Australian Actress/Singer/Producer
Before Brad and Angelina, or Victoria and David, the title of “Hollywood Power Couple” went to Nicole and Tom. Although Nicole Kidman has been happily married for six years now to country singer/songwriter Keith Urban, the 46 year old actress can never seem to escape her past and highly publicised relationship and divorce with Tom Cruise.
Nicole Mary Kidman, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA on 20 June 1967 as at the time, her parents were on educational visas. As a result, Kidman has dual citizenship for both Australia and The United States.
Anthony David Kidman her father is a biochemist, clinical psychologist and author. Her mother Janelle Ann is a nursing instructor who also edits her husbands books. The family returned to Australia to take up residence in Sydney’s North Shore when Kidman was four years old. Kidman also has a younger sister Antonia.
Her education came from Lane Cove Public School and North Sydney Girl’s High School. Kidman took ballet, mime and drama classes at the age of three and at five years old, had her first acting role as a sheep in a school nativity play. Ten years old and she joins acting school. Nicole always knew from a very early age that she wanted to build her future around acting.
Kidman meets Naomi Watts at an open call for a bikini advertisement and both girls had to sit around all day in swimsuits, feeling very self conscious. In the end, neither girl got the job. Oddly enough the following year both girls would come together again for the Australian coming of age comedy drama “Flirting”, written and directed by John Duigan and produced by Terry Hayes, Doug Mitchell, Barbara Gibbs and George Miller. The film won the 1990 Australian Film Institute Award for best film.
Many local theatre gigs helped Kidman land a role in the 1983 Australian children’s adventure film BMX Bandits. This was to be Kidman’s first ever movie role. She was chosen ahead of 200 hopefuls who auditioned for the part of Judy. Even though the movie called for a stunt double, and as no female stunt double that looked like her could be found, all her stunts were performed by an 18 year old male in a wig.
Kidman still had to master the art of riding a BMX bike for the role. She also sprained her ankle during filming.
Also in 1983, “Bush Christmas” an Australian Drama is released starring Kidman, along side John Ewart, John Howard, Mark Spain and James Wingrove. It’s a story about a family who live in rural Australia and their struggle to keep their farm from foreclosure.
When Hollywood Director George Miller saw Kidman’s talent for himself having worked with her on the set of “Flirting”, he set about writing two mini-series “Vietnam” and “Bangkok Hilton” for her to star in. She was 19 years old when she was rewarded by the Australian Film Industry with a “Best Actress Award” for Vietnam.
By this time, Kidman had become one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television. With her captivating performances, she had conquered the Australian market, however it wasn’t until her role as Rae Ingram in the movie “Dead Calm” opposite Sam Neill and Billy Zane that she had America taking notice also. She has since become an internationally recognised, award-winning actress known for her range and versatility.
It was 1989 on the set of her next movie “Days of Thunder” she meets co-star and divorcee Tom Cruise. Tom 24 years was previously married to actress Mimi Rogers 31 years. The marriage lasted only two years and it was Rogers who introduced Cruise to Scientology. They fell in love during filming and married two years later with self penned vows, Emilio Estevez as best man and Kidmans sister Antonia as bridesmaid. They made a total of three movies together, “Days of Thunder”, “Far & Away” and “Eyes wide shut”. Whilst married to Rogers, the couple found it hard to conceive a child. This was also the case with Kidman. Keen to start a family the couple decided to adopt. Isabella Jane was born 1992 and Connor Antony 1995.
1998 Kidman makes headline around the world with her London stage debut in “The Blue Room”, with one British theatre critic dubbing her brief nudity “pure theatrical Viagra”.
2001 and Kidman shows she cant be pigeon holed to just drama, comedy and theatre by taking on her first musical “Moulin Rouge, directed, produced and co-written by friend Baz Luhmann. During filming, Kidman breaks a rib and tears cartilage in her knees after performing very high kicks on a staircase, and slipping. Filming was never held up. Kidman not only continued to dance on it that night, but for a further three weeks.
Six weeks after celebrating just over a decade together, Kidman is totally taken by surprise when Cruise files for divorce. Cruise comes out with “Nic knows exactly why we are getting a divorce” providing fodder for much speculation. As for Kidman, she kept silent and has done till today. Shortly after the announcement it was reported that Kidman had suffered a terrible miscarriage, however Kidman later confirmed she had an ectopic pregnancy. In the settlement, both parents would retain joint custody of Isabella and Connor, and an undisclosed monetary amount was settled on for the time they were together and ongoing child support. Kidman also got the couples $4.3 million home in Pacific Palisades and a house in Sydney worth $4 million.
On the positive side, Entertainment Weekly names Kidman Entertainer of the Year and People Magazine acknowledges her as one of the top 50 most beautiful people in the world.
2002, Kidman joins fellow cast mates Renee Zellweger and Jude Law in the movie Cold Mountain” portraying Southern Belle Ada Monroe.
2003 and Kidman finally wins “Best Actress” Oscar for her portrayal as Virginia Woolf in the drama movie “The Hours”, a role that had her wearing a prosthetic nose making her at times virtually unrecognisable.
Kidman sues and wins a libel suit against a British tabloid who declared she had an on-set affair with Jude Law whilst filming “Cold Mountain”. Later that same year, Kidman becomes the new face of Chanel No.5, being paid a whopping $3.71 million for a three minute commercial.
In 2005 Kidman begins dating Country Rocker Keith Urban. Looking back Keith admits he was a little intimidated when he first met Nicole. They were at an event called “G’Day L.A” in Los Angeles where they were both being honoured when he spotted her backstage. When Keith saw Nicole standing alone for a moment, he gathered up the nerve to say hello. In Urban’s own words – I plucked up the courage to go and do it, very nervously, and trying to be cool, I introduced myself and she was very pleasant and everything, and there was that moment of waiting for the next thing to be said. I didn’t know if I was bothering her, or what was going on, so I just sort of said, well it was nice to meet you and just turned and walked away”.
After numerous sightings of Kidman and Lenny Kravitz about town, she finally goes on the record as declaring, “I am indeed dating the rocker” but it doesn’t last for long, eight months in total. Kravitz also penned a song about her called “Lady”.
Kidman didn’t think he was that impressed at first. In an interview with both, Kidman turns to Urban and says “you didn’t love me at first sight, you didn’t even notice me” and he replied “yes I did, I just didn’t let on.
Four months later, Urban builds up the courage to ring Kidman and asks her out.
In 2006 Urban and Kidman tie the knot in a candlelit ceremony at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel on St.Patrick’s Estate at Manly in Australia. In addition to family members, some of Hollywoods Aussie Posse make and appearance also including Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts. Four months later, Nicole and a few close friends staged a intervention on Keith. At first Keith questions whether he should go to rehab so soon after getting married, but he then thought, if he didn’t, it could tear them apart.
Keith credits Nicole with saving him. He has now been sober for four years, but everything’s different now. After Nicole found out Urban struggled with addiction, he says he would have understood if she left, but she didn’t. Inside the cover of one of Urban’s Cd’s he writes a beautiful love letter to the woman who stood by him it reads -“Nicole, I continue to be brought to my knees by this love of ours… I am in awe of how this blessed family we are creating stretches and fearlessly opens my vulnerable heart…and I just want to be a better man, for you, and father for our heavenly Sunday Rose and have you go to sleep every night knowing that no one has ever, or will ever, love you as much as I do…and all we need is faith.”
Clearly Kidman has endured a rocky start to their relationship, but one thing for sure, their public displays of affection towards surely aren’t just for the cameras as recently reported. I see a woman who is prepared to fight to save her marriage and a man who loves her so much, he will do whatever it takes to hold onto her.
Kidman says – The best thing about marrying a musician is your have music in the house all the time. Keith can play pretty much any instrument, and its not uncommon for the family to be eating cereal around the piano at 7 in the morning.
2008 and after years of struggling to have a baby, Kidman gives birth to her and Urban’s first child together, a daughter they named Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.
After taking time out to enjoy motherhood, Kidman decides to return to work, under the direction of Rob Marshall in a musical romance film simply called “Nine”. Later in an interview, Kidman said she wasn’t looking forward to returning to work, but this was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
In 2010, Kidman earns a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role as a grieving mother mourning the loss of her young son in the movie “Rabbit Hole”. Not only did Kidman have a role to play in the movie, she also had her first go at producing with it.
Also in December 2010, an addition to the family, a sister for two year old Sunday Rose. Kidman and Urban announce the arrival of another little girl Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, who was born near the couples Nashville home at the Centennial Woman’s Hospital via a surrogate mother. Although the baby was carried by a surrogate, both Kidman and Urban are the child’s biological parents. The new parents rented the top floor of the hospital to ensure total privacy for their baby’s arrival.
When a reporter asks about her two children with Tom Cruise, Kidman went on record saying they chose to live with their father and they do not call her mum. Both children like their father are actively involved in Scientology.
2012 Kidman stars in the HBO film “Hemingway & Gellhorn” as Martha Gellhorn, a fearless World War II journalist and third wife of Ernest Hemingway, played by Clive Owen.
2013 and for some time now, speculation over her sometimes frozen features have caused rumours of possible cosmetic procedures. The extra’s are anybody’s guess, specialists identifying possible Botox in her forehead, fillers in her cheeks, lip augmentation, but what his so annoying about it is, celebrities never come clean about it. Finally, Kidman came out and said she had botox once, and disliked the outcome, but what you see now is completely natural. Natural, well you can be the judge of that.
