Ashton Kutcher biography

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (,;) commonly known as Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978) is an American actor and former fashion model best known for playing Michael Kelso in the television series
That '70s Show. He was the creator, executive producer, and host of the MTV celebrity prank show
Punk'd. He is known for his roles in films such as
Dude, Where's My Car,
Just Married,
The Butterfly Effect,
The Guardian (2006 film) and
What Happens in Vegas. He's also the producer and co-creator of the supernatural TV show
Room 401.
Biography
Early life
Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of factory workers Diane and Larry Kutcher. He has an older sister, Tausha, and a fraternal twin, Michael, who has cerebral palsy. Kutcher's childhood was that of a rugged, outdoorsy Midwesterner, and he had various odd jobs, including carpentry, and other jobs relating to farm life.
Kutcher attended Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for about a year when his family moved to Tiffin, Iowa where he attended the Clear Creek-Amana School District. In addition to being a student, he played on the football team as wide receiver and appeared in school plays. Kutcher stated that as a teen, he contemplated committing suicide. At thirteen, he attempted to jump from a hospital balcony, but his father intervened at the last minute. At around this time, his parents divorced. During his senior year, he broke into the high school at night with his cousin in an attempt to steal money; he was caught leaving the scene. Kutcher was convicted of third-degree burglary and sentenced to three years' probation and 180 hours of community service. Kutcher stated that though the experience "straightened him out," he lost his girlfriend and anticipated college scholarships, and he was ostracized at school and in his community. Kutcher stated, "I thought I knew everything but I didn't have a clue. I was smoking a lot of weed and partying, and I woke up many mornings not knowing what I had done the night before. I played way too hard. I am amazed I am not dead." He was also a member of the Delta Chi fraternity. To make ends meet, Kutcher worked as a college summer hire in the cereal department for the General Mills plant in Cedar Rapids, and sometimes blood donation for money. During his time at the University he was approached by a scout at a bar called The Airliner in Iowa City, Iowa, and was recruited to enter the "Fresh Faces of Iowa" modeling competition. After placing first, he won a trip to New York City to the International Modeling and Talent Association (IMTA) Convention. Following his stay in New York City Ashton returned home to Cedar Rapids, Iowa before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career., he starred in several comedy films that performed well at the box office, including
Dude, Where's My Car (2000),
Just Married (2003), and
Guess Who (film) (2005). In addition, he appeared in the family film
Cheaper By The Dozen (2003 film), playing a self-obsessed actor. His 2004 film
The Butterfly Effect was an unusually dramatic role for Kutcher, playing a conflicted young man who fell in love with a girl called Kayleigh; the film received very mixed reviews, but was a box-office success.
In 2003, Kutcher produced and starred in his own series on MTV's
Punk'd. The series involves various hidden camera tricks performed on celebrities. Kutcher is also an executive producer of the reality television show
Beauty and the Geek, which debuted in 2005, and will produce a reality show based around the rap group Three 6 Mafia,
Kutcher's most recent film role is in
The Guardian (2006 film), a film which opened on September 29, 2006. The film co-stars Kevin Costner and Kutcher as United States Coast Guard rescue swimmers. The studio behind the film, Touchstone Pictures, initially hesitated in casting Kutcher in an action film because of his public image as a comic actor. In order to be there for filming, Ashton was forced not to renew his contract for the eighth and final season of
That 70s Show, though he did appear in the first four episodes of it (credited as a special guest star) and returned for the show's series finale.
Kutcher is part of the management team for Ooma, a tech start-up launched in September 2007. Ooma is in the Voice over Internet Protocol business and Ashton's role is as Creative Director. He's spearheading a marketing campaign and producing viral videos to promote this service. Kutcher has also created an interactive arm of Katalyst called
Personal life
Kutcher dated actresses January Jones (from 1998 to 2001), Ashley Scott (from 2001 to 2002), Monet Mazur (2002), and Brittany Murphy (from 2002 to 2003). Following his break-up with Murphy in early 2003, Kutcher began dating Demi Moore; reports in the media frequently commented on the fifteen-year age difference between the two. and celebrated the Jewish holiday Purim. Kutcher also usually wears the traditional Kabbalah Red string (Kabbalah).
Kutcher is best friends with his former
That '70s Show co-stars Danny Masterson and Wilmer Valderrama, as well as actor Seann William Scott, his costar in
Dude, Where's My Car. Kutcher claims that he "never felt close to Topher Grace," who is the only cast member of That '70s show that he did not punk. Kutcher has also invested in an Italian cuisine named
Dolce Hours before she was found dead, Ashton Kutcher visited her home to pick her up for the 43rd Grammy Awards, but no one answered the door. Kutcher looked inside her apartment through a back window and saw what he thought were red wine stains on the carpet, then left. Ellerin's body was found later in the day by her roommate, and after hearing of the news Kutcher went to the police to offer any help in the investigation. In August 2008, police announced that they had traced Ellerin's murder to suspected serial killer Michael Gargiulo, a Santa Monica, California resident who is charged in the stabbing deaths of at least three women.
Filmography
Actor
- 1998–2006:
That '70s Show as Michael Kelso
- 1999:
Coming Soon as Louie
- 2000:
Down to You as Jim Morrison
- 2000:
Reindeer Games as College Kid
- 2000:
Dude, Where's My Car as Jesse Montgomery III
- 2001:
Just Shoot Me! as Dean Cassidy (1 episode)
- 2001:
Texas Rangers (film) as George Durham
- 2002:
Grounded for Life as Cousin Scott (1 episode)
- 2003–2007:
Punk'd as Himself/Host
- 2003:
Just Married as Tom Leezak
- 2003:
My Boss's Daughter as Tom Stansfield
- 2003:
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003 film) as Hank
- 2004:
The Butterfly Effect as Evan Treborn
- 2005:
Guess Who (film) as Simon Green
- 2005:
A Lot Like Love as Oliver Martin
- 2005:
Robot Chicken various voices
- 2006:
Bobby (2006 film) as Fisher
- 2006:
The Guardian (2006 film) as Jake Fischer
- 2006:
Open Season (film) as Elliot (Voice)
- 2008:
Miss Guided as Beaux (1 episode)
- 2008:
What Happens in Vegas.. as Jack Fuller
- 2008/2009:
Personal Effects as Walter
- 2009:
Spread as Nicki
- 2009:
Like Father
- 2009: Open Season 2 as Elliot(Voice)
Video Games
- Surf's Up Quiz Game as Cody(Voice)
- Open Season Game as Elliot(Voice)
Producer
- 2003: Punk'd (64 Episodes)(executive producer)
- 2003: My Boss's Daughter (co-producer)
- 2004: The Butterfly Effect (executive producer)
- 2004: You've Got a Friend (8 Episodes) (executive producer)
- 2006: Beauty and the Geek (36 Episodes) (executive producer)
- 2007: Adventures in Hollyhood (8 Episodes) (executive producer)
- 2007: Miss Guided (executive producer)
- 2007: Game Show in My Head (executive producer)
- 2007: The Real Wedding Crashers (7 Episodes) (executive producer)
- 2007: Room 401 (8 Episodes) (executive producer)
- 2008: Pop Fiction (executive producer}
Awards
- Kids' Choice Awards
- - 2004 - Favorite Movie Actor for Just Married, My Boss's Daughter and Cheaper by the Dozen - Nominated
- - 2005 - Favorite TV Actor for That '70s Show and Punk'd - Nominated
- - 2007- Favorite Voice in a cartoon- Nominated
- - 2004 - Favorite Television Actor for That '70s Show and Punk'd
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award
- - 2000 - Sierra Award Best Male Newcomer for Dude, Where's My Car? - Nominated
- MTV Movie Awards
- - 2001 - Breakthrough Male Performance for Dude, Where's My Car? - Nominated
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