Nicole Kidman

Australian beauty Nicole Kidman is much more than the ex-Mrs. Tom Cruise. A highly respected, Oscar-winning actress, Kidman has become one of the biggest movie stars in the world, starring in some of the best English-language films of the past ten years. Enormously versatile and deliciously enigmatic, Kidman's films have ranged from the musical extravaganza 'Moulin Rouge' to the experimental drama 'Dogville'.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on June 20, 1967, Kidman was raised in her parents' native Sydney, Australia from the time she was four years old. A performer from birth, Kidman began taking ballet lessons immediately after landing in Sydney as a child, and was soon studying at the Australian Theatre for Young People and the famed Philip Street Theatre. She briefly attended the North Sydney Girls High School, but dropped out when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her mother eventually recovered, and Kidman stayed away from school to focus on acting, making her first appearances in a Pat Wilson music video and the Australian films 'BMX Bandits' and 'Bush Christmas', all in 1983.

1989 proved a breakthrough year for Kidman. Starring in the Australian-produced 'Dead Calm' with Sam Neill, Kidman gained major recognition in Hollywood for the hit thriller. Her first starring role in Hollywood, in the 1990 racing drama 'Days of Thunder', made her a star in America as well as introducing her to her husband of ten years, Tom Cruise. With her career now on the rise, she gave a Golden Globe-nominated turn in 'Billy Bathgate' and starred in 'My Life', 'Malice', and a second film with Cruise, Ron Howard's 'Far and Away'. Nonetheless, most of these films were box office duds, and critics questioned her abilities as a leading lady until Gus Van Sant's 1995 dark comedy 'To Die For'. Playing a conniving small-town TV personality who will do anything to advance her career, Kidman expressed a devious side that audiences had never seen, and in the process showcased a wickedly sharp comic presence. The performance earned her a Golden Globe, but her following films were mostly unimpressive. In 1998 she retreated to England with Cruise for the interminable shoot of Stanley Kubrick's final masterpiece, 'Eyes Wide Shut'. The film opened in the summer of 1999 to mixed reviews and an assortment of rumors about the film's content and the stars' behind-the-scenes troubles. Now considered a terrific end to Kubrick's career and one of Kidman's best performances, the complicated production was rumored to have strained Cruise and Kidman's marriage, which ended in 2000.

Since her break-up with Cruise Kidman has emerged as arguably the most celebrated actress alive, first wowing audiences and critics with Baz Luhrmann's frantic but brilliant musical 'Moulin Rouge!' and in 2003 winning a Best Actress Oscar for her beautiful performance in 'The Hours'. Since then she has appeared in films like Lars Von Trier's incendiary ensemble piece 'Dogville', 'The Human Stain' with Anthony Hopkins, the period drama 'Cold Mountain', and the underrated 'Birth'. 2006 will see her add voice work to her repertoire with 'Happy Feet', in addition to her starring role in the Diane Arbus biopic 'Fur'. Also on her busy schedule are upcoming films from Noah Baumbach, Baz Luhrmann, and Wong Kar-Wai's hotly anticipated 'The Lady from Shanghai'. Though she's busy being the muse for some of the world's greatest directors, Kidman has found time for love, and in May it was announced that she is engaged to Australian country music star Keith Urban.