Biography for
Naomi Watts

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Date of Birth

28 September 1968, Shoreham, Kent, England, UK

Birth Name

Naomi Ellen Watts

Nickname

Queen of Remakes

Height

5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography

Born in Shoreham, England and raised in Australia, Naomi Watts has been working actively in the film industry for 15 years. After she moved to Hollywood, she worked regularly, acting in small roles in film projects she was less than enthusiastic about. Finally, her big break came when she was contacted to audition for a coveted spot in David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. (2001). Her star-turning performance in the dual role of Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn has garnered an array of critic's awards and the attention of some major players in Hollywood and beyond. Watts is now enjoying greater choice of film roles and played (with great success)the lead in Gore Verbinski's remake of the Japanese horror classic The Ring (2002). She also starred opposite Kate Hudson in Merchant/Ivory's adaptation of the Diane Johnson novel Divorce, Le (2003). Subsequently, Watts' creative acting abilities have continued to grow and deepen. She has been cast in an array of films with only the best directors and actors and continues to stun critics and amaze filmgoers with her versatility and range.

IMDb Mini Biography By: gwyneth_65@yahoo.com

Mini Biography

Naomi Watts was born in Shoreham, England on September 28, 1968 to Peter and Miv Watts. Peter Watts, the sound engineer to Pink Floyd, died when Naomi was seven and she began to follow her mother and her brother around England until they settled in Australia when she was fourteen. She coaxed her mother into letting her take acting class when they arrived. After bit parts in commercials, she landed her first role in For Love Alone (1986). Naomi met her best friend, Nicole Kidman, when they both auditioned for a bikini commercial and they shared a taxi ride home. In 1991, Naomi starred along Kidman in the sleeper-hit Flirting (1991) directed by John Duigan. Naomi continued her career by starring in the Australian "Brides of Christ" (1991) co-starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Brenda Fricker. In 1993, she worked with John Duigan again in Wide Sargasso Sea (1993) and director George Miller in Gross Misconduct (1993). Tank Girl (1995), in 1995, an adaptation of the comic book was a cult hit, starred Naomi as "Jet Girl", but it didn't fare well at the box-office and didn't do much for her career as a whole. Watts continued to take insignificant parts in movies including the much forgotten film Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) (V). It wasn't until David Lynch cast her in the critically acclaimed film Mulholland Dr. (2001) that she began to become noticed. Her part as an aspiring actress showed her strong acting ability and wide range and earned her much respect, as much as to say by some that she was overlooked for a Oscar nomination that year. Stardom finally came to Naomi in the surprise hit The Ring (2002), which grossed over $100,000,000 at the box-office and starred Watts as a investigative reporter hunting down the truth behind several mysterious deaths seemingly caused by a video tape. While the movie did not fare well with the critics, it launched her into the spotlight. In 2003, she starred in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003) which earned her - what some say is a much overdue Oscar nomination and brought others to call her one of the best in her generation of actors. The same year, she was nominated for 21 Grams (2003), Naomi was chosen to play "Ann Darrow" in director Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) which took her to New Zealand for a five month shoot. Watts completed her first comedy in I Heart Huckabees (2004) for director David O. Russell, playing a superficial spokes model - a break from her usual intense and dramatic roles she is known for. In 2005, she reprized her role as the protective-mother-reporter "Rachel Keller" in The Ring Two (2005). The movie, released in March, opened to $35,000,000 at the box office in the first weekend and established her as a box-office draw. Also in 2005, it was decided that her independent movie Ellie Parker (2001) would be re-released in late 2005 after its success at resurfacing at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie, which Naomi also produced, features her in the title role and is a bit biographical, but yet exaggerated take of the life of a struggling actress as she comes to Hollywood and encounters nightmares of the profession (it also features Watts' own beat-up Honda which she travels around in). In 2006, she starred with Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006). In July of 2007, Naomi gave birth to a boy, Alexander Pete in Los Angeles with Liev Schreiber.

IMDb Mini Biography By: ratisfatter@yahoo.com

Trivia

Daughter of Peter Watts, sound engineer for Pink Floyd until 1974.

Best friends with Nicole Kidman, since a casting call for commercial when they were girls.

Moved to Australia when she was 14.

Is a vegetarian.

She once appeared in an Australian television commercial turning down a date with Tom Cruise for her mum's lamb roast.

Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.

Her brother Ben Watts is a well-known photographer. He's been living in the US since 1994.

Featured on the cover of the Australian Empire Magazine March 2003 for Women of the Year 2002.

Voted the 14th Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine September 2002.

When her cell phone sounds, it plays Pink Floyd's "Money".

Her father died when she was seven.

Accepted the role for 21 Grams (2003) without reading the script first.

She met Heath Ledger on the set of the new historical epic movie Ned Kelly (2003), and the pair dated until May 2004. He accompanied her to the 2004 Oscar Ceremony.

She has a Yorkshire terrier named Bob.

Her favorite actresses are Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster and Julianne Moore. For music, her favorite artists/bands are Fiona Apple, Coldplay, Björk, Radiohead, Cat Stevens and Pink Floyd.

Moved in with best friend Nicole Kidman after Kidman spilt up from husband Tom Cruise.

Favorite comfort food is baked beans.

Director David Lynch asked her to be in the movie Mulholland Dr. (2001) after picking out her headshot from a stack of actors.

Favorite sports to watch are soccer, boxing, and tennis.

Claims she wanted to become an actor after seeing the movie Fame (1980).

Spent some of her early childhood in Anglesey, Wales, where her mother is from.

Starred in and produced 2001's Ellie Parker (2001), which was made into a kind of cult classic about a struggling actress in Hollywood and the nightmares she encountered. The movie resurfaced in 2005 at the SunDance Film Festival and is set to be re-released in December of 2005.

Ranked #76 on Forbes 2005 Power in Entertainment List.

Had an horrific fall on the New Zealand set of King Kong (2005). She fell from a height into a ditch, to the shock of the cast and crew. She thanked her rigorous practice of yoga for saving her from any permanent damage.

Parents: Peter Watts and Myfanwy (Miv) Watts.

Grandparents: Hugh & Nikki Roberts

Her parents divorced when she was four.

When she was 20 years old, she was an assistant editor at "Follow Me" magazine in Australia. After a friend begged her to try acting, she quit her job instead and never looked back.

Was accompanied by her boyfriend Liev Schreiber to the King Kong (2005) US-premiere.

Model for David Yurman [2006]

When she was 18, she tried her hand at modeling and was hired by an agency in Japan.

Was among the guests at Nicole Kidman's and Keith Urban's wedding

When shooting a movie, uses a specific song to get herself ready for each scene.

Was Fernando Meirelles's first choice for the role of Tessa Quayle in The Constant Gardener (2005), but she declined due to her commitment to King Kong (2005). Rachel Weisz was then given the role.

Named #99 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Was voted #29 on AskMen.com's Most Desirable Women of 2006.

Named #2 in the French edition of FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006".

Ranked #2 in the UK FHM's most eligible women (2006).

Was voted 3rd in Entertainment Weekly's Entertainers of the Year in December 2005.

Named #4 of Sexiest Women over the age of 35 according to the editors at MSN Lifestyle: Men.

Is good friends with actor Mark Ruffalo and his wife Sunrise Coigney.

Friend of Kate Hudson and Carla Gugino.

Naomi and Liev Schreiber became the parents of a boy, Alexander Pete Schreiber, on July 25, 2007 in Los Angeles. Alexander weighed in at 8 lbs. 4 oz., and is 22-1/2 inches (Alexander is named for his grandfather and Peter is named for her father, Peter Watts.

Her mother Miv Watts is an interior designer.

Turned down the role of "Susan Storm" (Invisible Girl) in Fantastic Four (2005). Jessica Alba later got the part.

Enjoys martial arts and trained Judo for a long time. She participated in amateur Judo championships through the early 90s, from 1989 to 1992. Nowadays, she trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Her favorite "scary movie" is Don't Look Now (1973) (1973).

She and her boyfriend, Liev Schreiber, welcomed their first child, Alexander Peter Schreiber, on July 25th, 2007.

In summer 2007 she and her friend, Isla Fisher, were both pregnant at the same time.

Considers herself to be both British and Australian.

Expecting her second child with Liev Schreiber. She is due in December 2008. [July 2008].

Personal Quotes

'Pain is such an important thing in life. I think that as an artist you have to experience suffering. It's not enough to have lived it once; you have to relive it. Darkness is not a pejorative thing."

"There's a lot of skeletons in my closet, but I know what they're wearing. I'm not gonna act all ashamed of it" - on her early career.

It was total naivety that got me to Hollywood. I thought it was going to happen straight away. I told myself 'give it 5 years, there's no way I'll be here after that if it doesn't happen'. Cut to ten years later!

On set is where I feel comfortable. The red carpet stuff, talking about the film, explaining your own life, it doesn't come naturally. It's all necessary stuff I suppose but it's not my strength.

I find myself gravitating towards drama. It interests me. In the books I read, the paintings I like, it's always the darker stuff.

For the record, I am actually British as well as Australian. People always think I'm Australian but I'm happy for the Brits to claim me back. I'm offering myself up.

Instead of thinking 'how can I slow the ageing process?' I think 'how can I bend the rules?' Every year you add to your life, you're going to add a different experience to your face.

Whatever is said about roles drying up, I intend to keep working. Certainly now the roles couldn't be more interesting - playing mothers, divorcees. I think it's going to be exciting to play a mother of teenagers. The longer your life, the deeper it gets.

My mum put me in drama classes when I was about 14. I'd been going on about it for some time, so maybe it was a way to shut me up.

"We're so afraid of death in our culture, but I think if we understand it better, then we'll appreciate the life we have more." - in response to 21 Grams (2003).

"I've had people who've seen 21 Grams (2003) say, 'Wow, you're so brave to be looking like that'. This shocks me. I think that's what an actor's job is, to lose yourself in a role".

"You have to make peace with yourself. The key is to find the harmony in what you have." quoted in the Feb 01, 2005 issue of WOMAN'S WORLD

If I have to produce movies, direct movies, whatever to change the way Hollywood treats older women, I'll do it. If I have to bend the rules, I will. If I have to break them, I will.

Even during my most intense scenes with Sean Penn (in 21 Grams (2003)), we found ways to have fun. Sure, I have my dark moments, but I'm the girl you'll see driving down the highway singing to Blondie.

"It's always nerve-racking to take off your clothes on film. But doing it with a woman felt safer than with a man. You know you can say, 'Don't grab me there: That's where my cellulite is'!" [after being asked if it was hard to do a love scene with a woman (Mulholland Dr. (2001)]

I always love being in the company of women. It's all about good conversation and great wine.

"The consequences are that you fear and dread being abandoned. You get a little tougher, and it's more difficult for you to become intimate. The pros are that you can adapt to any situation and that you're open to new surroundings. A lot of people get stuck in their ways, but I embrace change." on moving frequently when she was younger.

"The biggest place I look for validation is from my mother. That's the little girl in me that will never grow up." - on why not having an Oscar yet doesn't faze her.

"That ad recently turned up in a magazine in Australia. My head is in my hands as I'm sitting at as desk, thinking, 'When can I start using tampons?' I was quite old, but I was supposed to look 12". - on one of her first gigs

I'm a tomboy now. I always wanted to fit in with my brother's group, so I climbed trees and played with lead soldiers. But I'm a woman's woman. I never understood women who don't have woman friends.

Yeah, I suppose I am ordinarily drawn to the darker stuff. You won't find me in a romantic comedy. Those movies don't speak to me. People don't come to talk to me about those scripts, because they probably think I'm this dark, twisted, miserable person.

"Every time I dress up to go somewhere, I say this is who I am: like, I feel like a Russian hooker tonight. A long time ago, I put on a Stella McCartney top with a huge amount of feathers, and I had really black eye makeup and stringy hair. My mom was like, 'That top's not working'. But that's what I looked like, a Russian hooker".

I keep saying to myself, Oh, God, I'm sick of playing these dark, harrowing roles. I want a big paycheck, so put me in some dumb romantic comedy any day.

When I had dark hair I definitely felt that I was more anonymous.

I had gotten to a place where I truly believed everything I was called: 'not sexy,' 'not funny,' 'too intense,' desperate.' All those labels they gave me, I took them because there wasn't a trace of my true self left. - on the struggles of her early career

To be appreciated or recognized is everything to an artist, but to be placed in a category where judgment occurs is awful, and yet we are all liars if we can't admit that we haven't all chased it or dreamed of it, even just a little bit.

Every time I'd think to book a ticket to leave L.A., something would come up-even just a three day job or something. That was enough to keep me invested. I still pinch myself when a certain director calls and says, 'Would you like to read my script?' I don't take any of it for granted because I struggled for so long.

Yes, I've had six great years of being in a position where I can pick and choose a bit, but it's not like I suddenly feel so calm and relaxed about that. Having spent a large portion of my life with a constant struggle and trying to find ways to make it work, that's what sticks with me.

There's a set of rules out there somewhere that says it all ends by 40. I hope to be able to defy that because I truly love my work.

I don't think I'm really the go-to girl for that sort of cheery popcorn movie. I've done that little bit of lightness in King Kong, and I Heart Huckabees was definitely goofy, but I just don't connect that well to romantic comedies because they're usually so formulaic and not really based in truth.

I'm not this dark, twisted person. Yes, I have my demons and this is my way of exorcising them. It gets them out - and better out than in. Actually, I think that it's the comedians who are the darkest people on the planet, because they think life's just bloody hilarious. - on the usual dark roles that she is known for.

To be a producer is not something that I look at as a position of power. I just think that I have these great connections, let's use them. I believe in it. You believe in it. Let's do it.

Salary

King Kong (2005)	$5,000,000
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) (V)	$5,000

Where Are They Now

(2004) In New Zealand, filming Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005).

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