Naomi Watts Age, Boyfriend, Husband, Children, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Naomi Watts

• Naomi Watts is a British actress who is most commonly known for her role as Ann Darrow in the remake of the film King Kong. She is known for her work in remakes and independent productions, often providing roles with dark or tragic themes. She is also known for portraying characters who face loss or suffering which led her to explore her distinct style as an actress. Her appearance and charm have garnered attention and appreciation from both the public and the media. She was featured on lists of the world’s most beautiful women by magazines like People and Maxim.

• When she was four years old, her parents divorced each other. After their separation, she and her older brother relocated multiple times across different areas of South East England with their mother. Her father left Pink Floyd in 1974 and got remarried in 1976. In August 1976, he was found dead in a flat in Notting Hill due to a heroin overdose.
  

  Naomi Watts as a child

• In an interview, she said that they did not have any money after her father’s death. In the interview, she said,
  

  When he died, my dad hadn’t saved money, and I guess my mum didn’t have any. So they, the band, very kindly… ‘Trust fund’ doesn’t sound right at all. I think they gave my mum a few thousand dollars to help get things under way. A lump sum, to help. It was kind that they did that.”

• After her father’s death, Watts’s mother made the decision to relocate the family to Llanfawr Farm in Llangefni and Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, towns located on the island of Anglesey in North Wales. They resided there with Watts’s maternal grandparents for three years.

• In an interview, she said that she and her brother used to take Welsh lessons in a school while everyone else was studying English. She used to adapt and pick up the regional accent whenever they relocated. This helped her learn easily when she became an actress.

• According to her, she used to be a little sad during her childhood.

• In 1978, her mother remarried because of which she and her brother again relocated to Suffolk.

• She wanted to become an actress because she grew up seeing her mother perform on stage. She was also inspired by the 1980 film Fame.

• When she was fourteen years old, in 1982, she relocated to Sydney, Australia, alongside her mother, brother, and stepfather. Her mother pursued a career in the growing film industry, initially working as a stylist for television commercials and later transitioning to costume design. She also worked in the soap opera Return to Eden for the wardrobe and costumes.

• After their emigration to Australia, her mother enrolled her in acting lessons where she auditioned for various television advertisements. In one of her auditions, she met fellow actress Nicole Kidman and became friends with her. She started living with Nicole after Kidman’s divorce from her husband Tom Cruise.
  

  Naomi Watts (right) with Nicole Kidman (left)

• She did not complete her studies and left school. Later, she worked as a papergirl, a negative cutter, and managed a Delicacies store in Sydney’s affluent North Shore.

• At the age of 18, she wanted to pursue a career in modelling. She signed up with a modelling agency that sent her to Japan. There, she gave many auditions but faced a lot of rejections and returned to Sydney.

• After returning to Sydney, she found work in the advertising department of a department store. The store used to run a magazine ‘Follow Me’ that offered her a position as an assistant fashion editor.

• Later, she was invited to attend a drama workshop where she got inspired and decided to quit her job and pursue a career in acting.

• She likes to do martial arts and is trained in Judo. She participated in Judo championships from 1989 to 1992. She also took training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

• In an interview, she talked about her nationality and said that she considered herself British because she spent the first 14 years of her life in England and Wales and never wanted to leave. She also considered herself very connected to Australia and often said that her home was in Australia.

• Before her debut film in 1986, she made brief appearances in commercials. She has studied the Meisner Technique.

• After moving to Australia, she started acting in movies and TV shows. Her first film was a drama called For Love Alone in 1986 which was based on the novel of the same name by Christina Stead, and produced by Margaret Fink.

• She also appeared in three TV series including two episodes of the fourth season of the Australian sitcom Dad..! (1990), Brides of Christ (1991), and Home and Away (1991).
  

  Naomi Watts in the TV series ‘Home and Away’

• She was also offered a role in the drama series A Country Practice, but she turned it down because she did not want to get stuck on a soap for two or three years.

• After appearing in these films, she disappeared for five years but after meeting director John Duigan she was offered a supporting role in his 1991 indie film Flirting. The film was featured on Roger Ebert’s list of the 10 best films of 1992.
  

  Naomi Watts (right) in the film ‘Flirting’

• She took a year off to travel and explore her options. During this time, she visited Los Angeles, where her friend Nicole Kidman introduced her to agents in the industry. She got inspired and made the decision to relocate to the United States to further pursue her acting career. When she moved to the United States, she faced some difficulties getting a role because of which she did parts in low-budget movies. In 1993, she got a small role in the John Goodman film Matinee.

• She then temporarily returned to Australia to star in three Australian films. She appeared in another film directed by John Duigan called Wide Sargasso Sea, the drama film The Custodian, and Gross Misconduct, where she had her first leading role as a student who accuses one of her teachers of rape.
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘The Custodian’

• After appearing in these films, she relocated to the United States and faced challenges. She found difficulty in finding agents, producers, and directors who were willing to hire her during that period. This initial struggle and the lack of work caused frustration. Her financial situation worsened but she remained committed to her passion for acting and did not take on jobs outside the film industry. She was unable to afford the rent for her apartment and lost her medical insurance coverage.

• In an interview, she talked about her struggle there and said that initially many doors were opened for her but some people who she met through Nicole could not remember her name when she met them the next time. She did not have money and was very lonely at that time but Nicole gave her company and encouraged her to continue.

• In the interview, she further added that she was offered very small roles and the production did not even fax her the pages of the script. She used to drive for hours into the Valley to collect three papers and then go back the next day and line up for two hours to meet the casting director who did not even make eye contact with her.

• In 1995, she received a supporting role in the futuristic film Tank Girl after giving nine auditions. The film did not perform well at that time but became a cult over the years.
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘Tank Girl’

• For 10 years, she took mostly supporting roles in films and many times decided to leave acting but whenever she thought so, some role would come up.

• In 1996, she starred alongside Joe Mantegna, Kelly Lynch and J.T. Walsh in the action-thriller Persons Unknown directed by George Hickenlooper. She also appeared in the period drama Timepiece alongside James Earl Jones, Kevin Kilner and Ellen Burstyn. In the same year, she appeared in Bermuda Triangle where she played a former documentary filmmaker who disappears in the Bermuda Triangle. She also played the lead role in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering.

• In 1997, she appeared in the Australian romantic drama Under the Lighthouse Dancing also starring Jack Thompson and Jacqueline McKenzie. She also played the lead role in the television series Sleepwalkers.

• In 1998, she starred alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Debbie Reynolds in the TV film The Christmas Wish. She played the supporting role of Giulia De Lezze in Dangerous Beauty and did voice work for Babe: Pig in the City.

• In 2012, in an interview, she said that she did not count the voice-over work as a part of her resume. In the interview, she further added that while doing a voice-over, she had to suck on [helium] and then do a little mouse voice.

• In 1999, she appeared in the romantic comedy Strange Planet and in The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer.

• In 2000, she starred alongside Derek Jacobi, Jack Davenport and Iain Glen in the BBC TV film The Wyvern Mystery which was based on the novel of the same name by Sheridan Le Fanu.

• She was selected for the films The Postman and The Devil’s Advocate in 1997 and Meet the Parents in 2000 but was replaced by other actresses. In an interview, she talked about this and said that she auditioned for the film Meet the Parents five times and the director liked her but the studio did not select her. She used to hear all the feedbacks including she was not sexy enough.

• She received a role in David Lynch’s psychological thriller Mulholland Drive in 2001. In the film, she played the role of an aspiring actress, and this performance marked the beginning of her journey to the international level. In an interview, he said that he selected Watts after looking at her headshot and did not see any of her previous work. He further added that Watts was talented, had a beautiful soul and intelligence to carry out different roles. The film premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. It received a lot of appreciation but also sparked controversy over its strong lesbian theme.
  

• In an interview, she said that after appearing in the film Mulholland Drive in 2001, a director told her that she should work a lot before she is no more sexy when she turns 40. In an interview, she said,
  

  It’s something we just all have to get comfortable with and women are asked to do it more than men. We don’t talk about a man ageing hardly ever. We don’t talk about his gray hair. In fact, if we do, it’s like, ‘Oh, he gets more handsome, more desirable, more powerful.’ And why is he powerful? Because he’s accumulated experiences. Well, it should be the same for women. We’ve got important and powerful experiences as well at this age that we should feel proud of.”

• In 2001, she also appeared in two short films, Never Date an Actress and Ellie Parker, the horror film The Shaft, and the remake of the 1983 film De Lift.

• After her breakthrough in Mulholland Drive, she played the role of a troubled journalist in the horror remake of The Ring in 2002. The film was the English language remake of the Japanese horror film Ring. It grossed around US$129 million domestically (equivalent to US$209.9 million in 2023). Her performance in the film was praised by critics.
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘The Ring’

• In 2002, she also starred in many short films directed by David Lynch including Rabbits, the black comedy Plots with a View and The Outsider.
  

  Naomi Watts in the short film ‘Plots with a View’

• In 2002, she was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine.

• In 2003, she appeared in Gregor Jordan’s Australian film Ned Kelly opposite Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush. In the same year, she featured in the Merchant-Ivory film Le Divorce in which she portrayed the role of Roxeanne de Persand, a poet who is pregnant and abandoned by her husband. Entertainment Weekly gave the film a “C” rating.

• In 2004, she appeared in the independent film We Don’t Live Here Anymore, The Assassination of Richard Nixon and I Heart Huckabees.
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘We Don’t Live Here Anymore’

• In 2005, she made a cameo and produced the semi-autobiographical drama Ellie Parker which was based on the struggle of an Australian actress in Hollywood. The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 as a short film and was turned into a feature-length production over the years.

• In 2005, she appeared in the sequel to The Ring, The Ring Two. The film made over US$161 million worldwide gross (equivalent to US$241.2 million in 2023).

• In 2005, she also appeared in the remake of King Kong as Ann Darrow. She was the only choice for the role which was portrayed by Fay Wray in the original film. She met Wray who was to make a cameo appearance, but she died during pre-production at the age of 96. As of 2023, King Kong is her most commercially successful film. The film grossed US$550 million worldwide (equivalent to US$824.1 million in 2023). She also gained her role as Darrow in the video game adaptation of King Kong. Her voice in the game became so recognized that it was nominated for an award.
  

• In 2005, she appeared in the film psychological thriller film Stay, alongside Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling and Bob Hoskins.

• She was voted 3rd in Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year in December 2005.

• She was ranked #76 on Forbes 2005 Power in Entertainment List.

• In 2006, she featured in the romantic drama The Painted Veil with Edward Norton and Liev Schreiber.

• In 2006, she did a voice-over of a small role, Suzie Rabbit, in David Lynch’s psychological thriller Inland Empire.

• In 2006, she was featured in the 2007 Pirelli Calendar for the jewellers David Yurman.
  

  Naomi Watts on the 2007 Pirelli Calendar

• In 2006, she was named #2 in the French edition of FHM magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006”.

• In 2007, she appeared in the film Eastern Promises with Viggo Mortensen. The film grossed US$56 million worldwide, (equivalent to US$83.9 million in 2023). She was three months pregnant with her son Alexander when she was shooting the film.

• Later in 2007, she was one of the producers and starred in the film Funny Games which was a remake of Haneke’s 1997 film of the same name.

• After taking a break for two years, she made a comeback with the film The International (2009) which grossed over US$60 million (equivalent to $81.8 million in 2023) worldwide.
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘The International’

• In 2009, she appeared in the drama Mother and Child.

• In 2010, she appeared in the film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger which opened at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. It made over US$26 million (equivalent to $34.9 million in 2023).

• In 2010, she portrayed the role of Valerie Plame in the biographical thriller Fair Game.

• In 2011, she appeared in the psychological horror film Dream House and in the biographical drama J. Edgar. The Dream House did not do well but J. Edgar was a hit.

• She appeared in the film The Impossible (2012) which had the highest-grossing opening for a film in Spain and made US$180.2 million (equivalent to $229.4 million in 2023) globally. She was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for the film The Impossible (2012). In the film, she was in the water for a long time. In an interview, she revealed that when she was 14, she got caught in a huge tide, and since then she has fear of water.
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘The Impossible’

• She featured in the film Adore (2013), Movie 43 (2013), Sunlight Jr. (2013), Diana (2013), and While We’re Young (2014).
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘Sunlight Jr.’

• In 2014, she appeared in the film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won four awards at the 87th Academy Awards including Best Picture and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.

• In 2014, she appeared in the film St. Vincent in which she played the role of a Russian prostitute. To learn the Russian accent for the film, she spent time with Russian women in a West Village spa for a month. She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for the film.

• She starred in other films including The Glass Castle (2017) and Luce (2019).

• She also appeared in blockbuster films including the Divergent franchise from 2015 to 2016. The film became a commercial success grossing US$274.5 million worldwide.
  

• In 2015, she appeared in the mystery drama The Sea of Trees which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d’Or.

• In 2015, she starred in two films Demolition and Three Generations which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. The latter was not released on the original date but was released in theatres in May 2017.

• She featured in the biographical sports drama The Bleeder (2016) and the thriller Shut In (2016). The film Shut In made US$8 million worldwide.

• In 2017, she appeared in the Netflix drama series Gypsy and was also one of its executive producers, but the series was cancelled by Netflix after one season.
  

  Naomi Watts in the Netflix series ‘Gypsy’

• She also gained prominence with the Showtime mystery drama series Twin Peaks in 2017. Her role in television showed her versatility as an actress and also expanded her range of work across different mediums.

• In 2017, she appeared in other films including The Book of Henry and The Glass Castle.

• In 2019, she portrayed the role of Gretchen Carlson in the Showtime miniseries The Loudest Voice which was based on the book The Loudest Voice in the Room.

• She also appeared in other films including Penguin Bloom (2020), Boss Level (2020), and This Is The Night (2021).
  

  Naomi Watts in the film ‘This Is The Night’

• In 2022, she played the lead role in the Netflix series The Watcher as Nora Brannock.

• She has worked as an executive producer in the films Ellie Parker (2005), Adore (2013), 3 Generations (2015), This Is the Night (2021), and Goodnight Mommy (2022).

• She was actively involved in many social endeavours and important causes. She worked closely with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS in 2006. She became the goodwill ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). As a goodwill ambassador, she utilized the platform and celebrity status to raise awareness about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. She actively participated in campaigns, fundraising events, and activities related to the cause. She was involved in the 21st Annual AIDS Walk and participated in various initiatives aimed at generating support and funding for HIV/AIDS programs. On 1 December 2009, she met United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a public event held in commemoration of World AIDS Day. Through her involvement with UNAIDS, Watts contributed to the global efforts in curing HIV/AIDS and educating others about those affected by the disease. In an interview, she talked about it and said,
  

  It has been both unfortunate and unfair for HIV infection to be considered a shameful disease, for people living with HIV to be judged as blameworthy, and for AIDS to be equated with certain death. I have personally seen that dignity and hope have been strongest among those whose lives were changed by HIV.”

  

  Naomi Watts with the children of HIV patients

• In 2011, she attended a charity polo match in New York along with Australian actors Hugh Jackman and Isla Fisher, which focused on raising money to help victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

• In 2016, she collaborated with Sportscraft and children’s charity Barnardos to produce a range of namesake coats, with a percentage of sales going to the charity, and was one of the public figures photographed by Italian photographer Fabrizio Ferri for Bulgari’s digital campaign “Raise Your Hand.”

• In November 2018, she hosted the 14th Annual Gala for the organization Worldwide Orphans in New York City. This gala aimed to raise funds and awareness for improving the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide. She partnered with McDonald’s to serve as a McHappy Day ambassador. As part of this role, she made a special appearance at a McDonald’s restaurant in Haberfield, Sydney, where she stepped behind the counter to support the cause and engage with the local community.

• She was the ambassador for Thierry Mugler’s Angel fragrance from 2008 to 2011. However, her role was later taken over by Eva Mendes in 2011.

• Both Watts and Mendes coincidentally became the faces of a Pantene hair care products campaign. She was also the ambassador for Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths campaign, which focused on donating real hair wigs to women undergoing cancer treatment.
  

  Naomi Watts in the Pantene hair care products campaign

• She also appeared in a campaign for Ann Taylor in 2010 and was announced as a new ambassador for L’Oréal in 2014.

• In 2016, she founded her skincare company called Onda Beauty. In 2020, she participated in a campaign for Fendi, showcasing her versatility and continued involvement in the fashion and beauty industry. She has fours branches of the showroom in New York, Sag Harbor, Notting Hill, and Sydney. In an interview, she talked about it and said,
  

  I’ve always had a passion for skin. Larissa Thomson and Sarah Bryden-Brown are two old friends of mine and I introduced them. Both of them come from an editorial background, magazine world, and so they know storytelling. And Larissa had become deeply passionate about clean products and she introduced me to some. It came right at the time where I was having problematic skin for the first time, really, in my life, and I think that was something to do with hormonal changes. I was very sensitive all of a sudden and very reactive. She gave me a few things to try out and I saw an immediate change. And then as their brand was growing, they asked if I wanted to get involved and because I loved it so much and it felt like an authentic fit, I thought, why not? I became involved in it somewhere between 10 months and a year after they got started. Then it just sort of grew and grew.”

  

  Naomi Watts’ Onda Beauty showroom

• In January 2021, it was reported that she had become an early investor in Thirteen Lune which is an e-commerce platform that focuses on offering a curated selection of makeup, skincare, haircare, and wellness products from brands owned by people of color as well as ally brands.

• In 2016, she was appointed as the honorary president of Glantraeth F.C., a local football club situated in Malltraeth, Anglesey, Wales. This club was located near her grandparents’ farm, where she spent her childhood.

• She was nominated for Best Actress by the American Film Institute for the film Mulholland Drive in 2001, the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a grief-stricken mother in the film 21 Grams in 2003, Spike Video Game Award for Best Performance by a Female in King Kong video game in 2005, Best Actress award at the Australian Film Institute Awards for the film Mother and Child in 2009, Satellite Award for Best Actress for the film Fair Game in 2010, and Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Maria Bennett in the disaster film The Impossible in 2012.

• In an interview, she said that she liked watching Bollywood films and Mississippi Masala and The Namesake were her favourites.

• She likes going barefoot in both her movies and personal life. She is often seen barefoot in her films, adding a natural and relaxed element to her characters. She goes to interviews and photo shoots barefoot.

• She had a Yorkshire terrier bread dog named Bob.

• She was named #4 of Sexiest Women over the age of 35 according to the editors at MSN Lifestyle: Men.

• She was featured on the cover of the Australian Empire Magazine in March 2003 for Women of the Year 2002.

• In 2006, she was ranked #2 in the UK FHM’s most eligible women.

• She is the founder and co-owner of the menopausal product company Stripes.