John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Love Story

Naomi Watts stars as Jackie Kennedy Onassis in FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. &amp; Carolyn Bessette.

Career Highlights

Naomi Watts is undeniably one of our generation's finest actors. Her ability to inhabit complex characters and convey raw emotion has garnered her several impressive accolades, including two Academy Award® nominations and an Emmy® nomination. She is also a successful producer and businesswoman, and uses her platform to raise awareness about important social issues. Watts adds author to her list of accomplishments with her The New York Times' bestselling book, Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause, published by Crown, which came out in January 2025.She earned her first Emmy nomination for her impeccable performance as Babe Paley in Ryan Murphy's FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans, where she also served as executive producer. Her transformation both physically and emotionally earned incredible reviews and additional nominations from the Golden Globes® and Critics Choice Awards.Watts recently reunited with Ryan Murphy in the Hulu drama All's Fair, which she also executive produced and stars alongside Glenn Close, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson, Teyana Taylor and Kim Kardashian. She also recently guest-starred in Lena Dunham's rom-com series Too Much for Netflix.On the big screen, Watts next stars in the psychological thriller The Housewife. She recently executive produced and starred with Bill Murray in The Friend, based on Sigrid Nunez's hit book of the same name.She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams. The role also garnered her Best Actress nominations from SAG and BAFTA, as well as honors from several critics' associations, including the Broadcast Film Critics. She won the Audience Award at the Venice International Film Festival, and the film won the Special Distinction Award at the Independent Spirit Awards.Her second Best Actress Academy Award nomination was for her role in J. A. Bayona's The Impossible. She also received Golden Globe, SAG and Critics Choice Awards nominations. Watts also earned a SAG Award nomination for her performance in St. Vincent. And she starred in Iñárritu's Best Picture Oscar®-winning film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).Watts' breakthrough came with the psychological thriller Mulholland Drive, directed by David Lynch. Her portrayal of "Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn" earned her critical acclaim and marked the beginning of an incredible career. She earned awards from several critics' organizations, including awards from the National Board of Review and National Society of Film Critics. The Ringer recently named Watts' performance as the best of the 21st century.In addition to her work in films, Watts' television credits include Ryan Murphy's The Watcher for Netflix, portraying Gretchen Carlson in Showtime's limited series The Loudest Voice, and in David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return. She also starred in and produced the Netflix series Gypsy and guest-starred in Netflix's Bojack Horseman.Her impressive list of movies include Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong; The Ring and its sequel, The Ring Two; Le Divorce; We Don't Live Here Anymore (also produced); I Heart Huckabees; The Assassination of Richard Nixon; The Painted Veil (also produced); Eastern Promises; Funny Games (also produced); The International; Mother and Child, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress; You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger; Fair Game; J. Edgar; Adore (also produced); While We're Young; Demolition; The Sea of Trees; 3 Generations (also produced); Shut In; Chuck; two installments of the Divergent franchise; Ophelia; Luce; The Wolf Hour (also produced); The Book of Henry; and The Glass Castle.More recently, she starred in and produced the Netflix drama Penguin Bloom; Phillip Noyce's The Desperate Hour, which is performed almost entirely by Watts; the Blumhouse drama This Is the Night; the thriller Infinite Storm; Prime Video's Goodnight Mommy; and Audrey Diwan's erotic drama Emmanuelle.Among her many awards and recognitions, Watts received the Montecito Award from the Santa Barbara Film Festival for her role in King Kong; was honored with the Desert Palm Achievement by the Palm Springs Film Festival for 21 Grams; and was named the Female Star of Tomorrow at ShoWest and received the Breakthrough Acting Award at the Hollywood Film Festival, both for her work in Mulholland Drive. She was also honored for her entire body of work at the Deauville Film Festival.Born in England, Watts moved to Australia at the age of 14 and began studying acting. Her first major film role came in John Duigan's Flirting. She produced and starred in the short film Ellie Parker, which screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and was later expanded into a feature film.Beyond her professional achievements, Watts launched Stripes Beauty in 2022 with the mission to normalize conversations about menopause. The brand's mission is to not only destigmatize menopause, but to empower women both physically and emotionally through its products, community and education. The consumer brand provides science-backed personal care and beauty products across the categories of nutritional supplements, skincare, haircare and vaginal wellness. Watts is also co-founder of ONDA Beauty, an online and retail clean beauty boutique.

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Naomi Watts stars as Jackie Kennedy in FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette.

Headshot of Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy in FX's Love Story in a black sweater and long necklace.

Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy | FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Career Highlights

Alessandro Nivola
as Calvin Klein

Leila George
as Kelly Klein

Sydney Lemmon
as Lauren Bessette

Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy | FX's Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

Alessandro Nivolaas Calvin Klein

Leila Georgeas Kelly Klein

Sydney Lemmonas Lauren Bessette

Alessandro Nivola
as Calvin Klein

Leila George
as Kelly Klein

Sydney Lemmon
as Lauren Bessette