved, rarely dating and experiencing her first kiss on stage rather than in real life. At the age of 16, she left high school to pursue acting professionally. In 1983, she made her screen debut in the Australian holiday film Bush Christmas and soon after appeared in BMX Bandits, along with multiple television productions. At seventeen, she briefly joined a seven-member music group called Divine Madness. In 1986, her role as a Vietnamese schoolgirl protester in the miniseries Vietnam earned her an Australian Film Institute Award, establishing her as a serious young talent.

Her early career in Australian cinema quickly transitioned to international attention after securing an American agent. In 1989, Nicole Kidman starred in Dead Calm alongside Sam Neill and Billy Zane, marking her first major global exposure. Her international breakthrough came with Days of Thunder (1990), co-starring Tom Cruise. The film not only launched her into Hollywood stardom but also led to her marriage to Cruise on December 24, 1990, in Telluride, Colorado. During this period, she appeared in Flirting and Billy Bathgate (1991), followed by Far and Away (1992), My Life and Malice (1993). In the same year, she became a mother through the adoption of a newborn daughter, Isabella Rose Cruise.

By the mid-1990s, Nicole Kidman had firmly established herself as a leading actress capable of both commercial success and critical acclaim. In 1995, she starred in the blockbuster Batman Forever and delivered a career-defining performance in the black comedy To Die For, portraying a manipulative and fame-obsessed television personality. The role demonstrated her dramatic range and marked her emergence from the shadow of her famous husband. One of the film’s most memorable lines was delivered with chilling irony:

Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award in January 1996. That same year, she starred in the literary adaptation The Portrait of a Lady, directed by Jane Campion, reinforcing her association with auteur-driven cinema. Nicole and Tom Cruise later adopted a second child, Connor Anthony Cruise.

Continuing to balance family life and a demanding career, Nicole Kidman appeared in The Peacemaker (1997) with George Clooney and starred alongside Sandra Bullock in the supernatural drama Practical Magic (1998). In December 1998, she made her Broadway debut in The Blue Room, an erotic stage production that ran for 111 performances. In 1999, she reunited with Cruise for Eyes Wide Shut, the final film by legendary director Stanley Kubrick, further cementing her reputation in psychologically complex cinema.

In February 2001, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise publicly announced their separation, followed by a deeply personal miscarriage. Later that year, her career entered a period of artistic reinvention and global acclaim. She starred in Moulin Rouge! (2001), directed by Baz Luhrmann, portraying a tragic, singing courtesan, and delivered a haunting performance in the psychological horror film The Others, which grossed over $100 million worldwide. Their divorce was finalized on July 31, 2001, yet she continued to promote her films internationally without interruption.

On December 20, 2001, Nicole Kidman made Golden Globe history by receiving dual Best Actress nominations for Moulin Rouge! and The Others. The following year, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours, solidifying her status as one of her generation’s most respected dramatic performers. She is frequently compared to contemporaries such as Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett for her emotional depth, versatility, and sustained critical success.

Beyond the screen, Nicole Kidman is a prominent humanitarian and breast cancer advocate, inspired by her mother’s illness during her teenage years. She has worked with the UCLA Women’s Reproductive Cancer Program since 1995 and has served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund in Australia. Much like Angelina Jolie before her, she has used her global recognition to support international humanitarian causes.

Through decades of reinvention, auteur collaborations, literary adaptations, and award-winning performances, Nicole Kidman has remained a defining figure in modern cinema, successfully bridging mainstream Hollywood, independent film, and global cultural influence.

Spouse(s):
Tom Cruise (m. 1990; div. 2001)
Keith Urban (m. 2006)
Children: 4

Filmography:
1983 - Bush Christmas
1983 - BMX Bandits
1983 - Chase Through the Night (Television)
1983 - Five Mile Creek (Television)
1983 - Skin Deep (Television)
1984 - A Country Practice (Television)
1984 - Matthew and Son (Television)
1984 - The Wacky World of Wills & Burke
1985 - Archer's Adventure (Television)
1985 - Winners (Television)
1986 - Windrider
1987 - An Australian in Rome (Television)
1987 - Room to Move (Television)
1987 - The Bit Part
1987 - Vietnam (Television)
1987 - Watch the Shadows Dance
1988 - Emerald City
1989 - Bangkok Hilton (Television)
1989 - Dead Calm
1990 - Days of Thunder
1991 - Billy Bathgate
1991 - Flirting
1992 - Far and Away
1993 - Malice
1993 - My Life
1995 - Batman Forever
1995 - To Die For
1996 - The Portrait of a Lady
1997 - The Peacemaker
1998 - Practical Magic
1999 - Eyes Wide Shut
2001 - Birthday Girl
2001 - Moulin Rouge!
2001 - The Others
2002 - The Hours
2003 - Cold Mountain
2003 - Dogville
2003 - The Human Stain
2004 - Birth
2004 - The Stepford Wives
2005 - Bewitched
2005 - The Interpreter
2006 - Fur
2006 - Happy Feet
2007 - Margot at the Wedding
2007 - The Golden Compass
2007 - The Invasion
2008 - Australia
2009 - Nine
2010 - Rabbit Hole
2011 - Just Go with It
2011 - Trespass
2012 - Hemingway & Gellhorn (Television)
2012 - The Paperboy
2013 - Stoker
2014 - Before I Go to Sleep
2014 - Grace of Monaco
2014 - Hello Ladies: The Movie (Television)
2014 - Paddington
2014 - The Railway Man
2015 - Genius
2015 - Queen of the Desert
2015 - Strangerland
2015 - The Family Fang
2015 - The Secret in Their Eyes

Source: Biyografiler.com