Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts (born 28.9.1968)

Naomi Watts is a British-Australian actress. Her acting career began in Australian television, appearing in soap operas and series such as Home and Away and Brides of Christ.

Naomi Watts: Childhood

Naomi Watts was born in Shoreham, in Kent, to Myfanwy Edwards and Peter Watts. Her mother was an antiques dealer, as well as a costume and set designer. Her father was a sound engineer and tour manager, who worked with Pink Floyd, amongst others. Her father died whilst she was young and the family moved to her mother's homeland, Wales.

Watts has stated that she wanted to become an actress after watching the film Fame in 1980. Naomi's grandmother was Australian, so in 1982, it was easy for her mother to obtain passports for the family to move to Australia.

Whilst in Sydney, Naomi Watts attended Mosman High School and North Sydney Girls' High School (along with Nicole Kidman). In 1986, Watts took a break from acting to work as a model in Japan, but failed to make the grade and did not enjoy the work.

Upon returning to Australia, she was invited to take part in a drama workshop and this rekindled her passion for acting.

Naomi Watts: Acting Career

Naomi Watts started out acting in a number of Australian TV series, including the popular soap opera Home and Away (which also launched the careers of Dannii Minogue, Heath Ledger and Guy Pearce. She also appeared in the award-winning mini-series Brides of Christ and the sitcom Hey Dad...!

In 1991, Naomi Watts landed a role in the acclaimed 1991 film Flirting, along with Thandie Newton and Nicole Kidman. After making the decision to move to the States, Watts was then selected for the supporting role of Jet Girl in Tank Girl, which starred Lori Petty and Ice T and featured music by the likes of Hole, Devo, Iggy Pop and Portishead.

However, in her first few years in Hollywood, Naomi watts struggled to land the roles that she wanted. She missed out on roles in Meet the Parents, The Parent Trap and Man on the Moon, though she took a role in the B-movie Children of the Corn IV.

Watts' big breakthrough came in 2001, when she starred in The Shaft, which also featured James Marshall. Later that year Naomi Watts starred in David Lynch's acclaimed movie Mulholland Drive along with Laura Elena Harring and Justin Theroux. Watts' performance earned her the Best Actress gong at the National Society of Film Critics Awards.

2002 saw Naomi Watts star in The Ring, one of the biggest US box office hits of the year. The film was a remake of a cult Japanese horror and its success led on to Watts starring in Ned Kelly, opposite the late Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush.

The Merchant Ivory film Le Divorce was released in 2003 and starred Naomi Watts along with Kate Hudson and Glenn Close. Building on her success, Watts went on to feature in 21 Grams, along with Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn. Her role in 21 Grams led to Watts being nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award, though she lost out to Charlize Theron.

In 2004, Watts produced the independent film We Don't Live Here Anymore, as well as appearing in it, alongside Mark Ruffalo, Laura Dern and Peter Krause. In The Assassination of Richard Nixon, Watts was reunited with Sean Penn and Don Cheadle, before teaming up with Jude Law and Dustin Hoffman in I Heart Huckabees. She also starred in the sequel to The Ring: The Ring Two.

Another successful turning point in Naomi Watts' acting career came in 2005 when she starred in the remake of King Kong, playing the role of Ann Darrow, with Adrien Brody and Jack Black filling the film's starring roles. With Peter Jackson at the helm, the film was a massive success, both in the USA and around the world.

The following year, Naomi Watts starred along with Ed Norton and Liev Schreiber in The Painted Veil. She also starred in a remake of the 1997 Austrian film Funny Games, along with Tim Roth. As the latest in a string of remakes, Naomi watts began to earn herself a reputation as 'queen of the remake'. She also appeared alongside Viggo Mortensen in David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises.

Jim Sheridan cast Naomi Watts in the thriller Dream House in 2010, to work alongside Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz.

Naomi Watts: Personal Life

Naomi Watts is engaged to Liev Schreiber and they have two children together.