Julianne Moore
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Julianne Moore was born Julie Anne Smith in Fort Bragg, North Carolina on December 3, 1960, the daughter of Anne (Love), a social worker, and Peter Moore Smith, a paratrooper, colonel, and later military judge. Her mother moved to the U.S. in 1951, from Greenock, Scotland. Her father, from Burlington, New Jersey, has German, Irish, Welsh, German-Jewish, and English ancestry.
Moore spent the early years of her life in over two dozen locations around the world with her parents, during her father's military career. She finally found her place at Boston University, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in acting from the School of the Performing Arts. After graduation (in 1983), She took the stage name "Julianne Moore" because there was another actress named "Julie Anne Smith". Julianne moved to New York and worked extensively in theater, including appearances off-Broadway in two Caryl Churchill plays, Serious Money and Ice Cream With Hot Fudge and as Ophelia in Hamlet at The Guthrie Theatre. But despite her formal training, Julianne fell into the attractive actress' trap of the mid-1980's: TV soaps and miniseries. She appeared briefly in the daytime serialThe Edge of Night (1956)and from 1985 to 1988 she played two half-sisters Frannie and Sabrina on the soapAs the World Turns (1956).This performance later led to an Outstanding Ingénue Daytime Emmy Award in 1988. Her subsequent appearances were in mostly forgettable TV-movies, such asMoney, Power, Murder. (1989),The Last to Go (1991)andCast a Deadly Spell (1991).
She made her entrance into the big screen with 1990'sTales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990),where she played the victim of a mummy. Two years later, Julianne appeared in feature films with supporting parts inThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)and the comedyThe Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992).She kept winning better and more powerful roles as time went on, including a small but memorable role as a doctor who spots KimbleHarrison Fordand attempts to thwart his escape inThe Fugitive (1993).(A role that made such an impression onSteven Spielbergthat he cast her in theJurassic Park (1993)sequel without an audition in 1997). In one of Moore's most distinguished performances, she recapitulated her "beguiling Yelena" fromAndre Gregory's workshop version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya inLouis Malle's critically acclaimedVanya on 42nd Street (1994).DirectorTodd Haynesgave Julianne her first opportunity to take on a lead role inSafe (1995).Her portrayal of Carol White, an affluent L.A. housewife who develops an inexplicable allergic reaction to her environment, won critical praise as well as an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Later that year she found her way into romantic comedy, co-starring asHugh Grant's pregnant girlfriend inNine Months (1995).Following films includedAssassins (1995),where she played an electronics security expert targeted for death (next toSylvester StalloneandAntonio Banderas) andSurviving Picasso (1996),where she played Dora Maar, one of the numerous lovers of Picasso (portrayed by her hero,Anthony Hopkins). A year later, after co-starring in Spielberg'sThe Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997),oppositeJeff Goldblum,a young and unknown director,Paul Thomas Andersonasked Julianne to appear in his movie,Boogie Nights (1997).Despite her misgivings, she finally was won over by the script and her decision to play the role of Amber Waves, a loving porn star who acts as a mother figure to a ragtag crew, proved to be a wise one, since she received both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Julianne started 1998 by playing an erotic artist inThe Big Lebowski (1998),continued with a small role in the social comedyChicago Cab (1997)and ended with a subtle performance inGus Van Sant's remake ofPsycho (1960).1999 had Moore as busy as an actress can be.
As the century closed, Julianne starred in a number of high-profile projects, beginning withRobert Altman'sCookie's Fortune (1999),in which she was cast as the mentally challenged but adorable sister of a decidedly unhingedGlenn Close.A portrayal of the scheming Mrs. Cheveley followed inOliver Parker'sAn Ideal Husband (1999)with a number of critics asserting that Moore was the best part of the movie. She then enjoyed another collaboration with director Anderson inMagnolia (1999)and continued with an outstanding performance inThe End of the Affair (1999),for which she garnered another Oscar nomination. She ended 1999 with another great performance, that of a grieving mother inA Map of the World (1999),oppositeSigourney Weaver.
Moore spent the early years of her life in over two dozen locations around the world with her parents, during her father's military career. She finally found her place at Boston University, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in acting from the School of the Performing Arts. After graduation (in 1983), She took the stage name "Julianne Moore" because there was another actress named "Julie Anne Smith". Julianne moved to New York and worked extensively in theater, including appearances off-Broadway in two Caryl Churchill plays, Serious Money and Ice Cream With Hot Fudge and as Ophelia in Hamlet at The Guthrie Theatre. But despite her formal training, Julianne fell into the attractive actress' trap of the mid-1980's: TV soaps and miniseries. She appeared briefly in the daytime serialThe Edge of Night (1956)and from 1985 to 1988 she played two half-sisters Frannie and Sabrina on the soapAs the World Turns (1956).This performance later led to an Outstanding Ingénue Daytime Emmy Award in 1988. Her subsequent appearances were in mostly forgettable TV-movies, such asMoney, Power, Murder. (1989),The Last to Go (1991)andCast a Deadly Spell (1991).
She made her entrance into the big screen with 1990'sTales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990),where she played the victim of a mummy. Two years later, Julianne appeared in feature films with supporting parts inThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992)and the comedyThe Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992).She kept winning better and more powerful roles as time went on, including a small but memorable role as a doctor who spots KimbleHarrison Fordand attempts to thwart his escape inThe Fugitive (1993).(A role that made such an impression onSteven Spielbergthat he cast her in theJurassic Park (1993)sequel without an audition in 1997). In one of Moore's most distinguished performances, she recapitulated her "beguiling Yelena" fromAndre Gregory's workshop version of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya inLouis Malle's critically acclaimedVanya on 42nd Street (1994).DirectorTodd Haynesgave Julianne her first opportunity to take on a lead role inSafe (1995).Her portrayal of Carol White, an affluent L.A. housewife who develops an inexplicable allergic reaction to her environment, won critical praise as well as an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Later that year she found her way into romantic comedy, co-starring asHugh Grant's pregnant girlfriend inNine Months (1995).Following films includedAssassins (1995),where she played an electronics security expert targeted for death (next toSylvester StalloneandAntonio Banderas) andSurviving Picasso (1996),where she played Dora Maar, one of the numerous lovers of Picasso (portrayed by her hero,Anthony Hopkins). A year later, after co-starring in Spielberg'sThe Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997),oppositeJeff Goldblum,a young and unknown director,Paul Thomas Andersonasked Julianne to appear in his movie,Boogie Nights (1997).Despite her misgivings, she finally was won over by the script and her decision to play the role of Amber Waves, a loving porn star who acts as a mother figure to a ragtag crew, proved to be a wise one, since she received both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Julianne started 1998 by playing an erotic artist inThe Big Lebowski (1998),continued with a small role in the social comedyChicago Cab (1997)and ended with a subtle performance inGus Van Sant's remake ofPsycho (1960).1999 had Moore as busy as an actress can be.
As the century closed, Julianne starred in a number of high-profile projects, beginning withRobert Altman'sCookie's Fortune (1999),in which she was cast as the mentally challenged but adorable sister of a decidedly unhingedGlenn Close.A portrayal of the scheming Mrs. Cheveley followed inOliver Parker'sAn Ideal Husband (1999)with a number of critics asserting that Moore was the best part of the movie. She then enjoyed another collaboration with director Anderson inMagnolia (1999)and continued with an outstanding performance inThe End of the Affair (1999),for which she garnered another Oscar nomination. She ended 1999 with another great performance, that of a grieving mother inA Map of the World (1999),oppositeSigourney Weaver.
