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Once a pretty, sultry teenage model with a slightly subdued, aloof
quality, Moore evolved into one of the top female screen stars of the 1990s.
She began as a regular on ABC's staple of daytime drama, "General
Hospital"; her husky voice and hushed line delivery seemed to lend
itself well to the tense plots. Moore soon segued to features, making her
debut in "Choices" (1981). She went on to appear in Charles Band's
"Parasite" (1982) and Garry Marshall's "Young Doctors in
Love" (1982). In 1984 she became a Hollywood mainstay, playing Michael
Caine's vulnerable young daughter in "Blame It on Rio" and a
callous model in "No Small Affair". Moore joined the female
contingent of the "brat-pack", co-starring in "St. Elmo's
Fire" (1985) and "Wisdom" (1986), a road movie directed by
her then-fiancé Emilio Estevez.
Moore graduated to adult roles as the prophecy-bearing mother in
"The Seventh Sign" (1988), a foul-talking hooker in Neil Jordan's
misfire "We're No Angels" (1989) and the mourning, teary-eyed
lover in the surprise hit "Ghost" (1990). She gave one of her
better performances and moved into production when she co-produced Alan
Rudolph's intriguing "Mortal Thoughts" (1991). The extremely
popular "A Few Good Men" (1992) kept her in the public eye but the
military courtroom proceedings largely kept her sidelined dramatically as
the more prominent male characters occupied center stage.
Moore shed more
tears as Woody Harrelson's wife who sleeps with Robert Redford for a million
dollars in Adrian Lyne's popular "Indecent Proposal" (1993). In
Barry Levinson's thriller "Disclosure" (1994), she received a
chance to shed her "nice girl" image, playing a ruthless corporate
executive who becomes the target of a sexual harassment suit lodged by a
disappointed employee and former lover, played by Michael Douglas. While
many reviewers slammed the film for its skittish treatment of the issue, its
implausibility and irrelevance to real world concerns, Moore received some
favorable notices for her icy turn.
Moore made her debut in a costume epic as adulteress Hester Prynne in the
misconceived and unpopular adaptation of Hawthorne's classic "The
Scarlet Letter" (1995) opposite Gary Oldman and then segued to more
contemporary times in "Now and Then" (1995), a drama she also
co-produced focusing on childhood friendships. She followed with the title
role of "The Juror" (1996) as a single mother pressured to
influence a jury by a gangster (Alec Baldwin). Moore could also be heard as
the voice of Esmerelda in Disney's animated version of "The Hunchback
of Notre Dame" (also 1996). She solidified her stature in Hollywood
with a reported $12.5 million salary to play a single mother who turns to
exotic dancing in "Striptease" (also 1996), making her the
highest-paid actress in Hollywood.
After a string of financial disappointments, Moore bounced back with
"G.I. Jane" (1997), in which she played a female recruit training
for the Navy SEALs. Receiving wildly mixed reviews, the film placed Number
One at the box office. Perhaps signaling an upswing in her career, Moore
also had a featured role as a psychiatrist in Woody Allen's
"Deconstructing Harry" (1997) and then disappeared from movie
screens for a lengthy stretch, retreating to Idaho to raise her daughters
and appearing only in the public eye during media coverage of her 1998 split
with Bruce Willis. Dipping her toes back into Hollywood waters in 2000,
Moore took the lead role in the well-received but little-seen fantasy
thriller "Passion of Mind," in which she played a woman living two
entirely different lives—a widowed Rhode Island mom and a fast-track
Manhattan literary agent--in two separate timelines, each dreaming about the
other and neither knowing which life is actually the real one.
Another three years would pass before Moore would make another film,
playing the villainous "fallen Angel" Madison Lee in the 2003
sequel "Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle" after being heavily
recruited by star/producer Drew Barrymore, who conceived the role
specifically for Moore. Looking unbelievably well-preserved and gorgeous at
age 40—with the help of some strategic plastic surgery, speculation
abounded—Moore made a major impact on-screen and off-screen nearly walked
away with all of the film's publicity due to her high-profile relationship
with 25-year-old actor Ashton
Kutcher. Though many initially scoffed at the
coupling and claimed it was a publicity stunt, the relationship endured and
they married in September 2005 in a traditional Kabbalah ceremony.
Moore returned to onscreen vitality in an attempt to remake herself into
a serious actress with a strong performance in “Bobby” (2006), former
hubby-to-be Emilio Estevez’s engaging look at the 16 hours prior to
Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los
Angeles as seen through the eyes of several guests and employees. She played
aging lounge singer and raging alcoholic, Virginia Fallon, a role Moore was
at first was reluctant to take because of the similarities to her mother,
Virginia, who had a long, losing battle with booze. Starring opposite
heavyweights Anthony Hopkins, William H. Macy and Helen
Hunt, Moore held her
own—and even stole a few scenes—with her mature and emotionally charged
performance. After a nine-minute standing ovation at the 2006 Venice Film
Festival, critical kudos were heaped upon the film and talk of an Oscar nod
for Moore circulated. Moore continued her comeback with starring roles in
“Mr. Brooks” (2007), a thriller where she played a detective
investigating a serial killer (Kevin Costner), and “Flawless” (lensed
2006), where she played an executive at a London-based diamond firm who
teams up with an almost-retired janitor (Michael Caine) in a plot to steal
from their employers.
Family
- Daughter: Rumer Glenn Willis. born August 16, 1988; father Bruce
Willis; named after British novelist Rumer Godden; made feature film
debut in "Striptease" (1996) playing Moore's daughter
- Daughter: Scout LaRue Willis. born July 20, 1991; father Bruce Willis;
first name comes from child narrator of novel "To Kill a
Mockingbird"
- Daughter: Tallulah Belle Willis. born February 3, 1994; father Bruce
Willis; appeared as baby Pearl in "The Scarlet Letter" (1995)
- Father: Charles Harmon. separated from Moore's mother after a
two-month marriage in 1962 during which she was conceived; divorced
Moore's mother; later re-married
- Half-brother: James Craig Harmon. younger
- Half-brother: Morgan Guynes. born in July 1967
- Mother: Virginia Guynes. born on November 27, 1943 died of a brain
tumor at age 54 on July 2, 1998; Moore had been estranged from her
mother for several years but had reconciled with her when she was
diagnosed with her terminal illness
- Step-father: Danny Guynes. born on March 9, 1943; adopted Moore when
he married her mother; sold newspaper advertisements; moved frequently;
was reportedly an alcoholic who would become abusive when drunk;
commited suicide in October 1980
Significant Others
- Companion: Emilio Estevez. met in 1984; had three-year engagement that
ended in 1987
- Companion: Guy Oseary. Madonna's business partner; dated briefly in
2002
- Companion: John Stamos. dated when they both appeared on "General
Hospital" in the early 1980s
- Companion: Oliver Whitcomb. born c. 1970; eight years younger than
Moore; began dating in 1999; no longer together
- Husband: Ashton Kutcher. third husband; began dating May 2003; married
September 24, 2005; he is 16 years younger than Moore
- Husband: Bruce Willis. second husband; met in August 1987; married in
a small ceremony in Las Vegas and then again with friends and family on
November 21, 1987 by singer-minister Little Richard; announced
separation in June 1998; divorced in October 2000
- Husband: Bruce Willis. second husband; met in August 1987; married in
a small ceremony in Las Vegas and then again with friends and family on
November 21, 1987 by singer-minister Little Richard; announced
separation in June 1998; divorced in October 2000
- Husband: Freddy Moore. married in 1980; divorced in 1984
- Husband: Freddy Moore. married in 1980; separated; divorced in 1984
- Companion: Emilio Estevez. became a couple in 1984; had three-year
engagement that ended in 1987
- Companion: Guy Oseary. dating as of October 2002
- Companion: John Stamos. dated when they both appeared on "General
Hospital" in the early 1980s
- Companion: Oliver Whitcomb. born c. 1970; reportedly dating as of 1999
Education
- Fairfax High School, Los Angeles, California
Milestones
- 1976 Family moved to Los Angeles (date approximate)
- 1979 Began working as a model at age 16 (date approximate)
- 1981 Film debut, "Choices"
- 1982 TV debut as series regular on "General Hospital",
played Jackie Templeton
- 1984 First gained notice in the romantic comedy "Blame it on
Rio" as Michael Caine's daughter
- 1985 Became a member of the Brat Pack and met future husband Emilio
Estevez starring in "St. Elmo's Fire"
- 1986 Co-starred with Rob Lowe in Edward Zwick’s “About Last
Night...” based on the play by David Mamet
- 1987 Off-Broadway debut in "The Early Girl"
- 1990 Star making role in the commercial and critically successful
romantic tearjerker, "Ghost"
- 1991 Formed production company, Rufglen Films; debut as co-producer,
"Mortal Thoughts" (also actress)
- 1992 Had a strong supporting role in the courtroom drama "A Few
Good Men," co-starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise
- 1993 Investor, with her husband Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Sylvester Stallone in the Planet Hollywood franchise
- 1993 Starred in the controversial and acclaimed "Indecent
Proposal," with Woody Harrelson and Robert Redford
- 1994 Co-starred with Michael Douglas in "Disclosure,"
adapted from a Michael Crichton novel
- 1995 Paid $12.5 million to appear in "Striptease", making
her the highest paid actress in contemporary Hollywood
- 2000 Returned to acting after a three-year hiatus, to star in
"Passion of Mind"
- 2003 Cast in the sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"
- 2005 Appeared in the Fall 2005 ad campaign for Versace
- 2006 Cast as a Sixties lounge singer in Emilio Estevez's directorial
debut, "Bobby," an ensemble centered around the night of
Robert F. Kennedy's assassination
- 2007 Played a detective opposite Kevin Costner in the thriller,
"Mr. Brooks"
- Born in New Mexico
- On advice of neighbor Nastassja Kinski, decided to become an actress
- Will play a jewel thief opposite Michael Caine in the heist drama,
"Flawlwss" (lensed 2006)
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