Born in Hawaii, but moving shortly
thereafter to Australia, a young Miss Kidman started her performing arts
career as a ballet dancer. At the age of ten she convinced her parents,
her father, an author who lectures over psychology and biochemistry and
her mother, a nurse and educator who edits her husband's books, to
enroll her in a drama school. It is said that she is a descendant one of
Australia's most famous families, Sir Sydney Kidman's, a cattle baron
who had vast land and livestock holdings in Australia. Her fame,
however, has developed on her merits, starting with a performance at the
age of 14 in Bush Christmas. She continued on in BMX Bandits and as a
rock singer in Windrider. She also appeared as "a little roughie
who herded sheep" in a Disney Channel mini-series, Five Mile Creek.
Between films she honed her craft at the
St. Martin's Youth Theatre in Melbourne, the Australian Theatre for
Young People in Sydney and the Phillip Street Theatre where she learned
voice, production and studied theater history.
She became an overnight sensation for her
work in Kennedy Miller's mini-series Vietnam. At the young age of
seventeen, the Australian public voted her the Best Actress of the year,
and she recieved several other awards for her critically acclaimed
performance, which brought her into the international stage, captivating
flim-makers from around the world.
