After frequent moves with her single mother within England, the family relocated to Australia in 1982 when Naomi was fourteen. After the family’s move, Watts began to attend acting schools to develop her talent. Several years later, she moved to Japan to pursue a modelling career, but her attempts were unsuccessful. After returning home, Watts worked in a department store and as an assistant fashion editor. But she could not deny that her true love was acting, and Naomi quit her job to follow her calling.

The climb to the top wasn’t easy for the star however. She appeared first in Australian television commercials and the series Home and Away and Brides of Christ, and snagged a supporting role in the 1991 Australian film Flirting, which also featured Nicole Kidman.

Watt’s first appearance in a US film was in the 1995 Tank Girl, but the movie was not a hit. She continued to take on small parts in relatively unnoticed films until 2001, when everything would change for the struggling actress. The 2001 critically-acclaimed Mulholland Drive would finally see Watts receiving the praise she deserved. With a National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress and the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year, Naomi now found herself high in demand. In the few short years following her career-defining performance, Naomi starred in the Japanese horror remake The Ring. This flick also starred Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom, and Le Divroce.

Her performance in 21 Grams with Sean Penn, earned Naomi her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Another blockbuster performance was in the Peter Jackson directed King Kong, which has grossed more than four hundred million dollars worldwide. Watts’ upcoming film, The Painted Veil, is slated for release in the fall of 2006.

In her personal life, Watts counts actress Nicole Kidman among her closest friends. Naomi dated Heath Ledger for about two years. Their on and off relationship ended for the second and final time in 2004. Since they parted ways, Naomi has been dating Live Schreiber, co-star of the popular Scream movies. They appeared together for the first time in public at the 2005 release of King Kong.