Top 10 Interesting Facts about Nicole Kidman   

Photo By Eva Rinaldi – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Nicole Kidman   

Nicole Mary Kidman (Companion of the Order of Australia)  is an American and Australian actress, producer, and philanthropist. She started acting when she was young and has achieved so much in her life including Australia’s top civil honor ‘the Companion of the Order of Australia’. 

Kidman is an iconic figure that the world looks up to and is undoubtedly one of the best actresses that Hollywood has.

Ever since her debut at the Australian film industry, Kidman showed signs of making it big which seemed like a dream when she first came to Hollywood.  

Here are 10 interesting facts about Nicole Kidman. 

1. She Was Born in Hawaii and Even Has a Hawaiian Name 

Nicole was born on 20th June 1967 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her Australian parents Janelle and Antony Kidman were temporarily in the United States on student visas.

When she was born, she was given the Hawaiian name “Hōkūlani” which means “heavenly star”. It was inspired by a baby elephant born around the same time at the Honolulu Zoo. 

Nicole has a younger sister, Antonia Kidman, who was born in July 1970. She is currently a journalist and TV presenter. 

2. Nicole Has Dual Citizenship 

Photo by Brianna R. on Unsplash

Having been born in the American state of Hawaii to Australian parents, Kidman holds dual citizenship in Australia and the United States.

Nicole moved to Australia at the age of four. She has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. 

3. Her Father Was a Biochemist 

Nicole’s father, Antony Kidman, was a biochemist, clinical psychologist, and author. Mr. Kidman attended St Aloysius’ College and then completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Sydney. 

He then did a Master’s of Science at the University of New South Wale and later accepted an American Cancer Society Scholarship and undertook a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  

He conducted research into the biological and psychological aspects of cancer and wrote over 150 journal articles and nine books.

Mr. Kidman died from a heart attack on 12th September 2014 while visiting his other daughter, Antonia, in Singapore. He was 75 years at the time of his death. 

4. Her Mother is a Breast Cancer Survivor 

Nicole’s mother, Janelle, is a nurse by profession who worked as a nursing  instructor. She edited her husband’s books and was a member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby. 

In 1984, the Kidman family’s lives were thrown into chaos when Nicole’s mother Janelle was diagnosed with breast cancer. Strangely, her husband Antony had spent years researching the disease when the family lived in the US. 

Nicole quit acting and began to study massage so that she could help her mother on the road to recovery. Working as a massage therapist also assisted the family financially during that time.

Luckily, Janelle eventually beat the disease and Nicole was able to return to her budding career. 

5. Tom Cruise Cast Her for Her First American Movie   

Nicole Kidman. Photo By Gage – Wikimedia Commons

Nicole Kidman gained critical praise for her appearance in the star-studded Australian thriller ‘Dead Calm.’ She caught the attention of Tom Cruise who was a young star by then.   

When he saw the film, he knew that he wanted to cast her in his next movie ‘Days of Thunder. This became her first American movie.   

Over the years, Kidman has been a part of some of the best Hollywood flicks and has contributed heavily to the success of each of them including, ‘Batman Forever, ‘To Die For’, ‘Moulin Rouge’, ‘The Others’, ‘The Hours’ and so on. 

6. She Was Married to Tom Cruise for a Decade

While working on the sets of ‘Days of Thunder, Nicole and co-actor Tom Cruise fell in love and started dating. The two tied the knot on Christmas Eve 1990 in Telluride, Colorado.

They did not get biological children because her first pregnancy was ectopic. The two went on to adopt children. They have a daughter called Isabella Jane Cruise and a son Connor Anthony Cruise. 

In February 2001, after a decade of living together, the two separated and Tom filed for divorce because of irreconcilable differences.  

7. Nicole is Happily Married to an Australian Country Singer 

Nicole and her husband Keith Urban. Photo By Galeria – Wikimedia Commons

In 2005, Nicole met Keith Urban, an Australian country singer, at an event honouring Australians. They didn’t date for long before saying ‘I Do’.

The two got married on 25th June 2006 at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel on the grounds of St Patrick’s Estate, Manly in Sydney.  

When asked about her marriage a decade later she said, “We didn’t know each other, we got to know each other during our marriage.”

They have been blessed with two biological daughters, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban and Faith Margaret Kidman Urban. In total Nicole has four children.  

8. She Has Won Several Awards Over the Years  

Nicole has one Academy Award, three Golden Globe awards, and one BAFTA. She was nominated for the Academy Awards three times out of which she won once for the movie ‘The Hours’.

With this, she became the first Australian actress to win the Best Actress Academy Award. Out of the ten nominations for the Golden Globe awards, Kidman won 3 times.

The movies that gave her victory were ‘To Die For’, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘The Hours’. Three nominations later for BAFTA awards, she won once for the movie ‘The Hours’. 

Kidman has been six nominated six times for AACTA awards and seven nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards. She won one of each for her work in ‘Vietnam’ and her performance in the film, ‘To Die For’ respectively. 

9. Nicole is a Goodwill Ambassador and Philanthropist 

Kidman is also extremely benevolent and generous. She has been involved with a lot of philanthropic work over the years. She has successfully drawn the attention of the world toward disadvantaged children across the globe. 

Additionally, she was appointed goodwill ambassador of the UNICEF and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Nicole has also joined hands with the Little Tee Campaign for the fight against breast cancer. 

10. She Has Lepidopterophobia 

Photo By Eva Rinaldi – Wikimedia Commons

There are other random little known facts about Nicole. Her favorite colour is blue and her least favorite is bright orange. She’s naturally a redhead,

Nicole has Lepidopterophobia which is the fear of butterflies or moths and she’s best friends with her fellow actresses Naomi Watts and Reese Witherspoon.