Nicole Kidman

Australian actress once known mostly for her marriage to actor Tom Cruise (1990–2001), but now known independently for her outstanding acting as well. Having already earned two Best Actress Awards from the Australian Film Institute, Kidman was first noticed by Hollywood in the thriller Dead Calm (1989). She met Cruise on the set of Days of Thunder (1990) and they married not long after that. A notable performance as Batman's love interest in Batman Forever (1995) led her to other challenging roles in movies such as To Die For (1995), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), The Peacemaker (1997), Moulin Rouge (2001), and Dogville (2003). She and Cruise starred in Stanley Kubrick's last film, the controversial Eyes Wide Shut (1999). In 2001, Kidman and Cruise announced their breakup, shocking the world. Her performance as Virginia Woolf in The Hours (2002) netted her a best actress Oscar and a Golden Globe. She also received Golden Globe nominations for her performances in 2003's Cold Mountain and 2004's Birth.