(1962-)

Who Is Demi Moore?

Born in 1962 in Roswell, New Mexico, actress Demi Moore found her way onto the soap opera General Hospital as a teenager before earning big screen acclaim for St. Elmo’s Fire. Moore hit the jackpot with the 1990 hit Ghost, which, along with her marriage to Bruce Willis, established her as a Hollywood A-lister for the next few years. Flops like Striptease and G.I. Jane marked the end of her run on top, though she continued to surface in films like Charlie’s Angels 2, while publicly facing professional and personal obstacles.

Early Life

Moore was born Demetria Guynes on November 11, 1962, in Roswell, New Mexico. Her parents split up before she was born, and she was raised by her mother and stepfather, Virginia and Danny Guynes, both of whom drank heavily.

Moore had moved more than 30 times by the time she turned 14, eventually settling in Los Angeles. Moore later explained in Interview magazine that “By moving around a lot, I learned to assimilate into whatever new surroundings I had and to become very comfortable with people quickly. I think that was one of the strongest contributing factors to my becoming an actor.”

Soap Star and Early Roles

Dropping out of high school at 16, Moore worked as a debt collector for a time and tried modeling. She also developed an interest in acting. In 1981, Moore landed a role on the popular television soap opera General Hospital. She played journalist Jackie Templeton for two years. That same year, Moore made her film debut in the independent drama Choices.

During her stint on General Hospital, Moore found time for a few film projects. Following her marriage to musician Freddie Moore in 1981, she appeared with him in the 3-D science fiction horror flick Parasite (1982). Moore also had a bit part in the soap opera spoof Young Doctors in Love (1982).

‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ Breakout

After leaving her soap opera role, Moore struggled to build a career in film. She played Michael Caine’s daughter in Blame it on Rio (1984), which attracted little attention from critics or movie-goers. Taking on a leading role, Moore played Jon Cryer’s love interest in No Small Affair (1984), but she didn’t capture the public’s attention until her performance in St. Elmo’s Fire (1985). This film told the story of a group of friends as they confront post-college life. The cast also included a number of other young stars on the rise, such as Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Emilio Estevez. Many of these performers were becoming equally famous for their off-screen antics and partying lifestyle, with the media dubbing them the “Brat Pack.”

In her personal life, Moore divorced her first husband in 1984. She started dating Emilio Estevez, and the two became engaged in 1985. The couple starred together in 1986’s Wisdom, which Estevez also wrote and directed. That same year, Moore starred opposite Rob Lowe in About Last Night, a look at young singles in Chicago. Critic Roger Ebert praised both of their performances, saying the film “gives them the best acting opportunities either one has ever had, and they make the most of them.” He also singled out Moore as “especially impressive. There isn’t a romantic note she isn’t required to play in this movie, and she plays them all flawlessly.”

Marriage to Bruce Willis and ‘Ghost’ Stardom

Again playing the love interest, Moore co-starred with John Cusack in the popular comedy One Crazy Summer (1986). She was working steadily, but had yet to score a major box office hit. In 1987, she and Estevez broke up, and Moore later met actor Bruce Willis, who was then on the popular television show Moonlighting, with Cybill Shepherd. The two began dating and were married in November 1987 in Las Vegas. In 1988 they welcomed their first child together, daughter Rumer, who was named after the British writer Rumer Godden.

That same year, Moore returned to the big screen with The Seventh Sign, an apocalyptic thriller. She played a pregnant woman trying to stop the end of the world. Despite a few positive reviews for her performance, the film only earned about $16 million at the box office. Moore took on lighter fare with her next effort, 1989’s We’re No Angels, which starred Robert De Niro and Sean Penn. Despite its impressive cast, the film did not fare well with audiences.

Moore’s biggest career breakthrough came in 1990 with the romantic drama Ghost. She played Molly, a young woman whose husband Sam (played by Patrick Swayze) was murdered. His spirit works with a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg) to avenge his death and to protect Molly from those involved. Showing impressive vulnerability on screen, Moore earned praise for her work on the film, which became a huge hit. Ghost brought in approximately $218 million at the box office and earned five Academy Award nominations.

‘A Few Good Men’ and ‘Striptease’

Moore’s next two films, Nothing But Trouble (1991) and The Butcher’s Wife (1991), showed off her comedic side. They both, however, failed to attract much of an audience. That same year, Moore became the talk of the nation with her controversial Vanity Fair cover. She was in the midst of her second pregnancy when she posed in the nude for the magazine’s cover. While surprised by the dramatic response to the image, Moore also saw the cover as a chance to challenge perceptions about women and pregnancy. “People in this country don’t want to embrace motherhood and sensuality. … You’re either sexy, or you’re a mother. I didn’t want to have to choose,” she told Interview magazine. Not too long after that issue appeared on newsstands, Moore and Willis celebrated the birth of their second daughter, Scout.

Co-starring with Tom Cruise, Moore played a tough Navy lawyer in the smash hit A Few Good Men (1992). She continued to prosper commercially with IndecentProposal (1993), teaming with Woody Harrelson to play a married couple in financial trouble who travel to Las Vegas to gamble their way back to solvency. They end up losing their money and befriending a lonely billionaire (played by Robert Redford), who offers the desperate couple $1 million for the opportunity to sleep with Moore’s character. While reviews were mixed, the film brought in a respectable $104 million at the box office.

Moore had her third child with Willis in 1994, a daughter named Tallulah. That same year, she starred opposite Michael Douglas in the box office hit Disclosure. Moore played a top executive who sexually harasses Douglas’s character. In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, she explained why she took the controversial role: “I’d never played a villain before so that was attractive to me,” she said, adding that she was a “wreck” during filming: “I’ve never showed up for a show where I literally started shaking before every scene. I’ve never stepped into someone who’s so cunning — she’s just really scary.”

In 1995, Moore made movie history when she became the highest paid actress at the time — netting a $12.5 million payday for Striptease (1996). The film is about a single mother who works as a stripper to earn money to fight her ex-husband for custody of their daughter (played by Moore’s real-life daughter Rumer). The film proved to be a commercial and critical disappointment.

Professional and Personal Obstacles

Moore faced more personal challenges around this time. Her estranged mother was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1997, and the mother and daughter finally reunited. Moore stayed with her mother for the final months of her life. Virginia Guynes succumbed to her disease in July 1998. At the same time, Moore had to cope with another loss. She and Willis announced their separation after more than 10 years of marriage, just days before Guynes’s passing.

Moore also continued to struggle professionally. She starred in 1997’s G.I. Jane as the first woman to attempt to join the elite Navy Seals military unit. For her role Moore trained vigorously, lifting weights for two hours a day and going for six-mile runs. She even shaved off her hair for one scene. All of this dedication, however, translated into a middling showing at the box office. Moore later said that the media reports “killed G.I. Jane before it ever even had a moment,” according to Entertainment Weekly.

However, she did find success during this time through her production company, Moving Pictures. She signed on to produce the hit comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and its sequels, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and Austin Powers inGoldmember (2002).

‘Charlie’s Angels’ Comeback

Retreating from the Hollywood scene in 1998, Moore and her three daughters moved to Hailey, Idaho, where she and Willis had previously purchased a home. During her time in Hailey, Moore mostly focused on raising her daughters. She left her quiet small-town life to act in one film: the independent drama Passion of Mind (2000).

Moore’s next big screen venture was heralded as her comeback. In Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle (2003), she played a villain named Madison Lee. Moore appeared opposite such younger talents as Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz. “She’s so lovely and so powerful. Here’s a woman who has three children — she goes toe-to-toe with Cameron Diaz in a bikini. She’s awesome. I just enjoy her performances and her gutsiness,” said the film’s director, McG.

Marriage to Ashton Kutcher

Around this time, Moore was also attracting a lot of media attention for her off-screen life. She began dating 25-year-old actor Ashton Kutcher, 15 years her junior. The tabloids could not seem to get enough of this May-December romance, with some speculating whether their relationship was merely a publicity stunt. Moore and Kutcher proved their critics wrong when they married in September 2005 at their Beverly Hills home. Kutcher became very close with Moore’s daughters, who sometimes called him “MOD” — for “My Other Dad.”

Moore went on to take a small but dramatic role playing an alcoholic lounge singer in Emilio Estevez’s Bobby (2006), which imagined the final hours of Robert Kennedy through the eyes of different people at the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel. Her strong performance earned a share of critical praise. Moore followed up this success with the thriller Mr. Brooks (2007), playing a detective pursuing a serial killer (Kevin Costner). She then co-starred in the heist caper Flawless (2008), with Michael Caine.

Moore continued to tackle an interesting mix of projects. She had a role in the independent family drama Happy Tears, with Parker Posey, Rip Torn and Ellen Barkin, which screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2009. In the 2010 noir action film, Bunraku, Moore appeared with Josh Hartnett and Ron Perlman. She also co-starred with David Duchovny in the offbeat drama The Joneses.

In 2011, Moore gave another impressive performance in the drama Margin Call, which starred Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany. She also expanded her work behind the camera that same year, signing a deal with the Lifetime cable network for several new projects.

Divorce and More Challenges

In November 2011, Moore filed for divorce from husband Ashton Kutcher in the wake of numerous reports that he had been unfaithful to her. At the time, she released a statement, saying “As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life.” Their divorce was finalized in 2013.

In January 2012, Moore seemed to experiencing a personal crisis. She was taken to a Los Angeles hospital early in the year after suffering a seizure from inhaling nitrous oxide, according to TMZ. Moore did not publicly acknowledge the incident, but she did decide to seek help for some health issues. A spokesperson for the actress said that Moore planned to get “professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health.” She also dropped out of the film Lovelace, about the famed porn star Linda Lovelace. Moore had signed on to play feminist Gloria Steinem.

TV, More Films and Memoir

Moore soon resumed working fairly steadily, albeit outside of the spotlight. She had prominent roles in Very Good Girls (2014), Forsaken (2015) and Wild Oats (2016), and starred as the female lead of Blind (2016), alongside Alec Baldwin. Moore also enjoyed a positive reception with her return to television in 2017, nabbing a recurring role on season 4 of the popular Fox drama Empire.

Back on the big screen, Moore enjoyed a supporting part in the dark comedy Rough Night (2017), before appearing in the drama Love Sonia (2018) and co-starring in the comedy-horror Corporate Animals (2019). Additionally, she prepared for another TV gig by landing a role in USA Network’s adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

Beyond the screen, Moore drew attention with the September 2019 publication of her memoir, Inside Out, which delves into her turbulent childhood, Hollywood stardom and battles with substance abuse.

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Demi Moore
• Birth Year: 1962
• Birth date: November 11, 1962
• Birth State: New Mexico
• Birth City: Roswell
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Demi Moore was part of the “Brat Pack,” starring in ’80s movies like ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,’ and later proved one of Hollywood’s leading ladies with starring roles in ‘Ghost,’ ‘A Few Good Men’ and ‘Disclosure.’
• Industries
• Drama
• Astrological Sign: Scorpio

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Demi Moore Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/actors/demi-moore
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: March 31, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014