Julianne Moore (born Julie Anne Smith; December 3, 1960) is a British–American actress and children's author. A prolific cinema actress since the early 1990s, Moore's career has involved both art house and Hollywood films. She is known for her emotional portrayals of ordinary women, and has received four Academy Award nominations.
After studying theatre at Boston University, Moore began her career with a series of television roles. From 1985 to 1988, she was a regular in the soap opera As the World Turns, earning a Daytime Emmy for her performance. Her film debut was in 1990, and she continued to play supporting roles throughout the early 1990s. Moore made her breakthrough with Robert Altman's Short Cuts (1993), followed by critically acclaimed performances in Vanya on 42nd Street (1994) and Safe (1995). Starring roles in the blockbusters Nine Months (1995) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) established her as a leading Hollywood actress.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Moore earned Oscar nominations for Boogie Nights (1997), The End of the Affair (1999), Far from Heaven (2002), and The Hours (2002). Other notable film appearances include The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999), Hannibal (2001), and Children of Men (2006). She has continued to work regularly in the 2010s, receiving praise for her performances in The Kids Are All Right (2010) and the television film Game Change (2012), in which she portrayed Sarah Palin and received the Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. In addition to acting, Moore has written a successful series of children's books. She is married to the director Bart Freundlich, with whom she has two children.
After studying theatre at Boston University, Moore began her career with a series of television roles. From 1985 to 1988, she was a regular in the soap opera As the World Turns, earning a Daytime Emmy for her performance. Her film debut was in 1990, and she continued to play supporting roles throughout the early 1990s. Moore made her breakthrough with Robert Altman's Short Cuts (1993), followed by critically acclaimed performances in Vanya on 42nd Street (1994) and Safe (1995). Starring roles in the blockbusters Nine Months (1995) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) established her as a leading Hollywood actress.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Moore earned Oscar nominations for Boogie Nights (1997), The End of the Affair (1999), Far from Heaven (2002), and The Hours (2002). Other notable film appearances include The Big Lebowski (1998), Magnolia (1999), Hannibal (2001), and Children of Men (2006). She has continued to work regularly in the 2010s, receiving praise for her performances in The Kids Are All Right (2010) and the television film Game Change (2012), in which she portrayed Sarah Palin and received the Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. In addition to acting, Moore has written a successful series of children's books. She is married to the director Bart Freundlich, with whom she has two children.
