A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Monday honoring Naomi Watts for a career that has included Oscar nominations for her performances in “21 Grams” and “The Impossible.”
Edward Norton and Ryan Murphy were among those joining Watts at the ceremony at 6201 Hollywood Blvd., between Argyle Avenue and Gower Street.
Norton and Watts were castmates in the 2015 Oscar best picture winner “Birdman” and the 2006 drama “The Painted Veil.”
Murphy produced four of Watts’ television projects — the 2022 Netflix mystery horror series, “The Watcher,” FX’s “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” the Hulu legal drama “All’s Fair” and the FX romance anthology “Love Story.”
Watts said that when she learned whe was receive the honor, “I felt overcome with gratitude for everyone who’s helped me get to this moment.”
She offered special thanks to “my mother, Miv, who taught me about the joys of make-believe; (director) David Lynch, who taught me that art has no limits; and (director/producer Ryan Murphy, who taught me there’s still so much more to learn.”
The ceremony came 22 days before the Nov. 4 premiere of “All’s Fair,” in which Watts plays a member of a team of female divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated firm to open their own firm.
The star is the 2,825th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars.
Born in the village of Shoreham in Southeast England on Sept. 28, 1968, Watts’ parents divorced when she was 4 years old. After the divorce, their mother moved several times with Watts and her older brother Ben within South East England, then to Wales and back to England.
Watts and her mother and brother moved to Australia when she was 14.
Watts made her acting debut in the 1986 Australian film, “For Love Alone,” then appeared in various Australian movies and television programs. She had her first lead role in the 1993 Australian thriller film, “Gross Misconduct,” as a student at an all-girls academy who is a fervent admirer of her married philosophy professor (Jimmy Smits).
Watts’ first American movie was the 1995 science fiction film “Tank Girl.”
Watts’ breakthrough role came in the 2001 surrealist neo-noir mystery art film “Mulholland Drive,” portraying an aspiring actress.
Watts received her first Oscar nomination in 2004 for best actress for her portrayal of a woman who relapses into substance abuse after her husband is killed in a hit-and-run collision in “21 Grams.” The Oscar went to Charlize Theron for her portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster.”
Watts received her second Oscar nomination in 2013, also for best actress, in the true-life story “The Impossible” as a physician who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami while on vacation in Thailand with her husband and three children.
The Oscar that year went to Jennifer Lawrence for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook.”
Watts’ other film credits include “St. Vincent,” “Mother and Child,” the 2005 version of “King Kong,” “The Ring” and its sequel, “The Ring Two.”
Watts received an outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie Emmy in 2024 for her portrayal of socialite and magazine editor Babe Paley in “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.”
Watts portrays Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the first season of “Love Story,” which retells the courtship of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. It is set to premiere Feb. 14.