Nicole Kidman as Gillian 'Gilly-Bean' Owens
Sally and Gillian Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts (Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing) after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their aunts fed them chocolate cake for breakfast and taught them the uses of practical magic. But the invocation of the Owens' sorcery also carries a price--some call it a curse: the men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death. Now adult women with very different personalities, the quiet Sally and the fiery Gillian must use all of their powers to fight the family curse and a swarm of supernatural forces that threatens the lives of all the Owens women.
Biography for Nicole Kidman
Birth name
Nicole Mary Kidman
Date of birth
20 June 1967
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
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Elegant redhead Nicole Kidman, known as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports, was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Anthony (a biochemist and clinical psychologist) and Janelle (a nursing instructor) Kidman. The family moved almost immediately to Washington, D.C., where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, then, three years later, made the pilgrimage to her parents' native Sydney.
Young Nicole's first love was ballet, but she eventually took up mime and drama as well (her first stage role was a bleating sheep in an elementary school Christmas pageant). In her adolescent years, acting edged out the other arts and became a kind of refuge--as her classmates sought out fun in the sun, the fair-skinned Kidman retreated to dark rehearsal halls to practice her craft. She worked regularly at the Philip Street Theater, where she once received a personal letter of praise and encouragement from audience member Jane Campion (then a film student).
Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favorite Bush Christmas (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and TV offers, including a lead in BMX Bandits (1983) and a turn as a schoolgirl-turned-protester in the miniseries "Vietnam" (1986) (mini) (for which she won her first Australian Film Institute Award). With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller Dead Calm (1989). Kidman's next casting coup scored her more than exposure. While starring as Tom Cruise's doctor/love interest in the racetrack romance Days of Thunder (1990), she won over the Hollywood hunk hook, line, and sinker.
After a whirlwind courtship (and decent box office returns), the couple wed on December 24, 1990. Determined not to let her new marital status overshadow her fledgling career, the actress pressed on. She appeared as a catty high school senior in the Australian film Flirting (1991), then as Dustin Hoffman's moll in the gangster flick Billy Bathgate (1991). She reunited with Cruise for Far and Away (1992), the story of young Irish lovers who flee to America in the late 1800s, and starred opposite Michael Keaton in the tear-tugger My Life (1993).
Despite her steady employment, critics and moviegoers still hadn't quite warmed to Kidman as a leading lady. She tried to spice up her image by seducing Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995), but achieved her real breakthrough with Gus Van Sant's To Die for (1995). As a fame-crazed housewife determined to eliminate any obstacle in her path, Kidman proved that she had an impressive range and deadly comic timing. She took home a Golden Globe and several critics' awards for the performance.
In 1996, Kidman stepped into a corset to work with her countrywoman and onetime admirer, Jane Campion, on the adaptation of Henry James's Portrait of a Lady, The (1996). A few months later, she tore across the screen as a nuclear weapons expert in Peacemaker, The (1997), adding "action star" to her professional repertoire. She and Cruise then disappeared into a notoriously long, secretive shoot for Stanley Kubrick's sexual thriller Eyes Wide Shut (1999). The couple's on-screen shenanigans prompted an increase in public speculation about their sex life (rumors had long been circulating that their marriage was a cover-up for Cruise's homosexuality); tired of denying tabloid attacks, they successfully sued The Star for a story alleging that they needed a sex therapist to coach them through love scenes.
Family life has always been a priority for Kidman. Born to social activists (mom was a feminist, dad a labor advocate), Nicole and her little sister, Antonia, discussed current events around the dinner table and participated in their parents' campaigns by passing out pamphlets on street corners. When her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, 17-year-old Nicole stopped working and took a massage course so that she could provide physical therapy (her mom eventually beat the cancer). She and Cruise adopted two children: Isabella Jane (born in 1993) and Connor Antony (born 1995). Despite their rock-solid image, the couple announced in early 2001 that they were separating due to career conflicts.
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Trivia
Listed in "People Weekly"s "Most Intriguing People" list. (December 25, 1995/January 1, 1996 issue)
(2000) She and her husband Tom Cruise donated to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate representing New York state.
Suffered a broken rib while rehearsing a dance routine for the movie Moulin Rouge! (2001). Production was halted while she recovered.
(1999) Chosen by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World
(1996) Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world
Wore a corset while filming Portrait of a Lady, The (1996) to take her waist down to 19"
Spent two weeks in bed after filming of Portrait of a Lady, The (1996) - diagnosed as suffering from "emotional stress".
Nicole's father is renowned Sydney psychologist Anthony Kidman, famous in his own right for work done with breast cancer patients, among other things.
Family: Sister, Antonia Kidman-Hawley. Brother-In-Law, Angus Hawley. Mother, Janelle Kidman. Son, Conor Antony. Daughter, Isabella Jane Relative of late cattle baron Sydney Kidman. Dropped out of high school to persue career.
Left handed.
(October 1999) Crusader against child abuse. "Children should be allowed to grow up without fear of cruelty."
(5 February 2001) Separated from husband Tom Cruise.
In Moulin Rouge! (2001) Kidman sang alongside Ewan McGregor.
Conor Antony (adopted son) born January 17, 1995.
Isabella Jane (adopted daughter) born December 22, 1992.
Sang alongside Robbie Williams (I) in a remake of the duet 'Something Stupid' originally by Frank/Nancy Sinatra
Scared of butterflies
(January 20th, 2002) Won 2nd Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for Moulin Rouge!
Named one of People Magazine's '25 Most Intriguing People of 2001'.
Named E!'s Celebrity of the Year 2001.
Named Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of The Year for 2001.
Played a young girl named Grace on a sketch on "Saturday Night Live" with Mike Myers, the next time she played a character named Grace was her 2001 movie, Others, The (2001).
She was supposed to be the star of Panic Room (2002), but she hurt herself in a stunt for Moulin Rouge! (2001). So, she played the voice of Jodie Foster's divorced husband's wife.
Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
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Personal quotes
"Every day there is a compromise. Living with somebody requires a lot of understanding. But I love being married. I really love it. Sometimes I try to downplay it a bit because people are like, 'God you guys.' I just feel so fortunate that I have found someone who will put up with me and stay with me." - on her marriage to Tom Cruise - August 2000
[On husband Tom Cruise] "I wouldn't want to be married to me, but luckily he does."
"Now I can wear heels." [commenting on her break-up with Tom Cruise - August 2001]
"It's so bizarre, I'm not scared of snakes or spiders. But I'm scared of butterflies. There is something eerie about them. Something weird!"
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Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
Born in Hawaii and raised in Australia, she studied dance and drama from childhood and made her film debut in Bush Christmas (1983) at the age of 14. Her performance in the 1985 Australian miniseries "Vietnam" made her a star in that country and won her several awards. Other credits include BMX Bandits (1983), Wills and Burke: The Untold Story (1985), Windrider (1986, as a rock star), Emerald City (1989), and the miniseries "Five Mile Creek" (1985) and "Bangkok Hilton" (1990). Her performance as a snooty upperclasswoman in Flirting (1990) was duly noted when American moviegoers got to see the film in 1992. This tall, strawberry-blond actress garnered excellent notices for her first major film role, as the terrorized but resourceful wife adrift with a homicidal maniac in the Australian sailing thriller Dead Calm (1989). She came to America for Days of Thunder (1990), in which she was conveniently cast as a doctor for leading man Tom Cruise. The highly touted racing saga failed to live up to expectations, but offscreen Kidman won the heart of costar Cruise, whom she subsequently married. Since then, she has played Dutch Schultz's moll in Billy Bathgate (1991), an Irish immigrant in Far and Away (1992, reteamed with Cruise), an American spouse (who's a psychopath in reality), in the overheated Malice and an expectant mother in the tearjerker My Life (both 1993). In 1995, Kidman starred in Batman Forever and To Die For.
Human Stain, The (2003) .... Faunia Farley
Cold Mountain (2003) .... Ada
Dogville (2002) .... Grace
2002 MTV Movie Awards (2002) (TV) .... Herself
Hours, The (2002) .... Virginia Woolf
Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men (2002) (TV) (uncredited) (archive footage) .... Herself
Panic Room (2002) (uncredited) (voice) .... Stephen's Girlfriend on the Phone
Orange British Academy Film Awards, The (2002) (TV) .... Herself
Who is Alan Smithee? (2002) (TV) (uncredited) (archive footage) .... Herself
Night Club of Your Dreams: The Making of Moulin Rouge, The (2001) (TV) .... Herself/'Satine'
America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001) (TV) .... Herself
Birthday Girl (2001) .... Sophia
Others, The (2001) .... Grace Stewart
... aka Autres, Les (2001) (France)
... aka Otros, Los (2001) (Spain)
Moulin Rouge! (2001) .... Satine ('The Sparkling Diamond')
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001) .... Herself (Interviewee)
Fox Studios Australia: The Grand Opening (1999) (TV) .... Herself
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) .... Alice Harford
... aka EWS (1999) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Mike Myers (1998) (V) (uncredited) .... Little Girl
Practical Magic (1998) .... Gillian 'Gilly-Bean' Owens
Peacemaker, The (1997) .... Dr. Julia Kelly
Portrait of a Lady, The (1996) .... Isabel Archer
Leading Man, The (1996) .... Academy Awards Presenter
To Die for (1995) .... Suzanne Stone Maretto
Batman Forever (1995) .... Dr. Chase Meridian
... aka Forever (1995/I) (USA: title without logo)
My Life (1993) .... Gail Jones
Malice (1993) .... Tracy Kennsinger
Far and Away (1992) .... Shannon Christie
Billy Bathgate (1991) .... Drew Preston
Flirting (1991) .... Nicola Radcliffe
Days of Thunder (1990) .... Dr. Claire Lewicki
"Bangkok Hilton" (1989) (mini) TV Series .... Katrina Stanton
Dead Calm (1989) .... Rae Ingram
Emerald City (1988) .... Helen, Mike McCord's Girlfriend
Australiana a Roma, Un' (1987) (TV) .... Jill
Bit Part, The (1987) .... Mary McAllister
Room to Move (1987) (TV) .... Carol Trig
... aka Winners: Room to Move (1987) (TV) (Australia: syndication title)
"Vietnam" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Megan Goddard
Watch the Shadows Dance (1986) .... Amy Gabriel
... aka Nightmaster (1986) (USA)
Windrider (1986) .... Jade
Archer's Adventure (1985) .... Catherine
... aka Archer (1985)
Wills & Burke (1985) .... Julia Matthews
"Five Mile Creek" (1984) TV Series .... Annie
Matthew and Son (1984) (TV) .... Bridget Elliot
BMX Bandits (1983) .... Judy
... aka Short Wave (1983) (USA: video title) (bootleg title)
Bush Christmas (1983) .... Helen
... aka Prince and the Great Race (1983)
Chase Through the Night (1983) (TV) .... Petra
Other Nicole Kidman pages on Women of Horror:
The Others
