Nicole Kidman

Who is Nicole Kidman?

With a long list of awards, honors and achievements in her kitty including the Australia's top civil honor the Companion of the Order of Australia, one Academy Award, three Golden Globe awards and one BAFTA, Nicole Kidman is undoubtedly one of the reigning actress that Hollywood takes pride in. An actress by profession and a philanthropist by heart, Kidman is an iconic figure that the world looks up to. Having an affinity and talent for acting at a young age, Kidman trained herself professionally for it. Ever since her debut at the Australian film industry, Kidman showed signs of making it big which seemed much more a convincing dream when she moved over to Hollywood. ‘Days of Thunder’ was her first American movie. Over the years, Kidman has been a part of some of the best Hollywood flicks and has contributed heavily for the success of each of them including, ‘Batman Forever’, ‘To Die For’, ‘Moulin Rouge’, ‘The Others’, ‘The Hours’ and so on. Other than being an artistically endowed actor, Kidman is also extremely benevolent and generous. She has been actively involved for various causes including the welfare of women and disadvantageous children. Additionally, she was appointed goodwill ambassador of the UNICEF and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Years of Stardom & Success

1995 was a super successful year for Kidman. She bagged the lead roles for the movies ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘To Die For’. While the former has been highest-grossing live-action film as of 2011, the latter won her, her first Golden Globe award.

While her films were faring well at the box office and receiving much popular and critical acclaim, Kidman did not forsake the love for theatre and was seen playing in the David Hare play, ‘The Blue Room’, which opened in London.

Next, she starred opposite Tom Cruise for the film, ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. Though the film gained positive reviews at the opening, it was later subject to censorship controversies due to the explicit nature of sex scenes.

Kidman’s next venture for the big screen was with the British American film, ‘Birthday Girl’ where she played a mail-order bride.

The versatility of Kidman was put to test in the year 2001 when two of her movies, which were entirely different from each other, were released. While ‘Moulin Rouge’ was a musical feat wherein she played the character of a cabaret actress and courtesan, ‘The Others’, a Spanish horror film had Kidman play the role of a Catholic mother of two. Least surprisingly, Kidman was commendable in both the films and attracted much positive response.

Following this, Kidman featured in Stephen Daldry's ‘The Hours’. The film had Kidman playing the role of an author who is suffering from bouts of depression and mental illness. She played the character with so much conviction and excellence that she was bestowed with an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for the same, in addition to the numerous critics’ awards.