Key Takeaways
- Nicole received the news of her mother’s death while attending the Venice Film Festival.
- She described her mum, Janelle, as her mentor and guide, who strongly shaped her career and values.
- Janelle had previously fought breast cancer in 1985 when Nicole was just 17 years old.
Nicole Kidman shared the heartbreaking news of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman’s passing at 84 on September 7, 2024. However, no cause of demise has been confirmed, leading to speculation about possible illness.
Shortly after arriving in Venice for the Film Festival, she received the heartbreaking news and rushed back to Australia to join her sister, Antonia, and the rest of the family.
At the festival, she was set to receive the Best Actress award for her role in “Babygirl.”
However, Halina Reijn, the film’s director, accepted the award on her behalf and shared a statement from Nicole about her mother’s demise.
Today, I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after that my beautiful, brave mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, has just passed. I’m in shock, and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.
Via People
In an interview in 2020, she described her mother as “my mentor, my guide and my nurturer.” She further said:
She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her. But she also carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths. Mum didn’t necessarily get the career that she wanted, but she was determined that her daughters would have opportunities that were equal.
Via SMH
The cause of Janelle Ann Kidman’s demise remains undisclosed, but it has been confirmed that she was facing several health challenges over the years.
In 2016, she was taken to Sydney Hospital with heart issues.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she had returned to Australia to be with her mother as she was facing health battles.
In January 2022, Kidman mentioned that her mother was in poor health, though she refrained from sharing further information.
During a podcast, NPR’s Fresh Air, she said:
We’re down here [in Australia] primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren. So luckily, last — yesterday, even though [COVID-19 strain] Omicron is raging through this country, we were able to take her into the gallery after hours and show her the Matisse exhibit, which, coming from a mother who’s raised me in the arts was very, very — it was a soothing balm.
Via The Mirror
Janelle had also battled breast cancer in 1985 when her daughter, Nicole, was just 17. Nicole recalled:
It was very hard to see your mother going through such pain. It opened my eyes to mortality, and to pain and suffering, and from that point on I was determined to support and be a part of and in some way help.
A Brief Look at Janelle Ann Kidman’s Life
Janelle Ann Kidman, born in 1940 in Australia, held Australian citizenship.
Her career began with performances in local theatre productions.
In addition to acting, Janelle was a nursing instructor and a Women’s Electoral Lobby member.
She pursued her education by enrolling as a student nurse at the University of New South Wales.
While at university, she met Antony Kidman, who was studying in the science faculty.
The couple wed in 1963 and welcomed two daughters: Nicole on June 20, 1967, and Antonia on July 14, 1970.
Her spouse, Antony, was an Australian psychologist and academic. He passed away from a heart attack on September 12, 2014, in Singapore.
The first daughter, Nicole, has earned acclaim as an award-winning actress and producer, with prominent roles in “The Undoing,” “The Perfect Couple,” “The Hours,” and more.
Antonia, their second daughter, has a career as an Australian journalist and TV presenter, as well as working as a lawyer in the field of family law.
Janelle is survived by her two daughters, Antonia and Nicole Kidman, her sons-in-law, Keith and Craig, and her ten grandchildren: Isabella, Connor, Lucia, Hamish, James, Sybella, Sunday, Nicholas, Faith, and Alexander.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Having been born in the US to Australian parents, Nicole Kidman holds dual Australian and US citizenship.
- She shares two children, Bella and Connor, with ex-Tom Cruise, and two daughters, Sunday and Faith, with husband Keith Urban.
- She had her breakthrough role in the 1989 psychological thriller Dead Calm.
