Career
Early career in Australia (1983–89)
Kidman's first appearance in film came as a teenager in the Pat Wilson music video for the song "
Bop Girl". By the end of 1983, she had a supporting role in the television series
Five Mile Creek and four film roles, including
BMX Bandits and
Bush Christmas. During the 1980s, she appeared in several Australian productions, including the soap opera
A Country Practice, the mini-series
Vietnam (1986),
Emerald City (1988), and
Bangkok Hilton (1989). She also made multiple guest appearances on Australian television programs and TV movies.
In 1989, Kidman starred in
Dead Calm as Rae Ingram, the wife of naval officer John Ingram (Sam Neill), held captive on a Pacific yacht trip by the psychotic Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane). The thriller garnered strong reviews;
Variety commented: "Throughout the film, Kidman is excellent. She gives the character of Rae real tenacity and energy."
Meanwhile, critic Roger Ebert noted the excellent chemistry between the leads, stating, "...Kidman and Zane do generate real, palpable hatred in their scenes together
International success (1995–present)
In 1995, Kidman played Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever opposite Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey. The movie was a blockbuster and became the second-highest grossing film of the year. It is also the highest-grossing film in which she has appeared thus far. Kidman's second film in 1995, To Die For, was a satirical comedy that earned her critical praise. For her portrayal of the sociopath murderous newscaster Suzanne Stone Maretto, she won a Golden Globe Award and five other best actress awards
After this year she would not go back