Kidman next starred with Sam Neill in Dead Calm (1989) as Rae Ingram, playing the wife of a naval officer.
The thriller brought Kidman to international recognition; Variety commented: "Throughout the film, Kidman is excellent.
In 1988, Kidman appeared in Emerald City, based on the play of the same name.
The Australian film earned her an Australian Film Institute for Best Supporting Actress.
Opposed to the war in Vietnam, Kidman's parents participated in anti-war protests while living in Washington, D. Kidman has revealed that she was timid as a child, saying, "I am very shy – really shy – I even had a stutter as a kid, which I slowly got over, but I still regress into that shyness.
So I don't like walking into a crowded restaurant by myself; I don't like going to a party by myself." Here she took up drama, mime and performing in her teens, finding acting to be a refuge.
She received two consecutive Academy Award for Best Actress nominations for playing a courtesan in the musical Moulin Rouge!
A regular at the Phillip Street Theatre, she received both encouragement and praise to pursue acting full-time.
Kidman's ancestry includes Irish, Scottish and English heritage.
but the name is also a commonly used Hawaiian name for girls, Hokulani meaning 'Heavenly Star'.
She is the recipient of multiple awards, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, and the Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Kidman began her acting career in Australia with the 1983 film Bush Christmas. Her breakthrough came in 1989 with the thriller Dead Calm and the television miniseries Bangkok Hilton.