After her Oscar-nominated performance in 21 Grams and super-hyped appearance in the hand of the giant gorilla in Peter Jackson's King Kong, Naomi Watts must now be added to the growing list of Australian actresses who've risen to Hollywood prominence. For a long time, though, it really looked like she wouldn't make it. Having failed to match the success of her friend and early co-star Nicole Kidman, she spent years struggling in minor roles and B-movies, watching the inexorable rise of compatriot Cate Blanchett, hearing the rumour-mills heralding the arrival of fellow Aussies Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto. But finally, breaking through in David Lynch's bizarre and beautiful Mulholland Drive, she had the opportunity to exhibit an emotional intensity few actresses can match. She would not look back.
Though Watts claims to be an Australian, there are several nations keen to claim this new superstar for their own. She was born on the 28th of September, 1967, in Shoreham, Kent, just to the south-east of Greater London and very much in England, thank you very much. Her father was Peter Watts, a real name within the music industry, who'd worked as tour manager and sound engineer for The Pretty Things for four years before taking on the same duties for the fledgling Pink Floyd. He'd join the Floyd in 1967, some 6 months before early leader Syd Barrett was sacked and Dave Gilmour enlisted. There is a photograph in drummer Nick Mason's book Inside Out that shows Peter enjoying life on the beach at St Tropez with his new baby - Naomi.
To see Peter Watts in his element, one can also peruse the back cover of Floyd's 1969 live album Ummagumma. There he is amidst the sound gear, much of which he invented himself in order to allow the band to reproduce their extraordinary studio sound onstage. Indeed, the equipment he made would allow the group extra licence in the studio, too, to the extent that some aficionados believe Watts to've been directly responsible for the sound and sound-quality that would make Floyd such a monster success. That's his laugh you hear during Speak To Me and Brain Damage on Dark Side Of The Moon.
Though Watts claims to be an Australian, there are several nations keen to claim this new superstar for their own. She was born on the 28th of September, 1967, in Shoreham, Kent, just to the south-east of Greater London and very much in England, thank you very much. Her father was Peter Watts, a real name within the music industry, who'd worked as tour manager and sound engineer for The Pretty Things for four years before taking on the same duties for the fledgling Pink Floyd. He'd join the Floyd in 1967, some 6 months before early leader Syd Barrett was sacked and Dave Gilmour enlisted. There is a photograph in drummer Nick Mason's book Inside Out that shows Peter enjoying life on the beach at St Tropez with his new baby - Naomi.
To see Peter Watts in his element, one can also peruse the back cover of Floyd's 1969 live album Ummagumma. There he is amidst the sound gear, much of which he invented himself in order to allow the band to reproduce their extraordinary studio sound onstage. Indeed, the equipment he made would allow the group extra licence in the studio, too, to the extent that some aficionados believe Watts to've been directly responsible for the sound and sound-quality that would make Floyd such a monster success. That's his laugh you hear during Speak To Me and Brain Damage on Dark Side Of The Moon.
