After two years on the soap opera General Hospital (1982-83), Demi Moore progressed to lightweight ingenue movie turns and then into more serious dramatic roles. Ghost (1990) made her a major star. A fitness buff with no fear of self-promotion, Moore posed nude for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine while eight months pregnant in 1991. Her $12 million payday for the 1996 movie Striptease made her, for a time, Hollywood's highest-paid actress, but after starring in the big-budget drama G. I. Jane (1997, directed by Ridley Scott) she appeared in fewer and smaller films. In 2003 she returned to the screen as the villain in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu). Her other films include A Few Good Men (1992, with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson), Indecent Proposal (1993, with Robert Redford), The Scarlet Letter (1995, as Hester Prynne) and The Juror (1996, with Alec Baldwin).
Moore took her last name from her first husband, drummer Freddy Moore; they were married from 1980-84... She married actor Bruce Willis in 1987. The couple separated in 1998 and were officially divorced in 2000. They have three daughters: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah... She married actor Ashton Kutcher in September of 2005.
"It really isn't anybody's business how many people we have working for us. What's offensive is that I'm portrayed as this prima donna with these sycophants telling me how great I am all the time. Yes, they do work for me, but we're working together for a higher good..."
Career Highlights: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Ghost, Mortal Thoughts
First Major Screen Credit: Parasite (1981)
Biography
Actress, tabloid fodder, provocative Vanity Fair cover piece: the husky-voiced brunette Demi Moore is nothing if not an unforgettable roadside attraction on the pop culture highway. Rising to prominence with a string of successful films during the '80s and early '90s, Moore became known for both her onscreen and offscreen ability to draw attention for everything from her grin-and-bare-it roles in films like Striptease to her well-publicized marriage to (and divorce from} Bruce Willis.
Born Demetria Guynes in Roswell, NM, on November 11, 1962, Moore led a troubled childhood. To call it tumultuous would be something of an understatement: along with her mother, half-brother and stepfather, she moved no less than 30 times before her adolescence, thanks to her stepfather's job as a newspaper ad salesman. The problems that went along with such an itinerant lifestyle were compounded by the dysfunctional, sometimes abusive relationship between Moore's mother and stepfather. The latter committed suicide when Moore was 15, around the time that she discovered that he was not her biological father. She dropped out of school a year later and did some modeling in Europe. When she was 18, Moore married rocker Freddy Moore; the union lasted four years, during which time the actress landed her first role playing Jackie Templeton on the TV daytime drama General Hospital.
Moore made her film debut in 1981, appearing in both the coming-of-age drama Choices and the schlock-tastic Parasite. Following a bit role in 1982's Young Doctors in Love, she had her first lead role in No Small Affair (1984) as an aspiring rock singer opposite Jon Cryer. Her real breakthrough came the next year, when she starred as an unstable member of a group of college friends in St. Elmo's Fire. Apparently, her onscreen instability mirrored her offscreen condition at the time; she was reportedly fired from the film at one point and then rehired after going into drug rehab. The film was a hit, and Moore, along with such co-stars as Emilio Estevez (to whom she was engaged for three years), Rob Lowe, and Ally Sheedy, became a member of the infamous "Brat Pack."
Fortunately for Moore, she managed to avoid the straight-to-oblivion fate of other Brat Pack members, increasing her fame and resume with films like About Last Night (1986) and The Seventh Sign (1988). Her fame further increased in 1987 when she wed Bruce Willis in a Las Vegas ceremony presided over by singer Little Richard. In 1990, Moore had her biggest hit to date with Ghost, a romantic drama that cast her as the grieving girlfriend of the deceased Patrick Swayze. A huge success, Ghost secured Moore a place on the A-list, something she managed to sustain despite the subsequent twin flops of The Butcher's Wife and Mortal Thoughts, both released in 1991. That same year, Moore gained exposure of a different sort when she appeared nude and hugely pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair; the resulting hoopla gained her more attention than either of her movies that year. She was back on the magazine's cover the following year, nude again but fetus-free and sporting a layer of artfully applied body paint. The controversy surrounding her cover-girl appearances may have helped Moore weather similar flak around her next feature, 1993's Indecent Proposal. The story of a woman (Moore) who agrees to a one-night stand with a wealthy man (Robert Redford) for one million dollars after she and her husband (Woody Harrelson) find themselves in dire financial straits, Proposal was decried by a number of feminist groups as well as various film critics and went on to be another big, if controversial, hit for Moore.
Following the commercial success of Indecent Proposal, Moore's career hit something of a downward spiral. 1994's Disclosure proved a disappointment, and the following year's Now and Then (which she also produced) staged a similarly wan performance at the box office; however, it was Moore's other film that year, a "free,"or, as some would say, staggeringly misguided, adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, that had critics howling and audiences cowering like small children being forced to watch German expressionist films. An unintentionally hilarious rendering of the classic tale, it featured Moore's Hester Prynne exposing plenty of skin, luxuriating in what must have been one of Puritan New England's few hot tubs, having steamy sex on a shifting bed of grain, and walking off into the sunset with her beloved Reverend Dimmesdale (a moody Gary Oldman).
Following this debacle, Moore took refuge on safer grounds, lending her voice to Disney's animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996; however, that same year, she encountered another career pitfall in the form of Striptease. Based on Carl Hiaasen's satirical novel about a divorcée who turns to stripping so that she can raise money to win back custody of her daughter, the tonally inconsistent film proved a failure, despite titillating advertisements promising that Moore would bare all for audiences. The actress' career suffered a further blow with the disappointment of Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane in 1997, and she found herself getting more attention for her offscreen life as she was, by that point, embroiled in a very public divorce from Willis. The two formally separated in 1998.
Although her career in front of the camera suffered, Moore managed to do well for herself as a producer. In 1997, she produced the hugely successful Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and served in the same capacity for its mega-hit sequels, 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember. In 2000, Moore returned to the screen to star in Alain Berliner's Passion of Mind, a psychological drama that cast the actress in a dual role as two women who lead different lives but are tied by a single identity.
The year 2003 brought Moore back to the spotlight in a big way -- not only did the 41-year-old actress play the shockingly buff-bodied bad guy in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, she gave the paparazzi something of a godsend by dating Punk'd and That '70s Show heartthrob Ashton Kutcher, sixteen years her junior. The two wed in late September 2005, at a ceremony attended by hundreds, including Bruce Willis and his three daughters with Moore.
Moore maintained a lower profile after this union, but returned to the spotlight for former flame Estevez's ambitious political period-ensemble Bobby, about the events leading up to Robert Kennedy's assasination. Among the star-studded cast, Moore was given a showy, standout role as an alcoholic lounge singer; there was room, too, for Kutcher, as an acid-dropping hippie. The film garnered decidedly mixed reviews, even if Moore attracted some attention for her part.
In 2007 the actress joined the cast of director Bruce A. Evans's psychological thriller Mr. Brooks, as a tough-as-nails detective on the trail of Kevin Costner's titular, obsessive suburban serial killer. The movie suffered an ignominious fate at the box office, and Moore was singled out by critics for her implausibility. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Demi Guynes Kutcher, professionally known as Demi Moore (born November 11, 1962) is an American actress.
After minor roles in film, and a role in the television drama series, General Hospital, Moore established her career in films such as St. Elmo's Fire (1985) and Ghost (1990), and in the early 1990s became one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood following her successes in A Few Good Men (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993) and Disclosure (1994). By the end of the decade her films were less successful, but she returned to prominence with her role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003).
Moore took her professional name from her first husband, Freddy Moore, and is the mother of three daughters from her marriage to Bruce Willis. She has been married to actor Ashton Kutcher since 2005 and later took his last name in 2009.
Moore was born Demetria Gene Guynes[1] in Roswell, New Mexico; she was named Demetria after a beauty product her mother saw in a magazine.[2] As a child she had a difficult and unstable home life. Her biological father, Charles Harmon, left her mother, Virginia King (November 27, 1943 – July 2, 1998), after a two-month marriage, before Moore was born. As a result, Moore had the surname of her stepfather, Danny Guynes (March 9 1943 – October 1980), on her birth certificate. Danny Guynes, who committed suicide in 1980, frequently changed jobs; as a result the family moved a total of forty times, once living in a small town called Rogers Manor, Pennsylvania. Moore's parents were alcoholics and often fought and beat each other. Moore was cross-eyed as a child, and wore an eye patch in an attempt to correct the problem until it was eventually corrected by two surgeries. She also suffered from kidney dysfunction.[3] Demi Moore has heterochromia; she has one green eye, and the other hazel.
Demi Moore's film debut was in the 1982 3-Dscience fiction/horror film, Parasite, which was a hit on the drive-in circuit, ultimately grossing $7 million.[8] However, Moore was not widely known until she played the part of Jackie Templeton on the ABCsoap opera, General Hospital, from 1982-1983. Moore also had an uncredited cameo at the end of the 1982 spoof Young Doctors in Love.
Demi Moore (1990)
In the mid-1980s, Moore appeared in the youth-oriented films St. Elmo's Fire and About Last Night, and she was often listed as one of the Brat Pack, a name the media dubbed a certain group of top young actors at the time. In 1988 Demi starred in The Seventh Sign directed by Carl Schultz. After the commercial success of Ghost, Moore was given more prominent roles in A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, Disclosure and The Hunchback of Notre Dame for which she was the first actress to reach the $10 million salary mark. During the early 1990s, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood. She never duplicated the success of Ghost and had a string of less successful films like The Scarlet Letter, The Juror, Striptease, and G.I. Jane. Meanwhile, Moore's Passion of Mind co-star Joss Ackland lambasted Moore by describing her as being "not very bright or talented".[9] although he worked with her again on Flawless in 2008. At the same time she produced and starred in a TV mini-series called If These Walls Could Talk, written by Nancy Savoca. A three-part series on abortion, Savoca directed two segments, including the one in which Moore played a single woman in the 1950s seeking a back-alley abortion. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for that role.
After a break from her acting career, Moore returned to the screen as a former member of Charlie's Angels gone bad in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. In 2006, she appeared in Bobby which featured an all-star cast including her husband Ashton Kutcher although they did not appear in any scenes together. She later starred in the thriller film Mr. Brooks, which was released on June 1, 2007. She appeared in Jon Bon Jovi's longform video "Destination Anywhere" as Janie.[10]
In 2006, Moore became the new face for the Helena Rubinstein brand of cosmetics.[11]
In August 1991, Moore appeared nude on the cover of Vanity Fair under the title More Demi Moore. Annie Leibovitz shot the picture while Moore was seven months pregnant with her daughter Scout LaRue, intending to portray "anti-Hollywood, anti-glitz" attitude.[12] The cover sparked an intense controversy for Vanity Fair and Demi Moore. It was widely discussed on television, radio, and in newspaper articles.[13] The frankness of Leibovitz' portrayal of a pregnant sex symbol led to divided opinions, ranging from complaints of sexual objectification to celebrations of the photograph as a symbol of empowerment.[14]
The photograph was subject to numerous parodies, including the Spy magazine version, which placed Moore's then husband Bruce Willis' head on her body. In Leibovitz v. Paramount Pictures Corp., Leibovitz sued over one parody featuring Leslie Nielsen, made to promote the 1994 film Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult. In the parody, the model's body was attached to what is described as "the guilty and smirking face" of Mr. Nielsen. The teaser said "Due this March".[15] The case was dismissed in 1996 because the parody relied "for its comic effect on the contrast between the original".[15] In November 2009, Moroccan magazine Femmes du Maroc emulated the infamous pose with Moroccan news reporter Nadia Larguet, causing controversy in the majority Muslim nation.[16] In August 1992, Moore would again appear nude on the cover of Vanity Fair, modeling for the world's leading body painting artist, Joanne Gair in Demi's Birthday Suit.[17][18] The painting is considered by many to be the best-known example of modern body painting artwork.[19]
Personal life
Kutcher and Moore, September 2008
Moore married singer Freddy Moore in 1979 and they divorced in 1985.[20] In 1987, Moore met Moonlighting star Bruce Willis, and the couple married two months later. The star couple had three daughters together: Rumer Glenn Willis (b. 16 August 1988), Scout LaRue Willis (b. 20 July 1991), and Tallulah Belle Willis (b. 3 February 1994). Demi and Bruce separated in 1998 and were divorced in 2000, but remain friends to this day. In 2003, Moore began dating actor Ashton Kutcher. Demi married Ashton in 2005.
Moore's primary residence is in Hailey, Idaho, near the famous Sun Valley resort, although she spends much time in the Los Angeles area with Kutcher. She also owns a waterfront mansion on Sebago Lake, Maine. She is a practicing follower of the Philip Berg's Kabbalah Centre religion, and initiated Kutcher into the faith, having said that she "didn’t grow up Jewish, but... would say that [she has] been more exposed to the deeper meanings of particular rituals than any of [her] friends that did".[21] Contrary to popular belief, Moore claims she has never been a raw foodist and dispelled the vegan rumors by eating a hamburger in a recent Mario Testino photoshoot.[22]
Moore legally changed her last name to Kutcher two years after marrying husband Ashton Kutcher. However, she continues to use Moore in her professional life and her acting roles.[23][24][25]
According to the New York Times, Moore is "the world's most high-profile doll collector", and among her favorites is the Gene Marshallfashion doll.[26]
TV movie.
Nomination - "Outstanding Made for Television Movie" at the 49th Primetime Emmy Awards
Nomination - "Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV" at the 54th Golden Globe Awards
^Bielski, Zosia (January 6, 2009). "Seizure killed Travolta's son, death certificate says;Body showed no sign of head trauma, undertaker says; case puts parents' religion under scrutiny". The Globe and Mail: p. A3.
