2003

Naomi Watts

September 30

Until We Meet Again

Watts and Ledger call it quits. "They remain close friends," Ledger's rep tells PEOPLE. The two are close enough to briefly rekindle their love in November. On Jan. 22, 2008, Ledger is found dead at his Manhattan residence. The 28-year-old actor died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Days later, Watts attends his private memorial.

2004

Naomi Watts

January 27

Weighty Acclaim

Watts receives an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her heartbreaking performance opposite Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams. Director Peter Jackson tells Vanity Fair, "Naomi has the ability to draw an audience into the interior life of the characters she plays and yet she manages to conceal more than she reveals, so you're always wanting more."

Naomi Watts

October

A Heart Break

Watts gives her usual dramatic roles a break, laughing it up in the existential comedy I Heart Huckabees. She plays a ditzy, bikini-clad spokeswoman Dawn Campbell opposite Jude Law and Dustin Hoffman.

2005

Naomi Watts

May

Hello, Liev

Watts and The Manchurian Candidate star Liev Schreiber are seen around New York eating cupcakes and going to concerts. The two begin dating.

Naomi Watts

December 14

Monkey Love

Watts plays Ann Darrow in director Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong. The film grosses $400 million worldwide and is Watts' most commercial film yet. Her friend director David Lynch tells In Style, "Whoever sits in the palm of King Kong is a movie star for life!"

2006

Naomi Watts

November

Calendar Girl

After lending her face to jeweler David Yurman, Watts appears alongside Sophia Loren and Hilary Swank in the infamously sexy Pirelli Calendar and stars in The Painted Veil opposite real-life boyfriend Liev Schreiber and actor Edward Norton. The actress is also named a special representative to the United Nations for HIV and AIDS.

2007

Naomi Watts

February 25

Red Carpet Reveal

Watts walks the red carpet in a yellow Escada dress and noticeable bump with fellow Academy Award show presenter and friend Nicole Kidman. Though she hasn't confirmed she's pregnant, Escada's publicist releases a statement saying, "The Escada gown set off her most precious new asset – the baby she is expecting with longtime boyfriend Liev Schreiber." One day later, Schreiber tells Late Night host Conan O'Brien he's going to be a dad.

Naomi Watts

July 25

Watts & Schreiber Welcome Alexander

Watts gives birth to her and Schreiber's first child, Alexander Pete. The healthy baby boy weighs 8 lbs., 4 oz, and is 22.5 inches long. Just last weekend, the pair had a baby shower with Watts' Le Divorce costar Kate Hudson in attendance.

2008

Naomi Watts

July 29

Stepping Out with her Belly

Watts, once again, neither confirms nor denies the pregnancy rumors but steps out with her baby bump. The actress shows off her growing belly on the streets of New York City's East Village. She and new mom Nicole Kidman will now have more pregnancy chatting to do. "Whenever you're pregnant, you always call on your pregnant friends and compare notes," Watts told PEOPLE in May.

Photo Credits

BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): REX USA; Focus Films/Everett; FOX Searchlight/Everett; Carlo Allegri/Getty/Universal; Weta Digital Ltd./Universal; EPA/PIRELLI; Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/Landov; INF; Bauer Griffin

Edited by Mai Dinh, Janet Murphy