After landing film and TV roles in the land down under, 1989 brought on Kidman’s first international role in the thriller “Dead Calm”. She was highly praised for her performance, and this paved the way for a multitude of both domestic and international roles. One of the most notable titles was “Days of Thunder” where she co-starred with Tom Cruise, but more on that later.
She got to collaborate with A-list actors and actresses (Michael Keaton, Thandie Newton, and Alec Baldwin to name a few) and steadily climbed the Hollywood ranks.
Welcome to the World, Nicole!
On June 20th, 1967, Janelle Ann and Antony Kidman's life changed forever. At the time, the two young Australians were visiting as students in Hawaii, and they had a beautiful baby girl whom they named Nicole. Nicole Kidman.
In fact, since she was born in Hawaii, little Kidman was also given a Hawaiian name — "Hōkūlani", which means "heavenly star". Surprisingly, the namesake and inspiration for the name was a baby elephant from the Honolulu Zoo.
Started From the Bottom
Her early years in America were anything but simple. Both her parents were students at the time. Her father was studying for his Ph.D. in psychology and her family had very little. She recalls sleeping with both her parents on a single mattress donated through the salvation army.
Later in life, however, her father became a certified behavioral therapist and the family became more financially stable. Still, she recalls him being incredibly generous and offering his services pro-bono to people who couldn't afford it. He and her mother, who was a nurse, are why she can appreciate everything she has today.
The Acting Bug
Now a global superstar, little Nicole was a pretty shy kid and even had a stutter she'd slowly left behind. In fact, she still states that she doesn't like to go to events or crowded places on her own.
When her parents got back to Australia, they enrolled their daughter to dance class, which sparked her interest in performing arts. She soon started participating in school plays and kept doing so all throughout high school, where she met her BFF actress Naomi Watts. Acting has helped her come out of her introverted shell and her talent was soon noticed by others.
Humble Beginnings
Young Nicole Kidman's interest extended past her school's periodical plays. She's attended the Australian Theater for Young People (ATYP), which has produced lots of other notable Australian actors like Toni Colette and Rebel Wilson. This is where she was encouraged to pursue acting full time.
At 16 years old, Kidman had her very first film role in the Australian Christmas movie, "Bush Christmas" (1983). By the end of the year, she'd already had a supporting role in the TV show "Five Mile Creek". Apart from the short break that she took to help her mother recover from breast cancer, Kidman's career kept soaring over the decade.
Breaking Through
After landing film and TV roles in the land down under, 1989 brought on Kidman's first international role in the thriller "Dead Calm". She was highly praised for her performance, and this paved the way for a multitude of both domestic and international roles. One of the most notable titles was "Days of Thunder" where she co-starred with Tom Cruise, but more on that later.
She got to collaborate with A-list actors and actresses (Michael Keaton, Thandie Newton, and Alec Baldwin to name a few) and steadily climbed the Hollywood ranks.
Making It Big
Kidman was first nominated for a Golden Globe in 1991 for Best Supporting Actress in the film "Billy Bathgate". While she didn't win, she kept getting Hollywood recognition and it wasn't long until she snagged some awards herself.
While her on-screen career was clearly interesting, Kidman's love life was drawing equal attention. It has enough material to make a full-length feature. And now is the time to dive a little deeper into it.
What About Love?
Kidman's career has taken her far and wide and introduced her to lots of new people and romantic opportunities. She has dated Australian actors Tom Burlinson and Marcus Graham in 1986 (though not simultaneously, obviously).
She will later need to face tabloids and rumors about her being involved with other celebrities, which is normally the price of fame. Her first big love, however, came along in 1990.
Cruising It
In 1989, Kidman landed the role of neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki, in the film "Days of Thunder" (released in 1990). Her co-star in the film was Tom Cruise, and most of you probably know where this is going.
In the film, Kidman's character falls in love with Cruise's (a NASCAR racer! How could she not?). And, life caught up with the art, as it often does. The two started dating and were married by Christmas of 1990. Oh, and the movie was the highest-grossing of that year, but that's not why we're here.
A First-Time Mother
When a couple has things going so well, it's only natural for them to want to become a full-on family. But it wasn't so simple. Shortly after getting married, Kidman had an ectopic pregnancy, which was too dangerous to continue. She later had an unfortunate miscarriage.
After having difficulty conceiving a child in a natural way, the couple resorted to adoption. They took in a daughter, Isabella Jane Cruise (born in 1992), and she was joined by a younger brother, Connor Antony (born in 1995). The young family was as happy as can be.
Living Together, Working Together
Two Hollywood A-listers such as Cruise and Kidman are bound to have the media reporting their every single move. And for a while, people couldn't get enough of them. They even collaborated again in the later film "Eyes Wide Shut", made by Stanley Kubrick.
Over the two years of making the film together, the two moved to England with their children and essentially lived in a trailer on the filming location. Kidman recalls this time being very happy and family-oriented, with Kubrick often coming over to visit them and have spaghetti dinners.
Working With Kubrick
One of the most celebrated filmmakers of our time, Stanley Kubrick has a very unique work process. Some would even call this process grueling as he drives a lot of his inspiration from deep psychological issues and often questions his actors as part of the research.
That's exactly what happened when Cruise and Kidman worked on "Eyes Wide Shut". The film, which explores the intimate fantasies of a married couple, meant that Kubrick took a deep dive into the same issue in his actors' private lives. Still, Kidman says that working with him was like having the best professor in film school.
Was It the Movie's Fault?
Some say that working with Kubrick on this emotionally and intimately complex film was the thing that ultimately broke the couple up.
However, according to Nicole, she and Tom were very much in love at the time. They even had a unique way of blowing off some steam at the end of a long day of shooting — go-kart racing. The two would rent out a place (sometimes as late as 3 in the morning) and race their stress away.
Was It Religion's Fault?
Tom Cruise's faith is nothing new. And since Nicole doesn't share his faith, it was only a matter of time until someone credited the couple's imminent separation to religious differences. However, Nicole has never said anything of the sort.
Both Bella and Connor practice the same religion as their father. And while Nicole is still a Catholic, it makes no difference to her. As she puts it, they've made their choices and her job is to simply love them.
Trouble in Paradise
Cruise and Kidman enjoyed a two-year rule as a Hollywood power couple, gracing nearly every red carpet in their presence. But things eventually started falling apart. At the beginning of 2001, the two announced that they're going on their separate ways.
By August of 2001, the two were officially divorced citing irreconcilable differences, leaving Hollywood on the hunt for a new couple to worship.
No Hard Feelings
While they were no longer together, it seems that Kidman and Cruise didn't hold any unnecessary grudge toward each other. Not according to her, at least.
In fact, in a 2006 interview she gave to "Ladies' Home Journal", she only said she will always have a love for him: "To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge [...] he was lovely to me and I loved him. I still love him."
Happily Single
After ending her relationship with Cruise, Kidman turned her focus to her job. She was back to being applauded for herself and her talent, and she could once again nurture her career full time.
Some of her best work was done over the few years after her divorce, including her participation in "Moulin Rouge!", "The Hours", and "The Others." This newfound focus could be the very thing that won her the Best Actress Academy Award for her 2003 portrayal of Virginia Woolf in "The Hours".
Ready to Mingle
Once Kidman was single again, tabloids were back to pinning romance rumors involving her and any possible celebrity in her vicinity. One such rumor said that she had an affair with her "Cold Mountain" co-star Jude Law and that it ultimately broke his marriage.
Kidman wasn't going to let such baseless allegations fly. She and Law denied the story and Kidman even won some substantial cash from the British tabloids that printed the article.
Playing the Field
When Kidman was ready to jump back on the dating wagon, she did it with style. She's had relationships with several Hollywood superstars such as the rapper Q-Tip and musician Lenny Kravitz.
She dated the latter between 2003 and 2004. After that, she had a brief romantic involvement with British singer Robby Williams. While she had the finest men in showbusiness as a dating catalog to choose from, none of them were her one true love. Speaking of which, now seems like the right time to take a closer look at Keith Urban's life.
Welcome to the World, Keith!
October 26th, 1967 was a big day for Marianne and Bob (Robert) Urban. This was the day when they had their youngest son, Keith, who didn't know it yet but would become a world-famous musician.
Before any bit of this career even became feasible, the New Zealand Born Keith didn't have much. He lived with his family of four on a farm and they all slept in a single, shed-like house with no individual bedrooms.
No Silver Spoons Here
Before making enough money to move to Australia and better establish themselves, their farmhouse burned down. Fortunately, their community generously helped them through it. This experience is what ultimately made Keith so appreciative of everything he will have in the future. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
As a child, Keith loved performing. His father found him a guitar teacher, and the little musician started enrolling in local competitions right away. He's also joined a local theater company where he could hone his stage presence, which would become instrumental in his future career.
Not Much of a Student
So Urban played guitar as a young kid and had even taken part in music competitions. He was also deeply influenced by rockers such as Mark Knopfler and Lindsey Buckingham. This is why it's so surprising to find out that he'd failed music in school.
Traditional school was never Urban's main focus, and he ended up dropping out of high school at 15 years old. Don't get us wrong, we fully support education. It's just that this decision happened to work well for Urban and his talent.
A New Face
A year after quitting high school, Urban made his television debut as a contestant in "New Faces", an Australian talent show. It wasn't long after that when he became a well-known face in the Australian country music industry.
He appeared regularly on TV shows such as "Reg Lindsay Country Homestead" and "Mike McClellan's Music Program". Soon, he branched out into performing with musical groups and even recorded a duet with fellow Australian Jenny Wilson, which won them a Golden Guitar Award.
The First Album
While the people of New Zealand and Australia were pretty familiar with Urban by now, he started getting a taste of worldwide fame only in 1999. This was the year when he released his first album, aptly named "Keith Urban".
The album has made waves around the US and turned him into the first New Zealander to have songs at a Top 10 spot on the country charts in America ("But for the Grace of God", "Where the Blacktop Ends"). Two years later he was already crowned Top New Male Vocalist of 2001 by the Academy of Country Music. Love, however, wasn't a part of the picture just yet.
Getting Help
More albums and number one hits by Urban topped the charts. He won his first Grammy (2005's Best Male Country Vocal Performance) and enjoyed the love and adoration of many. However, this entire time he was keeping a dark secret.
Before the release of his first album, Urban had battled substance abuse. He was living in Nashville at the time, and a personal low point finally made him understand he needed professional help. After checking into the right facility, he was ready to lock away this chapter of his life and focus on music.
Nicole's Side of the Meetup
There are two sides to each story, and so does the story of Nicole and Keith meeting for the first time. It was in early 2005 at G'Day LA — an American event honoring Australian artists.
In a 2017 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Kidman admitted to having had a crush on him and thinking he wasn't interested because it took him so long (four months!) to call her after the event. When you hear his side of the story you'll see it's for the most adorable reason.
Keith's Side of the Meetup
Urban does recall seeing her at the event but it wasn't lack of interest that kept him from calling. According to him, he just lacked confidence. Can you believe it? A superstar musician not having enough confidence to make a move on someone he finds attractive?
As he puts it, he had her number in his pocket for some time and he was too anxious to call because "If I call this number, she's going to answer [and] I don't know what [to] say!"
The First Call
Thank god Keith finally mustered up the courage. The first time they spoke on the phone turned out to be nothing to fear.
Once he dialed all the right numbers and she did, in fact, answer, talking was incredibly effortless. In a 2018 interview on Australian TV, he said that he was worried that she is going to be the uninterested one but the call put him at ease. So adorable!
Things Are Going Well
It took Urban a few months to call Kidman, and it took her about the same to know he was just the guy for her.
They had been together for approximately six months before her birthday came along. It was then when he took her on a surprise trip to Woodstock, New York, and when the realization sank in. Or, as she puts it, "I believed by that point he was the love of my life." Urban was obviously feeling the same, and wedding plans were soon set in motion.
Was It Too Early?
Getting engaged after dating for such a short time is a little irregular in this day and age, but the two have no regrets. According to Nicole, they got to know each other fully as a married couple. (Unlike other modern couples.)
As it turns out, it was the right call as the two are now a full-fledged family with homes in Nashville, LA, New York, and two more in Australia.
The Wedding Down Under
On June 25th, 2006, Australian gentry gathered from far and wide to attend the couple's wedding. The ceremony was held in Manly, Australia (not far from Sydney), and attended by the biggest names down under.
The star-studded guest list featured Russell Crowe, BFF Naomi Watts, and Baz Luhrmann. The event's entertainment was covered by performances of Urban himself, Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, and Hugh Jackman.
Through Thick and Thin
While very much in love, the newlyweds faced a difficult challenge at the beginning of their marriage. Urban's old battle with substance abuse was back, threatening to ruin all the good things he had going on in his life.
Thankfully, this time he didn't have to go through it alone. With Kidman's help, he checked into a treatment facility again and emerged as a new man three months later. In a 2016 interview he gave to "Rolling Stone" magazine, he stated that it's a miracle that their marriage survived and that it was only made possible with Nicole by his side.
Standing by Her Man
Kidman, on her part, doesn't seem to take her due credit in her husband's win against his old destructive habits. In 2007, she spoke about it with "Vanity Fair" and said that circumstances also played a part in the story.
As she sees it, the two had met at the perfect time. They were both lonely yet open enough to be vulnerable with each other. "We were a mixture of frightened and brave," Nicole said.
Expanding the Family
While Kidman was already a mother of the two children she'd adopted with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise, Urban didn't have any kids. Well, until July of 2008. That was when the two welcomed their first child into the world.
They named their new daughter Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. Quite a mouthful for a baby, but when your parents are such a power-couple you need a powerful name to match.
You're Getting a Sister!
After not being able to conceive with Cruise, you can imagine how overjoyed Kidman must have been to have Sunday Rose through a healthy pregnancy. In 2011, however, the couple greeted their second daughter, Faith Margaret, into the world with the help of a surrogate. Talk about reproductive options!
Nicole's only regret, as she later told Vogue magazine, is that she hadn't met Keith earlier so she could have more kids with him.
Showbiz Babies
When both your parents have such glamorous careers, you're bound to get a taste of the spotlight at some point. For Sunday and Faith, it happened pretty early. While starring in the HBO hit "Big Little Lies", Kidman had her daughters participate in the show as extras.
The cameo was kept secret until the actress accidentally told the world about it during a 2018 interview with Ellen DeGeneres. Both girls went on to have extra roles in the miniseries "The Undoing" (also starring Kidman), and voice roles in "The Angry Birds Movie 2".
They Make It Work
Parenting poses challenges for everyone. Even high-profile parents like Nicole and Keith. But they seem to enjoy raising their family and keep a close relationship with them. In fact, Nicole states that one of them is always with the kids, which might prove difficult, given those parents' busy schedules.
When the schedules happened to clash, Nicole reached out to her sister, Antonia, and asked her for help. Antonia was happy to lend a hand and moved into the Kidman-Urban home with her own kids for a while. This commune-like life with such a closely-knit extended family is much appreciated by Kidman.
Big Little Husband
The TV show "Big Little Lies" deals with dark issues, that could take their toll on anyone, let alone the actors portraying the suffering characters. When filming the second season of the show, this darkness wasn't easy to deal with, but she pulled through, thanks to — you guessed it — her husband.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said she considers herself lucky to have such a supportive man to call her husband.
Loving and Losing
2014 brought a new challenge for the couple to deal with — Kidman's father's passing away. Nicole and her father were very close, and losing him was obviously hard for her.
About a month after his passing, She came as a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres show (yet again) and spoke of how Keith has helped her through it. She said that his support was so amazing it almost made her cry and that she would "do anything for that man." Now that's true love, people!
All You Need Is Love
It seems that unconditional love is a great beacon in Kidman's life. She stated that she still loves her ex-husband (although in a different way, obviously). She obviously has all the love a mother could offer for her children, and she is madly in love with her country-singing hubby.
Love is part of Nicole's philosophy. Especially when it comes to parenting. She believes that in order to grow up well, a child must know that their parents will always be open and loving. Honestly, we couldn't agree more.
His Biggest Fan
While Urban does his best to support that lovely wife of his, he is also greatly impacted by her. The musician says that she has a wonderful taste in music because she goes with her gut without fixating genres, labels, or official terminology.
This outlook has encouraged him to be more exploring with his art and his music. She has encouraged him to follow his curiosity and be more fearless, which sounds like every artist's dream.
Fangirling Done Right
Nicole doesn't settle for enriching her husband's musical taste or encouraging him to go with his artistic instincts. She also promotes his music on social media. Instagram posts of her urging fans to get buy tickets or listen to his latest track are pretty common.
Also, when he gave a live online concert, like many other artists in 2020, she was anything but camera shy. In fact, she sat by his side throughout the whole thing!
It's a Family Thing
Sunday and Faith are also big fans of their father's music. In fact, they teamed up with their mother to celebrate Urban's latest album release and surprised him.
Keith's latest album, "The Speed of Now Part One", came out in September 2020. While he was away promoting the music, and the rest of his family remained in Australia, Nicole and the girls sent him a celebratory arrangement which included flowers, balloons, cookies, and even a cake with the album cover printed onto it!
He Knows How to Court a Lady
With both of their careers being so demanding, it would only stand to reason that they have to spend the occasional night apart. But Keith has found an old-fashion way to make these nights apart feel a little closer — love letters.
According to Kidman, whenever Urban is away on tour, he leaves her love letters — one for each night they have to spend apart. Apparently, he's been doing it since they first started dating. So Romantic!
What's Their Secret?
It seems that the two have found the key to a long, happy, prosperous marriage. What kind of tips would they share with anyone interested in a similar fate?
According to Kidman, the secret lies in making time for each other. Both Nicole and Keith work very hard, but they make it a point to leave their jobs behind when they're back home with each other. Basically, her advice is to make sure you don't let your job doesn't seep into your marriage.
From Nashville to Australia
The Kidman-Urbans spent the first half of 2020 in their home in Nashville. The other half was spent in their home in New South Wales, Australia, closer to their extended family members.
And what about school? well, much like many other school-age kids in 2020, they are homeschooled. According to Urban, Nicole is a much better teacher than he is. He credits his limited teaching skills to him dropping out of high school at 15 years old.
From His Home to Yours
Even when he can't leave his house that often, thanks to online technologies and social media, Urban can keep his fans (and family) entertained with rare glimpses into his musical work process.
He's shown peeks into his Nashville home music studio, played the living room piano on Instagram, and gave full-on online concerts. Fans couldn't get enough of this man's warm personality, home, and family.
Family Time
While they couldn't spend a lot of time outdoors during 2020, the family has enjoyed being close and having all of its members around. Especially Nicole's younger sister, Antonia, and her mother Janelle.
Nicole especially states that she's enjoyed spending her mornings in the kitchen and having the kids be loud around her. Honestly, she makes this domestic lifestyle sound incredibly picturesque.
Home Sweet Home
Well, anything would sound picturesque when you keep in mind the size and facilities of Keith and Nicole's New South Wales home. The property stretches over a land of 111 acres. All those acres feature, among other things, a swimming pool, a tennis court, and the family's six-bedroom home.
Other than the human members of the family, the place is also a home for loads of animals including chickens, cattle, and six alpacas!
Been Through It All
After living through financial troubles, migrating to and from different countries, experiencing loves and losses, and sticking together with true love, we can definitely look up to this couple's relationship.
They are living proof that as long as you show each other unconditional love and support, nothing can come between you and your partner. Not even Hollywood.