Nicole Kidman, who is regarded as one of Hollywood's top Australian imports was actually born in Honolulu, Hawaii as a result of her Australian parents working there on educational visas. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Washington, D.C., where Nicole's father pursued his research on breast cancer, and then, three years later, made the pilgrimage back to her parents' native Sydney in Australia, where Nicole was raised in the lofty, affluent North Shore area.
Kidman eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting full-time. She broke into movies at age 16, landing a role in the Australian holiday favourite, "Bush Christmas" (1983). That appearance touched off a flurry of film and television offers. With the help of an American agent, she eventually made her US debut opposite Sam Neill in the at-sea thriller, "Dead Calm" (1989). After that, the rest is history.