Julianne Moore (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress.

She began her acting career in 1983 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the soap opera, As the World Turns, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988. She began to appear in supporting roles in films during the early 1990s, achieving recognition in several independent films before her performance in Boogie Nights (1997) brought her widespread attention and nominations for several major acting awards.

Her success continued with films such as The End of the Affair (1999) and Magnolia (1999). She was acclaimed for her portrayal of a betrayed wife in Far from Heaven (2002), winning several critic awards as best actress of the year, in addition to several other nominations, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award. The same year she was also nominated for several awards as best supporting actress for her work in The Hours.

Moore remains active in film making, with films scheduled for release in 2009 and 2010, yet she has explained that she has curtailed her work in order to spend more time with her children.

Early life

Moore was born Julie Anne Smith at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina, the daughter of the late Anne Love, a psychiatric social worker who emigrated from Dunoon, Scotland, and Peter Moore Smith, a military lawyer, judge, helicopter pilot, and army colonel. She has a younger sister, Valerie, and younger brother, novelist Peter Moore Smith III. Growing up as an "army brat" she lived in several places across the United States and Germany. Moore attended Frankfurt American High School in Frankfurt, Germany, graduating in 1979.Stated in interview at Inside the Actors Studio She received her Bachelor's degree at the College of Fine Arts at Boston University.

Career

Moore began starring in feature films in the early 1990s, mostly appearing in supporting roles in films like The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Benny & Joon, and The Fugitive. Her part in 1993's Short Cuts gained her critical acclaim and recognition, and she was cast in several high-profile Hollywood films, including 1995's romantic comedy Nine Months, and 1997's summer blockbuster The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Her role in the well-reviewed independent film Safe also attracted critical attention.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Moore appeared in a series of films that received Oscar recognition, including her roles in Boogie Nights (Best Supporting Actress nomination), The End of the Affair (Best Actress nomination), and her two 2002 films, Far from Heaven (Best Actress nomination) and The Hours (Best Supporting Actress nomination). During this period, she also appeared in the commercial successes Hannibal (replacing Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling) and The Forgotten, in Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and in the Coen brothers cult hit, The Big Lebowski.