In addition to acting, Moore has written a series of children's books about a character namedFreckleface Strawberry. She is married to directorBart Freundlich and they have two children. In 2015,Time named her to its100 most influential people in the world list and in 2020,The New York Times named her one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.
Due to her father's occupation, Moore frequently moved around the United States as a child. She was close with her family as a result, but says that she never had the feeling of coming from one particular place.[1][5] The family lived in multiple locations including Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Panama, Nebraska, Alaska, New York, and Virginia, and Moore attended nine different schools.[11] The constant moving around made her an insecure child, and she struggled to establish friendships.[2][5] In spite of the difficulties, Moore has remarked that an itinerant lifestyle was beneficial to her future career: "When you move around a lot, you learn that behavior is mutable. I would change, depending on where I was... It teaches you to watch, to reinvent, that character can change."[12]
When Moore was 16, the family moved fromFalls Church, Virginia, where Moore was attendingJ.E.B. Stuart High School, toFrankfurt, West Germany where she went toFrankfurt American High School.[5][11] She was clever and studious, a self-proclaimed "good girl", and she planned to become a doctor.[4] She had never considered performing or even attending the theater,[11] but she was an avid reader which led her to begin acting in school productions.[1][13] Moore appeared in several plays includingTartuffe andMedea, and with the encouragement of herEnglish teacher, she chose to pursue a theatrical career.[14] Her parents supported her decision, but asked that she train at a university to provide the added security of a college degree.[4] She was accepted into theBoston University College of Fine Arts inBoston and graduated in 1983 with aBachelor of Fine Arts in theater.[14]
"There was already a Julie Smith, a Julie Anne Smith, there was everything. My father's middle name is Moore; my mother's name is Anne. So I just slammed the Anne onto the Julie. That way, I could use both of their names and not hurt anyone's feelings. But it's horrible to change your name. I'd been Julie Smith my whole life, and I didn't want to change it."
— Moore explaining why and how she adopted her stage name[15]
Moore moved toManhattan, New York after graduating and worked as a waitress.[16] After registering her stage name withActors' Equity,[15] she started her career in 1985off-Broadway.[17] Her first screen role came in 1984, in an episode of the soap operaThe Edge of Night.[18] Her break was a year later when she joined the cast ofAs the World Turns. Playing the dual roles of half-sistersFrannie andSabrina Hughes, she found the intensive work to be an important learning experience and she said, "I gained confidence and learned to take responsibility."[14]
Moore performed on the show until 1988, when she won aDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series.[19][20] Before leavingAs the World Turns, she had a role in the 1987CBS miniseriesI'll Take Manhattan.[11] Once she finished her contract atWorld Turns, she playedOphelia in aGuthrie Theater production ofHamlet oppositeŽeljko Ivanek.[15][21][22] The actress returned intermittently to television over the next three years, appearing in the TV moviesMoney, Power, Murder (1989),The Last to Go (1991), andCast a Deadly Spell (1991).[23] In 1990, Moore began working with stage directorAndre Gregory on a workshop theatre production ofChekhov'sUncle Vanya. Described by Moore as being "one of the most fundamentally important acting experiences I ever had",[11] the group took four years to explore the text and then give intimate performances to friends.[24] Also in 1990, Moore made her cinematic debut as a mummy's victim inTales from the Darkside: The Movie, a low-budget horror which she later called "terrible".[25][26]
Her next film role, in 1992, introduced her to a wide audience. The thrillerThe Hand That Rocks the Cradle—in which she played the main character's ill-fated friend—was number one at the US box office, and Moore caught the attention of several critics for her performance.[15][27] She followed it the same year with the crime comedyThe Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag, appearing as the protagonist's kooky sister. She continued to play supporting roles throughout 1993, first featuring in the erotic thrillerBody of Evidence asMadonna's love rival. The film was panned by reviewers and heavily mocked, and Moore subsequently regretted her involvement—terming it "a big mistake".[15][28] She had greater success in a 1993 romantic comedy withJohnny Depp. InBenny & Joon, Moore played a gentle waitress who falls forAidan Quinn's character, Benny. She also appeared briefly as a doctor in one of the year's biggest hits, theHarrison Ford-starring thrillerThe Fugitive.[15][29] FilmmakerRobert Altman saw Moore in theUncle Vanya production and was sufficiently impressed to cast her in his next project: the ensemble dramaShort Cuts (1993), based on short stories byRaymond Carver. Moore was pleased to work with him, as his film3 Women (1977) gave her a strong appreciation for cinema when she saw it while in college.[30] Playing artist Marian Wyman was an experience she found difficult, as she was a "total unknown" surrounded by established actors, but this proved to be Moore's breakthrough role.[25][31]Todd McCarthy called her performance "arresting" and remarked that her monologue, delivered naked from the waist down would "no doubt be the most discussed scene" of the film.[32]Short Cuts was critically acclaimed and received awards for Best Ensemble Cast at the Venice Film Festival and theGolden Globe Awards. Moore received an individual nomination forBest Supporting Female at theIndependent Spirit Awards, and the monologue scene earned her a degree of notoriety.[33][34]
Short Cuts was one of a trio of successive film appearances which raised Moore's profile.[14] In 1994,Vanya on 42nd Street came out, a filmed version of her ongoingUncle Vanya workshop production, directed byLouis Malle.[24] Moore's performance of Yelena was called "simply outstanding" byTime Out,[35] and she won theBoston Society of Film Critics award forBest Actress.[36] Afterwards Moore was given her first leading role, playing an unhappy suburban housewife who developsmultiple chemical sensitivity inTodd Haynes' low-budget filmSafe (1995). She had to lose a substantial amount of weight for the role, which made her ill, and she then swore off changing her body for a film again.[37] In its review,Empire, aBritish magazine, said thatSafe "first established [Moore's] credentials as perhaps the finest actress of her generation".[38]David Thomson wrote that it is "one of the most arresting, original and accomplished films of the 1990s."[4] The performance earned Moore an Independent Spirit Award nomination forBest Actress.[39] Reflecting on the three roles Moore said, "They all came out at once, and I suddenly had this profile. It was amazing."[14]
Moore's next appearance was a supporting role in the comedy-dramaRoommates (1995), playing the daughter-in-law ofPeter Falk's character. Her next film,Nine Months (1995) was crucial in establishing her as a Hollywood leading lady.[2] The romantic comedy, directed byChris Columbus and co-starringHugh Grant, was poorly reviewed but a box office success; it remains one of her highest-grossing films.[40][41][42] In her next release Moore appeared alongsideSylvester Stallone andAntonio Banderas in the thrillerAssassins (1995). Despite a negative response from critics, the film earned $83.5 million worldwide.[43][44] In her sole appearance in 1996, theMerchant Ivory filmSurviving Picasso, she played the artistDora Maar oppositeAnthony Hopkins. The period drama met with poor reviews.[45]
A key point in her career came whenSteven Spielberg cast Moore as paleontologist Dr. Sarah Harding inThe Lost World: Jurassic Park – the sequel to his 1993 blockbusterJurassic Park.[2] Filming the big-budget production was a new experience for Moore and she said she enjoyed herself "tremendously".[10] It was a physically demanding role and she commented, "There was so much hanging everywhere. We hung off everything available, plus we climbed, ran, jumped off things... it was just non-stop."[46]The Lost World (1997) was one of the ten highest-grossing films in history at the time[37] and was pivotal in raising Moore's profile, "Suddenly I had a commercial film career", she said.[2]The Myth of Fingerprints was her second film released in 1997. During its production she met her future husband, the movie's directorBart Freundlich.[1] Later in 1997, Moore made a cameo appearance in the dark comedyChicago Cab.[47]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Moore achieved significant industry recognition. Her first Academy Award nomination came for the critically acclaimed[48]Boogie Nights (1997), which centers on a group of individuals working in the 1970s pornography industry. DirectorPaul Thomas Anderson was not a well-known figure before its production, with only one feature credit to his name, but Moore agreed to the film after being impressed with his "exhilarating" script.[1][11] The ensemble piece featured Moore as Amber Waves, a leading porn actress and mother-figure who longs to be re-united with her real son. Martyn Glanville of theBBC said that the role required a mixture of confidence and vulnerability and was impressed with Moore's effort.[49]Time Out called the performance "superb"[50] andJanet Maslin ofThe New York Times found it "wonderful".[51] Alongside her Oscar nomination forBest Supporting Actress, Moore was nominated for Golden Globe andScreen Actors Guild awards and several critics groups gave her awards.
Next was a role in theCoen brothers' dark comedyThe Big Lebowski (1998). The film was not a hit at the time of its release but has since become acult classic.[52] She played Maude Lebowski, a feminist artist and daughter of the eponymous character who becomes involved with "The Dude" (Jeff Bridges, the film's star). At the end of 1998, Moore had a flop withGus Van Sant'sPsycho, a remake of the classicAlfred Hitchcockfilm of the same name.[26] She portrayedLila Crane in the film, which received poor reviews[53] and is described byThe Guardian as being one of her "pointless" outings.[37] A review inBoxoffice magazine bemoaned that "a group of enormously talented people wasted several months of their lives" working on the film.[54]
In between the two Golden Globe-nominated performances, Moore was inA Map of the World supportingSigourney Weaver, as a bereaved mother.[23] Her fifth film of 1999 was the acclaimed dramaMagnolia,[56] a "giant mosaic" chronicling the lives of multiple characters over one day inLos Angeles.[57] Paul Thomas Anderson, in his follow-up toBoogie Nights, wrote a role specifically for her. His primary objective was to "see her explode", and he cast her as amorphine-addicted wife.[57] Moore said it was a particularly difficult role and she was rewarded with a SAG nomination.[11][39] She was named Best Supporting Actress of 1999 by theNational Board of Review, in recognition of her three performances inMagnolia,An Ideal Husband, andA Map of the World.[58]
Moore starred in three more 2001 releases: withDavid Duchovny in the science fiction comedyEvolution, in her husband's dramatic filmWorld Traveler, and withKevin Spacey,Judi Dench, and Cate Blanchett inThe Shipping News. All three films were poorly received.[64][65][66] The year 2002 marked a high point in Moore's career,[67] as she became the ninth performer to benominated for two Academy Awards in the same year.[68] She received a Best Actress nomination for the melodramaFar from Heaven, in which she played a 1950s housewife whose world is shaken when her husband reveals he is gay. The role was written specifically for her by Todd Haynes, the first time the pair had worked together sinceSafe, and Moore described it as "a very, very personal project ... such an incredible honor to do".[69] David Rooney ofVariety praised her "beautifully gauged performance" of a desperate woman "buckling under social pressures and putting on a brave face".[70]Manohla Dargis of theLos Angeles Times wrote, "what Moore does with her role is so beyond the parameters of what we call great acting that it nearly defies categorization".[71] The role won Moore the Best Actress award from 19 different organizations, including theVenice Film Festival and theNational Board of Review.
Moore's second Oscar nomination that year came forThe Hours, in which she co-starred withNicole Kidman andMeryl Streep. She again played a troubled 1950s housewife, promptingKenneth Turan to write that she was "essentially reprising herFar from Heaven role".[72] Moore said it was an "unfortunate coincidence" that the similar roles came at the same time, and that the characters had differing personalities.[73]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone called the performance "wrenching",[74] whilePeter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian praised a "superbly controlled, humane performance".[75]The Hours was nominated for nine Academy Awards, includingBest Picture. Moore also received BAFTA and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and was jointly awarded theSilver Bear for Best Actress with Kidman and Streep at theBerlin International Film Festival.
Moore did not make any screen appearances in 2003, but returned in 2004 with three movies. Her first two ventures of the year were not successful.Marie and Bruce, a dark comedy co-starringMatthew Broderick, did not get a cinematic release.[76]Laws of Attraction followed.Pierce Brosnan also starred in the romantic comedy based in a courtroom; the film was panned by critics.[77] Commercial success for Moore came withThe Forgotten, a psychological thriller in which she played a mother who is told her dead son never existed. Although the film was unpopular with critics, it opened as the US box office number one.[78][79]
In 2005, Moore worked with her husband for the third time in the comedyTrust the Man,[16] and starred in the true story of 1950s housewife Evelyn Ryan inThe Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.[80] Her first release of 2006 wasFreedomland, a mystery co-starringSamuel L. Jackson. The response was overwhelmingly negative,[81] but her follow-up,Alfonso Cuarón'sChildren of Men (2006), was highly acclaimed.[82] Moore had a supporting role in thedystopian drama, playing the leader of an activist group. It is listed onRotten Tomatoes as one of the best reviewed films of her career, and was named by Peter Travers as the second best film of the decade.[83][84]
Moore made herBroadway debut in the world premiere ofDavid Hare's playThe Vertical Hour. The production, directed bySam Mendes and co-starringBill Nighy, opened in November 2006. Moore played the role of Nadia, a former war correspondent who finds her views on the2003 invasion of Iraq challenged.[85]Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times was unenthusiastic about the production, and described Moore as miscast: in his opinion, she failed to bring the "tough, assertive" quality that her role required.[86] David Rooney ofVariety criticized her "lack of stage technique", adding that she appeared "stiffly self-conscious".[85] Moore later admitted she found it difficult performing on Broadway and had not connected with the medium, but was glad to have experimented with it.[10] The play closed in March 2007 after 117 performances.[87]
Moore played an FBI agent for the second time inNext (2007), a science fiction action film co-starringNicolas Cage andJessica Biel. Based on a short story byPhilip K. Dick, the response from critics was highly negative.[88] Manohla Dargis wrote, "Ms. Moore seems terribly unhappy to be here, and it's no wonder."[89] The actress has since said it was her worst film.[8]Savage Grace (2007) followed, the true story ofBarbara Daly Baekeland – a high-society mother whoseOedipal relationship with her son ended in murder. Moore was fascinated by the role.[31]Savage Grace had a limited release, and received predominantly negative reviews.[90][91] Peter Bradshaw, however, called it a "coldly brilliant and tremendously acted movie".[92]
InI'm Not There (2007), Moore worked with Todd Haynes for a third time. The film explored the life ofBob Dylan, with Moore playing a character based onJoan Baez.[93] In 2008, she starred withMark Ruffalo inBlindness, a dystopian thriller from the directorFernando Meirelles. The film was not widely seen, and critics were generally unenthusiastic.[94][95] Moore was not seen on screen again until late 2009, with three new releases. She had a supporting role inThe Private Lives of Pippa Lee, and then starred in the erotic thrillerChloe withLiam Neeson andAmanda Seyfried.[23] Shortly afterwards, she appeared in the well-received dramaA Single Man.[96] Set in 1960sLos Angeles, the film starredColin Firth as a homosexual professor who wishes to end his life. Moore played his best friend, "a fellow English expat and semi-alcoholic divorcee",[97] a character thatTom Ford, the film's writer-director, created with her in mind.[10] Leslie Felperin ofVariety commented that it was Moore's best role in "some time", and was impressed by the "extraordinary emotional nuance" of her performance.[98]A Single Man was selected as one of thetop 10 films of 2009 by theAmerican Film Institute,[99] and Moore received a fifth Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film.[39]
Return to television and comedic films (2010–2013)
Moore was on television for the first time in 18 years when she played a guest role in thefourth season of30 Rock. She was in five episodes of the Emmy-winning comedy playingNancy Donovan, a love interest toAlec Baldwin's characterJack Donaghy.[100] She appeared in the series finale in January 2013.[101] She also returned toAs the World Turns as Frannie Hughes, making a brief cameo appearance in a scene with her character's family near the end of the show's run in 2010.[14]
Her first big-screen appearance of the new decade wasShelter (2010), a film labeled as "heinous" by Tim Robey ofThe Daily Telegraph.[102] The psychological thriller received negative reviews and did not have a U.S. release until 2013 (when it was retitled6 Souls).[103] Moore starred withAnnette Bening in theindependent film[104]The Kids Are All Right (2010), a comedy-drama about a lesbian couple whose teenage children find their sperm donor. The role of Jules Allgood was written for her by writer-directorLisa Cholodenko, who felt that Moore was the right age, adept at both drama and comedy, and confident with the film's sexual content.[105] The actress was drawn to the film's "universal" depiction of married life, and committed to the project in 2005.[105]The Kids Are All Right was widely acclaimed, eventually garnering an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.[106] Betsy Sharkey, a critic, liked Moore's performance of Jules calling it an "existential bundle of unrealized need and midlife uncertainty." She wrote, "There are countless moments when the actress strips bare before the camera–sometimes literally, sometimes emotionally... and Moore plays every note perfectly."[107]The Kids Are All Right earned Moore a sixth Golden Globe Award nomination and a second BAFTA nomination for Best Actress.
"I read her biography, books that were written about her and the election, listened to her voice endlessly on my iPod and worked with a vocal coach. I basically immersed myself in the study of her, and attempted to authenticate her as completely as possible ... It was tremendously challenging to represent someone so very well-known and idiosyncratic, and so recently in the public eye."
Julianne Moore actively looked for another comedy.[109] She had a supporting role inCrazy, Stupid, Love, playing the estranged wife ofSteve Carell, which was favorably reviewed and earned $142.8 million worldwide.[110][111] She did not appear on screens again until March 2012, with a performance which received considerable praise and recognition. She starred in the HBO television filmGame Change, a dramatization of Sarah Palin's2008 campaign to become Vice President. Portraying a well-known figure was something she found challenging; in preparation, she conducted extensive research and worked with a dialect coach for two months.[112] Although the response to the film was mixed, critics were appreciative of Moore's performance.[113] For the first time in her career, she received aGolden Globe, aPrimetime Emmy, and aSAG Award.
Moore made two film appearances in 2012. The dramaBeing Flynn, in which she supportedRobert De Niro, had a limited release.[114]What Maisie Knew had a wider release, the story of a young girl caught in the middle of her parents' divorce. Adapted fromHenry James'snovel and updated for the 21st century, the drama earned near-universal critical praise.[115] The role of Susanna, Maisie's rock-star mother, required Moore to sing on camera, which was a challenge she embraced despite finding it embarrassing. She called Susanna a terrible parent, but said the role did not make her uncomfortable, as she fully compartmentalized the character: "I know that that's not me".
What Maisie Knew was well received.[115] In 2013 Moore had a supporting role inJoseph Gordon-Levitt's comedyDon Jon, playing an older woman who helps the title character to appreciate his relationships. Reviews for the film were favorable[116] and Mary Pols ofTime felt that Moore was a key factor in its success.[117] Her next appearance was a starring role in the comedyThe English Teacher (2013), but the outing was poorly received and earned little at the box office.[118] In October 2013, she played the demented motherMargaret White inCarrie, an adaptation ofStephen King'shorror novel.[119] Coming 37 years afterBrian De Palma's well-known take on the book,[120] Moore said that she wanted to make the role her own. By drawing on King's writing rather thanthe 1976 film,[121]Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle wrote that she managed to "[suggest] a history – one never told, just hinted at – of serious damage in [Margaret's] past".[119] Although the film was a box office success, it was generally considered an unsuccessful and unnecessary adaptation.[122][123]
Moore enjoyed a considerable degree of critical and commercial success in 2014. Her first release of the year came alongside Liam Neeson in the action-thrillerNon-Stop, set aboard an airplane. The response to the film was mixed, but it earned $223 million worldwide.[124][125] Moore won theBest Actress award at the Cannes Festival for her performance as Havana Segrand, an aging actress receiving psychotherapy inDavid Cronenberg's black comedyMaps to the Stars.[126] Described byThe Guardian as being a "grotesque, gaudy, and ruthless" character, Moore based her role on "an amalgam of Hollywood casualties she ha[d] encountered", and drew upon her early experiences in the industry.[127] Peter Debruge ofVariety was critical of the film, but found Moore to be "incredible" and "fearless" in it.[128] Moore's success at Cannes made her the second actress afterJuliette Binoche, to win Best Actress awards at the "Big Three" film festivals (Berlin, Cannes, and Venice).[129] She received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.[130]
Moore played the supporting role ofPresident Alma Coin, the leader of a rebellion againstThe Capitol, in the third installment of the lucrativeThe Hunger Games film series,Mockingjay – Part 1. The film ranks as her highest-grossing to date.[42] Her final film performance of 2014 ranks among the most acclaimed of her career. In the dramaStill Alice, Moore played the leading role of a linguistics professor diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease.[131] She spent four months training for the film, by watching documentaries on the disease and interacting with patients at theAlzheimer's Association.[132] David Thomson wrote that Moore was "extraordinary at revealing the gradual loss of memory and confidence", while according toKenneth Turan, she was "especially good at the wordless elements of this transformation, allowing us to see through the changing contours of her face what it is like when your mind empties out".[133][134] Several critics felt it was her finest performance to date,[135] and Moore was awarded with the Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA, and Academy Award for Best Actress.
After a year absence from the screen, Moore had three films come out in 2017. She appeared in a dual role inWonderstruck, a film adaptation ofBrian Selznick's historical children'snovel of the same name, reteaming her with Todd Haynes. Her parts were of a silent movie star in the 1920s and a deaf librarian in the 1970s; in preparation, she studied sign language and watched the films ofLillian Gish.[141][142] Richard Lawson considered her to be "eminently watchable" despite her limited screen time.[143] Moore portrayed a dual role for the second time that year inSuburbicon, a satirical thriller written by theCoen brothers and directed byGeorge Clooney. She was cast oppositeMatt Damon in a dual role as twin sisters in 1950s America, named Rose and Margaret, who become embroiled in a local crime.[141] The film received negative reviews, with critics saying it failed to effectively portray American racism, but Geoffrey Macnab ofThe Independent praised Moore for giving "a perfectly judged comic performance as aBarbara Stanwyck-like femme fatale".[144][145]
Moore's final release of 2017 was the sequel to the 2015 spy filmKingsman: The Secret Service, subtitledThe Golden Circle, co-starringColin Firth,Taron Egerton,Channing Tatum, andHalle Berry.[146] She played the part of the villainous entrepreneur Poppy Adams, who runs a drug cartel. Despite her character's actions, Moore played the part to make Poppy seem "strange, but reasonable".[141] Peter Debruge described the film as "outlandish", and wrote that Moore had played her part "asMartha Stewart crossed with a demonic 1950s housewife".[147] The film earned over $410 million worldwide.[148]
Independent films and streaming projects (2018–present)
Moore next starred in the thrillerSharper (2023) forApple TV+, which she also produced;[167] it had modest reviews.[168][169] Once again, she collaborated with Todd Haynes inMay December, a drama co-starringNatalie Portman, in which she played a woman married to a much-younger man.[170] Moore was pleased to play a transgressive character, finding her "unbelievably complicated and compelling".[171] The film received critical acclaim[172][173] and Jonathan Romney ofScreen Daily commended Moore for combining both "neurotic fragility and over-bearing brittleness" in her performance.[174] She received another Golden Globe nomination for it.[175]
The 2024 historical satire miniseriesMary & George starred Moore asMary Villiers oppositeNicholas Galitzine'sGeorge Villiers.[176]The Independent's Nick Hilton found Moore "more effective in Mary's dramatic moments than her farcical ones,"[177] while Lucy Mangan ofThe Guardian called her performance "brilliant – cold, clever and always scintillating."[178] It earned her anotherIndependent Spirit Award nomination.[179] The same year, Moore starred alongsideTilda Swinton inThe Room Next Door, which markedPedro Almodóvar's first English-language feature film and won theGolden Lion at the2024 Venice Film Festival.[180] Based on the novelWhat Are You Going Through bySigrid Nunez, Moore played an author who reunites with a former colleague with cancer.[181] She was particularly drawn towards the project for its depiction of female friendship, which she believed was rare in film.[182] Complementing the performances of both women,BBC Culture's Nicholas Barber found Moore "especially deft" in her delivery of Almodóvar's awkwardly written dialogues.[183] She received aGoya Award nomination asBest Actress for the role.[184]
Alongside acting work, Moore became an author of children's books. Her first book,Freckleface Strawberry, was published in October 2007 and became aNew York Times Best Seller.[187][188]Time Out says that it is a "simple, sweet and semi-autobiographical narrative." It is about a girl who wishes to be rid of her freckles but comes to accept them.[189] Moore decided to write the book when her young son began disliking aspects of his appearance; she was reminded of her own childhood, when she was teased for having freckles and called "Freckleface Strawberry" by other children.[190]
The book turned into a series with six sequels as of 2016[update]:Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully was published in 2009, andFreckleface Strawberry: Best Friends Forever in 2011.[191] Both have the message that children can overcome their problems.[192]Freckleface Strawberry: Backpacks!,Freckleface Strawberry: Lunch, or What's That? andFreckleface Strawberry: Loose Tooth! were released as part ofRandom House's "Step Into Reading" program.[193][194] They were followed byFreckleface Strawberry and the Really Big Voice in summer 2016.[195]
Freckleface Strawberry has been adapted into a musical, written by Rose Caiola and Gary Kupper, which premiered off-Broadway at theNew World Stages in Manhattan, in October 2010.[196] Moore had input in the production, particularly by requesting that it retain the book's young target audience.[197] The show has been licensed and performed at several venues, which she calls "extremely gratifying and extremely flattering".[192] Moore wrote a children's book separate from theFreckleface Strawberry series. Released in 2013,My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me is based on her experiences of growing up with a mother from another country.[198][199] The book had a negative reception fromPublishers Weekly andKirkus Reviews; while recognizing it as well-intentioned, Moore's use ofverse and rhyme was criticized.[200]
In February 2025, under thesecond Trump administration, an executive order required about 160Defense Department-run schools[201] to conduct a compliance review of books regarding “gender ideology” and “racial indoctrination”.[202][203] After Moore said that herFreckleface Strawberry book was banned by thePentagon,[204][205] some media headlines implied that there was a wholesale ban of the book nationwide.[206][207]
Moore has been called one of the most talented and accomplished actresses of her generation in the media.[1][4][38] As a woman in her sixties, she is unusual for being an older actress who continues to work regularly and in prominent roles.[208] She enjoys the variety of starring in both low-budget independent films and large-scale Hollywood productions.[10][37] In 2004, anIGN journalist wrote of her "rare ability to bounce between commercially viable projects likeNine Months toart house masterpieces likeSafe unscathed" and added, "She is respected in art houses andmultiplexes alike."[209]
Moore is noted for acting in a range of material,[4][37][210] and Ridley Scott, who directed her inHannibal, praised her versatility.[15] In October 2013, she received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[13] She was named toPeople magazine'sannual beauty lists on four occasions (1995, 2003, 2008, and 2013).[211] In 2015,Time magazine included Moore as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annualTime 100 list.[212] In 2020,The New York Times ranked her eleventh on its list of the greatest actors of the 21st century,[213] and in a 2022 readers' poll byEmpire, she was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time.[214]
"I never care that [my characters] are 'strong'. I never care that they're even affirmative. I look for that thing that's human and recognizable and emotional. You know, we're not perfect, we're not heroic, we're not in control. We're our own worst enemies sometimes, we cause our own tragedies ... that's the stuff that I think is really compelling."
— Moore explaining why she is drawn to playing troubled women[11]
Moore is particularly known for playing troubled women, and specializes in "ordinary women who suppress powerful emotions".[1][210]Oliver Burkeman ofThe Guardian wrote that her characters are typically "struggling to maintain a purchase on normality in the face of some secret anguish or creeping awareness of failure".[16] Suzie Mackenzie, also ofThe Guardian, has identified a theme of "characters in a state of alienation... women who have forgotten or lost themselves. People whose identity is a question."[4] Moore's performances often include small hints at emotional turmoil, until there comes a point when the character breaks.[5][16][215]Kira Cochrane, a British journalist, said it is a "trademark moment" in many of her best films,[5] while it led Burkeman to call her the "queen of the big-screen breakdown".[16] "When she does finally crack", saysSimon Hattenstone, a British writer, "it's a sight to behold: nobody sobs from the soul quite like Moore."[8] Ben Brantley ofThe New York Times has praised Moore's ability to subtly reveal the inner-turmoil of her characters, writing that she is "peerless" in her "portraits of troubled womanhood".[215] When it comes to more authoritative roles, Brantley believes she is "a bit of a bore".[215] "Emotional nakedness is Ms. Moore's specialty", he says, "and it's here that you sense the magic she is capable of."[86]
An interest in portraying "actual human drama" led Moore to the parts.[10][11] She is particularly moved by the concept of an individual repressing their troubles and striving to maintain dignity.[1] Roles where the character achieves an amazing feat are of little interest to her, because "we're just not very often in that position in our lives".[16] Early in her career, she established a reputation for pushing boundaries[5] and she continues to be commended for her "fearless" performances and for taking on difficult roles.[10][216] When asked if there are any roles she has avoided, she replied, "Nothing within the realm of human behavior."[5] She is known for her willingness to perform nude and appear in sex scenes,[8][12] although she has said she will only do so if she feels it fits the role.[10][216]
Regarding her approach to acting, Moore said in a 2002 interview that she leaves 95 percent of the performance to be discovered on set: "I want to have a sense of who a character is, and then I want to get there and have it happen to me on camera." The aim, she said, is to "try to get yourself in a position to let the emotion [happen] to you, that you don't bring the emotion to it... and when it happens, there's nothing better or more exciting or more rewarding."[11]
Actor and stage director John Gould Rubin was Moore's first husband. They met in 1984 and married two years later.[14] They separated in 1993[4] and their divorce was finalized in August 1995.[4][14] "I got married too early and I really didn't want to be there", she has since said.[2] Moore began a relationship withBart Freundlich, her director onThe Myth of Fingerprints, in 1996.[1][217] They married on August 23, 2003, and live inGreenwich Village, Manhattan.[14] Moore has two children with Freundlich: a son who was born in 1997, and a daughter who was born in 2002.[218] Moore commented, "We have a very solid family life, and it is the most satisfying thing I have ever done."[31] Moore spoke about how it affected her career choices while her children were young, saying she selected roles which were practical for her as a parent and did not require her to be away for extended periods of time.[1][5]
Moore was featured inFinding Your Roots onPBS Researchers mapped Moore's family tree and analyzed her DNA. When Moore's friend, actorMarisa Tomei did the same, Tomei and Moore learned they are genetic cousins.[219] Moore is anatheist;[17] when asked onInside the Actors Studio whatGod might say to her upon arrival in heaven, she gave God's response as, "Well, I guess you were wrong, I do exist."[11]
Moore has said that she finds little value in the concept of celebrity[4] and is concerned with living a "normal" life.[16] After meeting her, Suzie Mackenzie dubbed Moore as "the most unostentatious of stars."[4] Moore attracts little gossip or tabloid attention[16] and she is humble about her profession ("it's just a person with a job")[16] and casual in her appearance.[8][31] Moore is known for maintaining a natural image and refrains frombotox and plastic surgery.[2][216] "I feel like it doesn't make people look any younger. It makes them look like they've had surgery", she said in 2009; "It's an aesthetic that's not human."[228]
Moore has received five Academy Award nominations, nine Golden Globe nominations, seven SAG nominations, and four BAFTA nominations. From these, she has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, a BAFTA, and two SAG Awards; she has a Primetime Emmy and a Daytime Emmy. She has been named Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and the Venice Film Festival– and is the fourth person and second woman in history to achieve the feat.[129] Her recognized roles came inAs the World Turns,Boogie Nights,An Ideal Husband,The End of the Affair,Magnolia,Far From Heaven,The Hours,A Single Man,The Kids Are All Right,Game Change,Maps to the Stars, andStill Alice.
Moore, Julianne (2009).Freckleface Strawberry And The Dodgeball Bully. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. New York: Bloomsbury Juvenile US.ISBN978-1599903163.
Moore, Julianne (2011).Freckleface Strawberry Best Friends Forever. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. New York: Bloomsbury Juvenile US.ISBN978-1599907826.
Moore, Julianne (2016).Freckleface Strawberry: Loose Tooth! (Step into Reading). Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.ISBN978-0385391979.
Moore, Julianne (2016).Freckleface Strawberry and the Really Big Voice. Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. New York: Random House Books for Young Readers.ISBN978-0385392037.
^"Julianne Moore".OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS. Hollywood Foreign Press Association.Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. RetrievedJanuary 11, 2015.
^Mokrzycki, Sarah (February 19, 2025)."Julianne Moore's children's book about redheads is under 'review'. What's happening with US book bans under Trump?".The Conversation. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2025.Freckleface Strawberry, was recently removed for "compliance review" from schools serving families of US military and civilian defence personnel… The review, conducted by the US Department of Defense, is designed to ensure the books in its schools don't contravene President Trump's two executive orders regarding "gender ideology" and "racial indoctrination"… Moore's book about a redheaded girl who learns to accept her freckles was flagged alongside others as "potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics".
^"Schools for military families pull books on civil rights after Trump's DEI threats".The Independent. February 16, 2025. RetrievedFebruary 23, 2025.missive from the Department of Defense Education Activity… forcing schools — like an elementary institution at the U.S. Army's Fort Campbell in Kentucky — to round up books that don't align with the Trump administration's ideological views. The order demands that employees at 161 elementary and high schools around the world "ensure compliance with executive orders and recent DoDEA guidance." But the order is reportedly being broadly interpreted by librarians and school officials to include any books dealing with issues that could be perceived as promoting one group over another — meaning that books about slavery, civil rights history, or treatment of Native Americans could be removed.
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