NAOMI WATTS was honored with a second Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Juan Antonio Bayona’s THE IMPOSSIBLE, starring alongside Ewan McGregor.
For her role as a courageous wife and mother struggling to survive the aftermath of a tsunami, she also earned Best Actress nominations from the HFPA for a Golden Globe Award, from the SAG Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics and she received the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
She had earned her first Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s 21 GRAMS where she starred alongside Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro. Her performance also garnered Best Actress Awards nominations from the SAG Awards, BAFTAs, Broadcast Film Critics and Golden Satellites as well as Best Actress honors from multiple critics’ associations. At the film’s premiere at the 2003 Venice International Film Festival, she received the Audience Award (Lion of the Public) for Best Actress. The film itself won the Special Distinction Award at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Her most recent honor was for her role in ST. VINCENT, which she starred alongside Bill Murray. Watts earned a SAG Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.
She most recently starred in Noah Baumbach’s WHILE WE’RE YOUNG with Ben Stiller and Amanda Seyfried as well as INSURGENT, the latest installment of the successful “Divergent” franchise based on the popular, best-selling novels written by Veronica Roth.
She also recently starred in in Alejandro González Iñarritu’s Best Picture Academy Award winner BIRDMAN with Emma Stone and Michael Keaton.
Watts will next star in ABOUT RAY with Susan Sarandon and Elle Fanning this fall. She recently shot Gus Van Sant’s SEA OF TREES with Matthew McConaughey, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival; and the psychological thriller SHUT IN. She is shooting the next installment of the “Divergent” franchise, ALLEGIANT: PART 1 this year.
She has starred in many other films in recent years including the biopic DIANA in the lead role as the iconic Princess Diana; ADORE with Robin Wright; Clint Eastwood’s critically acclaimed J. EDGAR opposite Leonardo DiCaprio; Doug Liman’s FAIR GAME, opposite Sean Penn; Woody Allen’s YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER, as part of an all-star cast, including Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, and Antonio Banderas; Rodrigo Garcia’s MOTHER AND CHILD, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and Tom Twyker’s THE INTERNATIONAL, with Clive Owen.
Watts has had an impressive list of movies since her acclaimed turn in David Lynch’s noir drama MULHOLLAND DRIVE, for which she earned Best Actress Awards from a number of critics’ organizations, including the National Board of Review and National Society of Film Critics.
In addition to starring in Peter Jackson’s epic remake of KING KONG, her credits include WE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, which she starred in and produced; THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON, opposite Sean Penn and Don Cheadle; David O. Russell’s I (HEART) HUCKABEE’S, with Jude Law and Dustin Hoffman; Marc Forster’s STAY, opposite Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling; Gore Verbinski’s THE RING and its sequel, THE RING 2; Merchant-Ivory’s LE DIVORCE, alongside Kate Hudson, Glenn Close and Stockard Channing; John Curran’s THE PAINTED VEIL, opposite Edward Norton, which was based on W. Somerset Maugham’s novel; David Cronenberg’s drama/thriller EASTERN PROMISES, opposite Viggo Mortensen; and Michael Haneke’s thriller FUNNY GAMES.
Born in England, Watts moved to Australia at the age of 14 and began studying acting. Her first major film role came in John Duigan’s FLIRTING. She produced and starred in the short film ELLIE PARKER, which screened in competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. In 2005, a full length feature of the short debuted at Sundance.
Watts received the Montecito Award from the Santa Barbara Film Festival in 2006 for her role in KING KONG; was honored by the Palm Springs Film Festival in 2003 for 21 GRAMS; and in 2002, was named the Female Star of Tomorrow at ShoWest and received the Breakthrough Acting Award at the Hollywood Film Festival, both for her work in MULHOLLAND DRIVE. She was also honored for her entire body of work at the 2011 Deauville Film Festival.
Watts resides in Los Angeles and New York with her partner Liev Schreiber and two sons.