Guess Who This Purrfect Kid Turned Into!

Before this cat-loving young lady would grow up to become an Oscar-winning leading lady, she was just a gal growing up in Sydney, Australia ... but did you know she was actually born in Hawaii???

She was inspired to become an actress by watching Margaret Hamilton play the Wicked Witch of the West in the classic film, "The Wizard of Oz" ... so she studied theater in Sydney, alongside fellow Aussie actress Naomi Watts.

Her career began in 1983 at age 16, and 5 years later, she was winning Australian Film Institute awards for Best Supporting Actress and starring alongside Sam Neill in another movie from Down Under in 1989.

A year later, she made her American film debut in one of 1990s highest-grossing films ... which starred her famous boyfriend and future husband.

By 1995, she'd reach worldwide recognition by co-starring in a huge superhero flick, and would go on to star in countless blockbusters, critically-acclaimed Oscar movies and Emmy-winning TV shows.

She's racked up 2 Emmys, 4 Golden Globes and an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003 ... and that's no lie.