KIDMAN, Nicole 1967–

PERSONAL

Full name, Nicole Mary Kidman; born June 20, 1967, in Honolulu, HI; raised in Sydney, Australia; daughter of Antony (a biochemist, clinical psychologist, and author) and Janelle (an instructor of nursing, editor, and activist) Kidman; sister of Antonia Kidman (a television personality); married Tom Cruise (an actor), December 24, 1990 (divorced, 2001); children: Isabella Jane, Connor Anthony. Education: Studied at St. Martin's Youth Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, the Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney, Australia, and Philip Street Theatre. Avocational Interests: Traveling, gambling, skydiving, rock climbing, writing.

Addresses:

Agent—Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212–1825. Manager—Marc Epstein Entertainment, 8944 Rosewood Ave., West Hollywood, CA 90048; Ann Churchill–Brown, Shanahan's Management, P.O. Box 478, Kings Cross, New South Wales 2011, Australia. Publicist—PMK/HBH Public Relations, 8500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 700, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

Career:

Actress. Appeared in advertisements. Goodwill ambassador for UNICEF Australia.

Member:

Screen Actors Guild, Advisory Board for University of California–Los Angeles Women's Reproductive Cancer Research and Treatment Program (chairperson).

Awards, Honors:

Australian Film Institute Award, best performance by an actress in a miniseries, 1988, for Vietnam; Australian Film Institute Award nomination, best actress in a supporting role, 1989, for Emerald City; Australian Film Institute Award nomination, best lead actress in a telefeature, 1989, for Bangkok Hilton; Saturn Award nomination, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, best actress, 1991, for Dead Calm; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, 1992, for Billy Bathgate; ShoWest Award, National Association of Theatre Owners, female star of tomorrow, 1992; MTV Movie Award nomination (with Tom Cruise), best on–screen duo, 1993, for Far and Away; Boston Society of Film Critics Award, best actress, and Golden Space Needle Award, Seattle International Film Festival, best actress, both 1995, Golden Globe Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—comedy or musical, Southeastern Film Critics Association Award, best actress, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, best actress, London Critics Circle Film Award, actress of the year, Empire Award, best actress, Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, best performance by an actress in a leading role, American Comedy Award nomination, funniest actress in a motion picture (leading role), Chlotrudis Award nomination, best actress, and MTV Movie Award nomination, most desirable female, all 1996, all for To Die For; named an "intriguing" person, People Weekly, 1995/1996; Blimp Award nomination, Kids' Choice awards, favorite movie actress, and MTV Movie Award nomination, most desirable female, both 1996, for Batman Forever; Blockbuster Entertainment Award, favorite actress, 1998, for The Peacemaker; Special Award, Evening Standard Theatre awards, 1998, Theatre World Award, outstanding new performer, 1999, and Laurence Olivier Award nomination, Society of West End Theatre, best actress, 1999, all for The Blue Room; Blockbuster Entertainment Award, favorite actress, and Golden Satellite Award nomination, International Press Academy, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, both 2000, for Eyes Wide Shut; Actress of the Year, Hollywood Film Festival, 2001; Entertainer of the Year, Entertainment Weekly, 2001; Australian Film Institute Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, 2001, Golden Globe Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—musical or comedy, Golden Satellite Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, Empire Award, best actress, MTV Movie awards, best female performance and (with Ewan McGregor) best musical sequence, Academy Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination, best actress, Film Critics Circle of Australia Award nomination, best actor—female, MTV Movie Award nominations, best musical sequence and (with Ewan McGregor) best kiss, and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination (with others), outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, all 2002, all for Moulin Rouge!; London Critics Circle Film Award, actress of the year, 2002, for Moulin Rouge! and The Others; Saturn Award, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award, best actress, Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—drama, Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, best performance by an actress in a leading role, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, Empire Award nomination, best actress, Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, Cinema Writers Circle Award nomination (Spain), best actress, Goya Award nomination, best lead actress, and Online Film Critics Society Award nomination, best actress, all 2002, for The Others; Special Award, ShoWest Convention, distinguished decade of achievement in film, 2002; named to "Power 100 List," Premiere, 2002 and 2003; Academy Award, best actress in a leading role, Golden Globe Award, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—drama, Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, best performance by an actress in a leading role, Sierra Award, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, best actress, Silver Berlin Bear (with others), Berlin International Film Festival, best actress, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture drama, Chicago Film Critics Association Award nomination, best actress, Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination, best actress in a leading role, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination, best actress, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role and (with others), outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, all 2003, for The Hours; American Cinematheque Award, American Cinematheque Gala Tribute, 2003; received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2003; Golden Aries, Russian Guild of Film Critics, best foreign actress, 2003, and Bodil Award nomination, best actress, 2004, both for Dogville; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—drama, Sierra Award nomination, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, best actress, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination, best actress, and Empire Award nomination, best actress, all 2004, for Cold Mountain; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—drama, 2005, for Birth.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Helen, Bush Christmas (also known as Prince and the Great Race), Hoyts Release, 1983.

Judy, BMX Bandits (also known as Short Wave), Nilsen Premiere, 1983.

Catherine, Archer's Adventure (also known as Archer), 1985.

Julia Matthews, Wills and Burke—The Untold Story (also known as Wills and Burke), Greater Union, 1985.

Jade, Windrider, Hoyts Release, 1986.

Mary McAllister, The Bit Part, Comedia, 1987.

The Year My Voice Broke, Avenue, 1987.

Breaking Loose, 1988.

Watch the Shadows Dance (also known as Nightmaster), 1988.

Helen Davey, Emerald City, Greater Union, 1989.

Rae Ingram, Dead Calm (also known as Dead Calm: A Voyage into Fear), Warner Bros., 1989.

Dr. Claire Lewicki, Days of Thunder, Paramount, 1990.

Drew Preston, Billy Bathgate, Buena Vista, 1991.

Nicola Radcliffe, Flirting, Warner Bros., 1991.

Shannon Christie, Far and Away, Universal, 1992.

Gail Jones, My Life, Columbia, 1993.

Tracy Safian, Malice (also known as Bodily Harm and Damage), Columbia, 1993.

Dr. Chase Meridian, Batman Forever (also known as Batman III and Forever), Warner Bros., 1995.

Suzanne Stone Maretto, To Die For (also known as 2 Die 4), Columbia, 1995.

Isabel Archer, The Portrait of a Lady (also known as Portrait of a Lady), Gramercy Pictures, 1996.

The Leading Man, J & M Entertainment, 1996.

Julia Kelly, The Peacemaker, DreamWorks SKG, 1997.

Gillian Owens, Practical Magic, Warner Bros., 1998.

Alice Harford, Eyes Wide Shut (also known as EWS), Warner Bros., 1999.

Berlin Diaries, 1940–45, Good Machine, 2000.

Grace Stewart, The Others (also known as Les autres and Los ostros), Dimension Films, 2001.

Nadia, Birthday Girl, Miramax, 2001.

Satine, Moulin Rouge! (musical), Twentieth Century–Fox, 2001.

Stephen's girlfriend on the phone, Panic Room, Columbia, 2002.

Virginia Woolf, The Hours, Miramax, 2002.

Ada Monroe, Cold Mountain, Miramax, 2003.

Faunia Farley, The Human Stain (also known as La couleur du mensonge and Der Menschliche Makel), Miramax, 2003.

Grace Margaret Mulligan, Dogville (also known as U—Der Film "Dogville" erzaehlt in neun Kapiteln und einem Prolog.), Lions Gate Films, 2003.

Herself, Dogville Confessions (short film), Trust Film Sales, 2003.

Anna, Birth, Fine Line Features, 2004.

Joanna Eberhart, The Stepford Wives, Paramount, 2004.

Emma, Emma's War, Twentieth Century–Fox, 2005.

Samantha Stephens/Isabel Bigelow, Bewitched, Columbia, 2005.

Silvia Broome, The Interpreter, Universal, 2005.

Ellen, Eucalyptus, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2006.

Joy Silverman, Wedding Season, Paramount, 2006.

Film Work:

Pianist, Cold Mountain, Miramax, 2003.

Producer, In the Cut, Columbia/TriStar, 2003.

Executive producer, American Darlings, New Regency Pictures/Storyline Entertainment, 2005.

Television Appearances; Series:

Annie, Five Mile Creek, Seven Network (Australia), 1983–85.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Carol Trig, "Room to Move," Winners, [Australia], 1985.

Megan Goddard, Vietnam, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1987.

Katrina Stanton, Bangkok Hilton, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1989, and TBS, 1990.

Herself, The 100 Greatest Musicals, Channel 4, 2003.

(In archive footage) Herself, I Love the '90s: Part Deux, VH1, 2005.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Petra, Chase through the Night, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1983.

Skin Deep, 1983.

Bridget Elliot, Matthew and Son, 1984.

Jill, Un australiana a Roma, [Italy], 1987.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Hollywood Hotshots, 1992.

Herself, People Yearbook '95, CBS, 1995.

Riddle Me This: Why Is Batman Forever?, ABC, 1995.

Fire & Ice Ball '97, 1997.

Herself, Fox Studios Australia: The Grand Opening (documentary), Nine Network (Australia), 1999.

Herself, Ron Howard: Hollywood's Favorite Son, Arts and Entertainment, 1999.

Herself, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (documentary), Cinemax, 2001.

America: A Tribute to Heroes, multiple networks, 2001.

A Look Inside: The Others (documentary), 2001.

The Night Club of Your Dreams: The Making of "Moulin Rouge" (documentary), HBO, 2001.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Herself, Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men (documentary), American Movie Classics, 2002.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Herself, Who Is Alan Smithee? (documentary), American Movie Classics, 2002.

Road to the Red Carpet, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

Herself, Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2003, ABC, 2003.

Herself, E! Entertainer of the Year, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Herself, What Not to Wear on the Red Carpet, BBC, 2003.

(In archive footage) Celebrity Naked Ambition (documentary), Channel 5, 2003.

E! 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

In the Shadow of "Cold Mountain" (documentary), 2003.

A Journey to "Cold Mountain" (documentary), 2003.

Rita (documentary), TCM, 2003.

Trier, Kidman og Cannes (documentary), TV2 Danmark, 2003.

Women on Top: Hollywood and Power (documentary), American Movie Classics, 2003.

The Words and Music of "Cold Mountain," 2003.

(In archive footage) Herself, E! 101 Most Starlicious Makeovers, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

A Dr. Phil Primetime Special: Family First, CBS, 2004.

Who's Your Momma?, 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

The 64th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1992.

The 66th Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1994.

The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (also known as Second Annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards), UPN, 1996.

The 68th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1996.

The 54th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 1997.

The 69th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 1997.

Presenter, 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000.

Presenter, The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2001.

The 2001 MTV Movie Awards, MTV, 2001.

Presenter, 17th Annual IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Film Channel, 2002.

The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2002.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

The 74th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2002.

The 2002 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Film Channel, 2002.

2002 MTV Movie Awards, MTV, 2002.

Presenter, The Ninth Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TNT, 2003.

Presenter, The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2003.

18th Annual American Cinematheque Award, American Movie Classics, 2003.

Nicole Kidman: An American Cinematheque Tribute, American Movie Classics, 2003.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards, 2003.

The 75th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2003.

Presenter, The 58th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 2004.

Presenter, The 76th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2004.

Presenter, The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2004.

Presenter, The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005.

The 77th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2005.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Herself, Young Talent Time, Ten Network (Australia), 1983.

Simone Jenkins, "Repairing the Damage: Parts 1 & 2," A Country Practice, Seven Network (Australia), 1984.

Carol Trig, "Room to Move," WonderWorks, PBS, 1987.

Host, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's Saturday Night, Saturday Night, and SNL), NBC, 1993.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2004.

Herself, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1996 and 1997.

Herself, The Big Breakfast, Channel 4, 2001.

Herself, Havoc's Luxury Suites and Conference Facility, 2001.

Herself, Parkinson, BBC, 2001.

Herself, The Ray Martin Show, 2001.

Herself, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, ABC, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Herself, "Oscars 2002," Seitenblicke, 2002.

Herself, Forst & sist, 2002.

Herself, The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah), syndicated, 2002.

Herself, The View, ABC, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Herself, Larry King Live, CNN, 2002 and 2004.

(In archive footage) Herself, "Tom Cruise," Love Chain, E! Entertainment Television, 2003.

Herself, Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Independent Television, 2003.

Herself, Entertainment Tonight (also known as ET), syndicated, 2003.

Herself, Extra (also known as Extra: The Entertainment Magazine), syndicated, 2003.

Herself, Film '03, BBC, 2003.

Herself, Access Hollywood, syndicated, 2004.

Herself, GMTV, Independent Television, multiple episodes in 2004.

Herself, The Hollywood Greats, BBC, 2004.

Herself, Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2004.

Herself, On–Air with Ryan Seacrest, syndicated, 2004.

Herself, Rove Live, Ten Network, 2004.

Coming Attractions, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

Herself, Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (also known as Ellen and The Ellen DeGeneres Show), syndicated, 2005.

Stage Appearances:

Various roles, The Blue Room, Donmar Warehouse, London, 1998, then Cort Theatre, New York City, 1998–99.

Appeared in Australian productions of Spring Awakening and Steel Magnolias.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers, NBC, 1998.

Young Talent Time: The Collection, Universal, 2003.

Climbing "Cold Mountain," Alliance Atlantis Home Video, 2004.

Shooting "Panic Room," Columbia/TriStar, 2004.

Soundtrack Albums; With Others:

Moulin Rouge, Interscope, 2001.

Moulin Rouge, Volume 2, Interscope, 2002.

Singles:

(With Ewan McGregor) "Come What May," Interscope, 2001.

(With Ewan McGregor) "Elephant Love Medley," Interscope, 2001.

(With Robbie Williams) "Somethin' Stupid," Interscope, 2001.

Music Videos:

Pat Wilson, "Bop Girl," 1983.

(With Ewan McGregor) "Elephant Love Medley," 2001.

(With Robbie Williams) "Somethin' Stupid," 2001.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Biography, August, 1999.

Cosmopolitan, July, 1991.

Empire (Great Britain), November, 1995, pp. 85–86; October, 1997, p. 88.

Entertainment Weekly, June 9, 1995, pp. 18–20, 22, 25; March 6, 1998, p. 14; October 9, 1998, p. 52; December 18, 1998, p. 100; June 25, 1999, p. 30; December 21, 2001, pp. 22–23; February 22, 2002, pp. 42–43; January 10, 2003, pp. 20–25; October 24, 2003, p. 30.

Good Housekeeping, July, 1999, p. 92.

Interview, May, 2001, p. 103; February, 2002, pp. 92–97; October, 2003, pp. 159–63.

Los Angeles Times, October 1, 1995.

Marie Claire, June, 1995; May, 2001.

McCall's, May, 1998.

Movieline, October, 1998, pp. 2, 50–52, 57–60, 92–94.

Newsweek, December 14, 1998, p. 70.

People Weekly, spring, 1991, p. 66; February 23, 1998, p. 45; November 16, 1998, p. 11; August 16, 1999, p. 101; February 19, 2001, pp. 48–55; April 16, 2001, p. 98; December 3, 2001, p. 88; December 31, 2001, p. 60; May 13, 2002, pp. 8, 76; May 12, 2003, p. 80; October 13, 2003, p. 56; April 3, 2004; June 21, 2004, p. 24; November 15, 2004, p. 149.

Premiere, November, 1996, pp. 78–84, 120; April, 1999; November, 2002, pp. 50–56, 102.

Rolling Stone, July 12, 1990, p. 56.

Seventeen, August, 1990, pp. 222–23; July, 1992, pp. 98–100.

Talk, September, 2000, pp. 124–29, 184–85.

Time, October 9, 1995, p. 89; July 5, 1999, p. 72; April 26, 2004, p. 82.

TV Guide, January 11, 2003, p. 6.

US Weekly, February 19, 2001, pp. 52–59; April 1, 2002, pp. 34–39.

Vanity Fair, July, 1995, pp. 62–65, 68, 128; October, 1997; November, 1997; December, 2002, pp. 322–29.

Variety, April 26, 1999, p. 4.

Vogue, February, 1995, pp. 202–14.

Washington Post, January 5, 2003, pp. G1, G4.

Electronic:

Playbill,http://www.playbill.com, December 22, 1998.

KIDMAN, Nicole

Nationality: Australian/American. Born: Honolulu, Hawaii, 20 June 1967, to Australian parents; raised in Sydney, Australia. Family: Married Tom Cruise (an actor), 24 December 1990; children: Isabella Jane, Connor Anthony. Career: Began acting on stage at age 10; first movie role in Bush Christmas (1983) at age 14; appeared on TV series Five Mile Creek, 1984. Awards: Australian Film Institute Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama, for Vietnam, 1988, and for Bangkok Hilton, 1989; ShoWest Female Star of Tomorrow, 1992; Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy/Musical, London Critics Circle ALFS Award for Actress of the Year, and Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress, for To Die For, 1995. Agent: c/o Nancy Seltzer, 6220 Dell Valle Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90048, U.S.A.; Creative Artists Agency, 1888 Century Park E., Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90067.

Films as Actress:

1983

Bush Christmas (Prince and the Great Race) (Safran) (as Helen); BMX Bandits (Trenchard-Smith) (as Judy); Chase Through the Night (Rubie—for TV) (as Petra)

1984

Matthew and Son (Conway—for TV) (as Bridget Elliot)

1985

Wills & Burke (Weis) (as Julia Matthews); Winners (mini, for TV); Archer's Adventure (Lawrence) (as Catherine)

1986

Watch the Shadows Dance (Nightmaster) (Joffe) (as Amy Gabriel); Vietnam (Duigan and Noonan—mini, for TV) (as Megan Goddard); Windrider (Monton) (as Jade)

1987

The Bit Part (Maher) (as Mary McAllister); Room to Move (Duigan—for TV) (as Carol Trig); Un australiana a Roma (as Jill)

1988

Emerald City (Jenkins) (as Helen)

1989

Dead Calm (Noyce) (as Rae Ingram); Bangkok Hilton (Cameron—mini, for TV) (as Katrina Stanton)

1990

Days of Thunder (Scott) (as Dr. Claire Lewicki)

1991

Flirting (Duigan) (as Nicola Radcliffe); Billy Bathgate (Benton) (as Drew Preston)

1992

Far and Away (Howard) (as Shannon Christie)

1993

My Life (Rubin) (as Gail Jones); Malice (Becker) (as Tracy Kennsinger)

1995

To Die For (Van Sant) (as Suzanne Stone Maretto); Batman Forever (Schumacher) (as Dr. Chase Meridian)

1996

The Portrait of a Lady (Campion) (as Isabel Archer); The Leading Man (Duigan) (as Academy Awards Presenter)

1997

The Peacemaker (Leder) (as Julia Kelly)

1998

Practical Magic (Dunne) (as Gillian Owens)

1999

Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick) (as Alice Harford)

Publications

By KIDMAN: articles—

Interview with Phil Noyce, in Cinema Papers (Fitzroy, Australia), May 1989.

Interview in Rolling Stone (Australia), June 1989.

"20 Questions with Nicole Kidman," in Playboy (Chicago), July 1992.

"La Femme Nicole," interview in Vanity Fair (New York), July 1995.

Bouzereau, Laurent, "Batman Forever," interview in Écran Fantastique (Paris), no. 143, July-August 1995.

Floyd, Nigel, "Nicole Mining," interview in Time Out (London), no. 1313, 11 October 1995.

Interview with Mark Salisbury in Empire (London), November 1995.

Mueller, Matt, "The Kidman Cometh," interview in Premiere (Boulder), November 1996.

Andrew, Geoff, "The Lady Vanquishes/Call Me Madame," interview in Time Out (London), no. 1382, 12 February 1997.

"Nic at Twilight," interview in Movieline (Escondido), vol. 10, no. 2, October 1998.

On KIDMAN: articles—

Michiels, Dirk, "Cool en kittig," in Film en Televisie (Brussels), no. 469, February 1997.

Collins, Nancy, "Lust and Trust," in Rolling Stone (New York), 8 July 1999.

Striking physical beauty and a high-profile marriage can blight an actress's career as often as advance it. Nicole Kidman has given proof of talent, intelligence, and versatility, but the vast preponderance of her press coverage still dwells on trivial speculation about her marriage to Tom Cruise. (Is he secretly gay? Or is she? Were they given lessons in lovemaking for Eyes Wide Shut? Does it rile him that she's several inches taller? And so forth.) When she appeared on the London stage (in Sam Mendes' production of The Blue Room, adapted from Schnitzler's Reigen) most of the male reviewers spent more time drooling over her on-stage nudity than assessing her acting ability. Even after displaying her range in three such diverse performances As To Die For, The Portrait of a Lady and Eyes Wide Shut, it seems Kidman still has trouble being taken seriously as an actress.

In her early roles, playing tomboyish teenagers in low-budget Australian family comedies like Bush Christmas and BMX Bandits, Kidman stood out with her rangy figure and wild red hair, exuding a nascent sexuality that scarcely meshed with the films' anodyne, sub-Disney ethos. John Duigan latched on to the cool-bitch side of her screen persona, casting her as the snotty head girl who gives Thandie Newton a hard time in Flirting, but it was Phillip Noyce's oceanbound thriller Dead Calm that gave her the crucial breakthrough role. At 19 she was way too young to play Sam Neill's jaded wife, but she came into her own in the later part of the film, fighting off Billy Zane's psychopath with a ferocity that seemed to stem less from fear than from indignation and moral outrage.

Dead Calm got Kidman to Hollywood and landed her the token-female role in Days of Thunder, Simpson and Bruckheimer's attempt to duplicate the testosterone-laden appeal of Top Gun. The film brought her together with Tom Cruise, and set an unhappy precedent for her Hollywood career. For the next few years Kidman found herself consigned to shallow, decorative roles in movies that left minimal scope for her talents. It hardly helped that the films were resolutely mediocre. If the stories of her ruthless pursuit of Gus Van Sant to secure the lead in To Die For are true, it's hardly to be wondered at; after overstuffed dross like Far and Away and Batman Forever she was clearly desperate to be allowed to show what she could do.

As the murderously ambitious Suzanne Stone, local TV weathergirl determined to make it big, Kidman proved she could play comedy with pitch-perfect subtlety. Instead of taking the easy route of making her character a bimbo, she played her as a woman who has concentrated down to one narrow, obsessive focus, leaving herself brain- and heart-dead outside it. Using her svelte beauty like a weapon, Kidman's Suzanne dazzles onlookers with her smile while the gleam of calculation never leaves her eyes.

To Die For gave Kidman her best role to date. The Portrait of a Lady and Eyes Wide Shut, both more ambitious films, in different ways constrained her, damping down the vibrant animal vitality that, unleashed, can radiate off the screen. Jane Campion's film turned Henry James's free spirit into a more lachrymose character, too easily subdued by John Malkovich's domestic tyrant; Kidman dutifully went along with the concept but let the rebellion show in her eyes. Eyes Wide Shut reunited her with Cruise in their first on-screen partnership since Far and Away. Both actors were visibly unnerved by Kubrick's over-meticulous direction; but Kidman came off the better of the two, achieving a poised intensity in her key monologues that showed up Cruise's dazed acquiescence. Both films demonstrated her versatility, suggesting that Kidman's potential as an actress has as yet scarcely been explored. It would be good to see her given the chance to prove it.

—Philip Kemp