NICOLE KIDMAN SCORES FRANCE'S TOP FILM HONOUR AS PARIS ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET
Nicole Kidman is adding another glittering trophy to her mantelpiece, and this time it is coming from Paris.
The Australian star will receive an honorary César, the highest honour in French cinema and often described as France's answer to the Oscars.
The news was announced this week by France's film academy, the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, together with broadcaster Canal+, as reported by Variety Australia and Euronews.
It is a lovely moment for one of our most loved exports, and a reminder of just how far she has come since her early Australian roles.
When Nicole Kidman will collect her César
Kidman will be presented with the award at the 52nd César Awards on February 25, 2027.
The ceremony will be held at the Olympia, the much-loved Paris music hall.
Canal+ will broadcast the tribute live, and it will be shown unencrypted so viewers across France can watch without a subscription.
The academy said the award recognises a performer and producer who has "never allowed fame to steer the work she chooses".
That line will ring true for anyone who has followed her career, which has swung from blockbusters to brave, offbeat roles that many stars would have turned down.
A career that started with Dead Calm
Kidman first caught the world's attention in the 1989 Australian thriller Dead Calm.
From there, Hollywood came calling, and she never really looked back.
In 2003 she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Hours.
More recently she took out the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2024 Venice Film Festival for her daring role in the drama Babygirl.
She has also impressed on stage, earning strong reviews in London's West End for The Blue Room and Photograph 51.
The woman behind the camera
Away from acting, Kidman co-founded the production company Blossom Films.
Its credits include some of the most talked about television of the past decade: Big Little Lies, The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers, all of which she also starred in.
She won a Primetime Emmy for Big Little Lies, the hit drama about a group of mothers whose secrets come spilling out.
For many fans, that may be her greatest legacy: proving that stories about women's friendships, marriages and secrets can be as gripping as any action film.
Nicole Kidman's long list of honours
The honorary César joins an already impressive collection.
Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2006.
In 2017 she received a special prize marking the 70th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2024 she became the first Australian to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.
She has also spent decades using her profile for good.
According to Euronews, she has been a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 1994 and a UN Women goodwill ambassador since 2006.
Variety notes she has helped raise several million dollars for women's cancer programs.
More good news could be on the way
There may be more celebrating before the year is out.
Kidman is among the nominees for Icon of the Year at the marie claire Women of the Year Awards, alongside Kylie Minogue, Ash Barty, Magda Szubanski and Adut Akech Bior, according to Mediaweek.
The winners will be named in Sydney on Thursday, November 19.
Whatever happens there, a night at the Olympia in Paris is something to look forward to.
If you fancy a Kidman catch-up this weekend, it is the perfect excuse to revisit an old favourite.
Dead Calm is still a white-knuckle watch, The Hours remains a beautiful, thoughtful film, and Big Little Lies is ideal for a binge with a cuppa and a blanket.
Check your favourite streaming service to see what is available, as titles come and go regularly.
For a star who started out in Australian film, being honoured by the French film world is quite something.
As she heads into her next chapter, it seems fame has never been the point for Nicole Kidman, and the work keeps speaking for itself.
