Naomi Watts was born in England but grew up in Australia. She made her film debut in 1986 and has appeared in several feature films and television programs, in Australia as well as the United States. After a dozen years of steady work in smaller roles, Watts was widely praised for her leading role in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001). Her other films include Flirting (1991, co-starring Nicole Kidman), The Ring (2002) and The Kelly Gang (2003, co-starring Orlando Bloom). Watts stars in Peter Jackson's version of King Kong, to be released December 14, 2005.