Watts, Naomi (1968– )

UK-born Australian actor. Although she has appeared on television and in minor film roles since the late 1980s, her first major film role was in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001), in which she won widespread critical acclaim for her dual role of aspiring starlet Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn. She was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role of Cristina, a grief-stricken former drug addict who begins a relationship with the man who has received her late husband's heart in 21 Grams (2003).

She is known for a powerful emotional range combined with a classic beauty. Other films include The Ring (2002), Ned Kelly (2003), Le Divorce (2003), I Heart Huckabee's (2004), The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004), King Kong (2005), and Eastern Promises (2007).

She was born in Shoreham, England, and grew up in Australia. Her first film role was in For Love Alone (1986). She starred with Academy Award-winning actors Brenda Fricker (1945– ) and Russell Crowe in the Australian mini-series Brides of Christ (1991). Her first major screen role was in the Australian film Flirting (1991) alongside off-screen friend Nicole Kidman. After moving to Los Angeles, California, she appeared in the critically acclaimed short film Ellie Parker (2001), increasing her exposure through its screening at the Sundance Film Festival.