Moore was born Demetria Gene Guynes on Nov. 11, 1962 in Roswell, New Mexico, to her mother and stepfather, Danny Guynes, who gave Moore his surname. She and her younger brother Morgan had a somewhat difficult upbringing as both her mother and stepfather were alcoholics who fought often. Moreover, Moore was cross-eyed throughout much of her early childhood, causing her to wear an eye patch until she was able to have corrective surgery.
Moore married rock drummer Freddie Moore at the age of 16, after which she changed her name to her current surname. Freddie lived next door to actress Nastassja Kinski, who befriended Moore and talked her into dropping out of school to become a model. Moore appeared on runways around Europe before taking her first film role in the movie Choices in 1981, co-starring with Val Avery and George Barrows.
However, she got her first break in the cult classic Parasite, alongside Robert Glaudini and Luca Bercovici. From there, she moved onto television in the soap series General Hospital, which lead to future movie roles and established her as a member of the Brat Pack, along with Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Mare Winningham, Anthony Michael Hall, Andrew McCarthy and Ally Sheedy. This group enjoyed the fruits of Hollywood’s success through the 1980s; however, the excesses of the decade got to Moore and she became addicted to cocaine.
It wasn’t until she met and began working with director Joel Schumacher on St.Elmo’s Fire (where she played a cocaine addict) that she kicked the habit and got clean, becoming a health-conscious vegetarian and fitness fanatic.
Moore’s breakout role came in 1990 with the release of Ghost, where she co-starred with the late Patrick Swayze. This hugely popular film catapulted Moore to superstar status, leading to other roles, including turns in The Scarlet Letter, Disclosure and A Few Good Men. She was the first actress to command an asking price of $10 million per movie; however, in the mid-90s, Moore’s career began to slow down and she concentrated on her family. Moore then made a comeback in 2003’s Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, co-starring opposite Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz.
Moore is also well-known for her Hollywood beaus, including former fiancé Emilio Estevez and ex-husband Bruce Willis, with whom she had three children: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah. In fact, Moore made waves after appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair during her seventh month of pregnancy with Scout.
Willis and Moore divorced in 2000 and five years later, Moore made headlines again by marrying a much younger Ashton Kutcher. While she still uses her professional name of “Demi Moore” for acting roles, Moore legally changed her surname to Kutcher two years after the couple married. They split their time between their primary residence in Hailey, Idaho and Los Angeles, where the two continue to pursue thriving acting and production careers. They are often seen traveling with Willis, who is reported to be friendly with both Moore and Kutcher, and often accompanies the couple on family trips.
Moore is also a devout follower of Kabbalah and has since initiated her husband into the faith. She is also the world’s most high profile doll collector, according to The New York Times, and has been helping to usher daughter Rumer into the acting profession.
A. B. Barden
