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. 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 directed by John Duigan. Naomi continued her career by starring in the Australian Brides of Christ co-starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Brenda Fricker. In 1993, she worked with John Duigan again in Wide Sargasso Sea and director George Miller in Gross Misconduct. Tank Girl, 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. It wasn't until David Lynch cast her in the critically acclaimed film Mulholland Dr. 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, 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 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, Naomi was chosen to play "Ann Darrow" in director Peter Jackson's King Kong which took her to New Zealand for a five month shoot. Watts completed her first comedy in I Heart Huckabees 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. 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 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. In July of 2007, Naomi gave birth to a boy, Alexander Pete in Los Angeles with Liev Schreiber.
King Kong (2005): $5,000,000
Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996): $5,000
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 without reading the script first. She met Heath Ledger on the set of the new historical epic movie Ned Kelly, 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. 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. Spent some of her early childhood in Anglesey, Wales, where her mother is from. Starred in and produced 2001's Ellie Parker, 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. 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 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, but she declined due to her commitment to King Kong. 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. 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).