Nicole Kidman pays tribute to father in 'Photograph 51'

London: Nicole Kidman says her new West End stage role as a scientist is a way of "acknowledging" the work of her biochemist father, who died last year.

The Oscar-winning star, 48, plays pioneering British scientist Rosalind Franklin in the play "Photograph 51", reported BBC online.

Franklin was the only woman involved in the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953, but only received recognition years after her death.

The play, by Anna Ziegler, opens at the Noel Coward Theatre next week. "This is my way of acknowledging him but also acknowledging the people in science who quietly do things and aren't acknowledged a lot of the time. He knew I was going to do this. I like to think he'll still be somewhere offering support," she said.

Kidman recalled how as a child she spent time with her sister playing in laboratories with "test tubes and microscopes" while her father worked.