Australian actor Nicole Kidman (1967-), a statuesque redhead who appeared on television in films and miniseries during her adolescence, lands her first feature role in the thriller Dead Calm (1989).

The offer of a role in Days of Thunder draws her to the U.S., and her work in the film sparks the beginning of a prolific motion picture career.

(in the decade following its release, Kidman appears in a dozen films.

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Other redhaired performers that gain attention in the movie business in Hollywood during the 80's and early 90s include Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Molly Ringwald, and Clare Danes