A professional milestone…and a personal tragedy.
Nicole Kidman announced the passing of her mother Janelle on September 6, the same date she won the Best Actress award for her role in ‘The Man’. Baby girl At the Venice Film Festival.
Kidman’s mother was 84.
The sad news was confirmed through a statement read on stage by Halina Rezan, who directed Kidman in the aforementioned film.
“Today, I arrived in Venice and learned shortly afterwards that my beautiful, brave mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, has passed away,” Kidman’s message said. “I am in shock and have to go to my family.”
The statement further said,
“But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I am so grateful that I get to share her name with all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”
The cause of Janelle’s death is currently unknown.
Kidman’s mother, who worked as a nursing instructor, had suffered from health problems in recent years.
In 2022, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Academy Award winner said she returned to her family’s native Australia to be with her ailing parents.
“We’re here mainly to take care of my mom,” the now 57-year-old said in an NPR interview in January of that year. “And we want her to be surrounded by her grandchildren.”
Kidman said then:
“I’m in a place where I’m being given a chance to see the world — because of how close we are, my mom is giving me a chance to see the world through the eyes of an 81-year-old woman. It’s very rewarding right now because she’s so aware.
“He’s got all the same faculties, mental capacity. He hasn’t lost anything. He hasn’t lost any memory, which is interesting.”
In 2020, Kidman spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald about the impact her mother had on her life and her amazing career.
According to The Hollywood Reporter , Kidman told the outlet, “She’s given me the inspiration to pursue my career, because I’ve always wanted to please her.”
“But she made her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to make their own path…
“Mum didn’t get the career she wanted, but she was determined that her daughters would have the same opportunities. That’s what gave me my life. And they gave me my life, she and my father.”
We offer our condolences to Nicole Kidman, her friends, family members, and everyone who knew Janelle.