British-born actress Naomi Watts, who was raised in Australia, rose to prominence in Hollywood as a result of her remarkable work in a variety of parts in various movies. Though it took some time for her career to really take off, once it did, there was no turning back as she moved quickly from one successful film to the next, earning both acclaim and fame in equal measure. Watts began her career as a model, but it never really took off, so she decided to try her hand at Australian soap operas before applying for movie jobs. Even though most of Hollywood’s top actors practice Method Acting, Naomi Watts is one of the few stars in the industry that uses the Meisner Technique. She is recognized as one of the most adaptable actors Hollywood has ever had because of her ability to impose herself on parts and settings over a career that has seen a fair share of diverse roles. When Naomi Watts was little, she harbored a desire to pursue acting after witnessing her mother perform in a play, and she succeeded in her goals.
Early Childhood & Life
Naomi Watts was born on September 28, 1968, to Peter Watts and Myfanwy Edwards in Tonbridge, Kent, England. Her mother was a set and costume designer in addition to being an antique trader. Sound engineer Watts’ father worked with the well-known rock group Pink Floyd. After her parents separated in 1972, Watts moved home with her mother. The family of three, which included her brother, Ben Watts, moved about a lot during this time and spent some time in Wales. Welsh was the primary language of teaching at the school where Watts first attended.
When Watts’ mother remarried in 1978, the family relocated to England and settled in Suffolk. She began to harbor aspirations of becoming an actress while attending Thomas Mills High School. Naomi Watts relocated to Sydney, Australia, with her family in 1984. She first attended Mosman High School before transferring to North Sydney Girls High School. Watts didn’t finish school and instead worked at a variety of jobs, but her main objective was to break into the modeling industry.
Naomi Watts’s Career
At the age of 18, Naomi Watts joined a modeling agency in 1986, but despite the firm’s efforts, which included sending her as far away as Japan, the entire endeavor failed. She did, however, succeed in landing a part in her debut movie, “For Love Alone,” the same year. After making her cinematic debut, Watts focused mostly on Australian television and was a cast member of the show “Hey Dad.” She did, however, make a reappearance in 1991 when the director of the picture ‘Flirting’, which was then in production, decided to cast her.
Nicole Kidman appeared in the movie as well. She would go on to act in the Australian films “The Custodian,” “Matinee,” and “Wild Sargasso Sea” during the course of the following two years. Watts made a permanent transfer to Los Angeles in 1993, and ‘Tank Girl’, her debut Hollywood movie, was released two years later. A movie that might have given her a big break but didn’t get outstanding reviews. She appeared in movies like “Person’s Unknown,” “Timepiece,” and “Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering” throughout the course of the following three years.
Naomi Watts initially struggled to establish herself in Hollywood, but when David Lynch chose to cast her as the title character of his movie “Mulholland Drive,” everything changed. When the film was released in 2001, Watts’ dual roles in the picture were well-received by critics. She also appeared in the movie “The Shaft” that same year.
Alongside Martin Henderson, Naomi Watts acted in the popular movie “The Ring” in 2002.
Not only did the movie earn the most money that year, but it also earned favorable reviews. She was in the ensemble cast of the British comedies “Plots with a View” and “The Outsider” later that year. The 2003 picture “21 Grams,” which was not only a box office success but also earned Naomi Watts an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, really propelled Watts to the top of Hollywood. She appeared in movies like “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” “King Kong,” “Eastern Promises,” “Painted Veil,” and “Funny Games” over the ensuing several years.
Watts took a sabbatical from acting after becoming a mother, but she made a comeback in 2009 with the movie “The International,” in which she portrayed an Interpol investigator. The same year she released “Mother and Child,” which earned overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Additionally, it was screened at the Sundance Film Festival. She played J. Edgar Hoover in the film ‘J. Edgar’ two years later.
As the main character in the 2012 film “The Impossible,” which was based on the difficulties a British doctor faced during the 2004 tsunami, Naomi Watts received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In the biopic “Diana,” which was released two years later, Watts portrayed the vivacious Princess Diana. Her performance as a stage actor in the highly acclaimed and Academy Award-nominated film “Birdman” in 2014 received a lot of positive attention.
Naomi’s Bigger Works
Although Naomi Watts has had a long and distinguished career, it is difficult to overlook her role in “The Impossible” as her most significant achievement. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards as a result.
Awards & Achievements
Although Naomi Watts hasn’t received any of the major film industry honors, she has earned two nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which is a noteworthy accomplishment.
Personal Legacy & Life
Following her romance with Stephen Hopkins, who was a film director, Naomi Watts dated Heath Ledger for two years beginning in 2002. A friendship between Watts and actor Liev Schreiber has existed since 2005. The two sons of the marriage.
Estimated Net Worth
The British-Australian actress Naomi Watts is worth $35 million. Naomi Watts is most recognized for her parts in the 2003 Peter Jackson picture “King Kong,” the 2003 award-winning film “21 Grams,” for which she received her first Oscar nomination, and David Lynch’s surrealist 2001 cult classic “Mulholland Drive.”