Michael Moore Biography
Born: April 23, 1954
Date of Birth: April 23, 1954
With his trademark ball cap slightly askew atop his chubby face, Michael Moore hardly seems like a scary guy. But put a camera in his hand and corporate giants shudder. At least that was the case with General Motors chairman Roger Smith, the "Roger" of Moore's hilariously nasty film, Roger & Me. His relentless stalking of the GM honcho in the wake of plant closures in Flint, Michigan established Moore as a caustically funny commentator on the battle of Big Corporations vs. The Little Guy.
His next film was a spoof on America's warrior mentality called Canadian Bacon. The story—the U.S. declares war on Canada—was a bit ham-fisted, and the film failed at the box office despite a cast that included John Candy (in his last released film), Alan Alda, Kevin Pollack and Rip Torn.
Moore was back in his element—taking on CEOs and other societal injustices—with the 1994 television series TV Nation (in one episode he asked the chairman of IBM to format a floppy disk). The show was cancelled by NBC after one season.
Moore's film, The Big One, again looked at the effects of corporate downsizing despite huge profits. He next took on gun culture with Bowling For Columbine, and although the film garnered him more attention than he'd ever received (not to mention an Oscar) and kudos for entertainment value, it also brought criticism from many corners. He was accused of staging several stunts for the film, for twisting facts and for not doing his research very thoroughly, as the title, Bowling For Columbine, refers to the fact that the teenage Columbine killers first went to a bowling class at the school before setting off on a shooting rampage, when documents prove that they were not even in attendance on that particular day.
In 2002, Moore's book Stupid White Men was released and made it to No. 1 on the New York Time's non fiction list. The book, which attacks the American government and President Bush in particular, has also been questioned about the accuracy of the content. When Moore appeared on CNN's Moneyline, host Lou Dobbs asked him about the inaccuracies in the book. Moore replied, "How can there be inaccuracy in comedy?" In Moore's 2003 follow up book, Dude, Where's My Country?, and in his film Fahrenheit 911, the staunch Democrat continues his assault on the Bush administration.
Recently Moore shifted his focus to the Trump administration and returned to the big screen with his new film Fahrenheit 11/9(2018), in which he took a deep look at Trump supporters and how this man became the leader of the free world.
Moore lives in Connecticut with his wife, producer Kathleen Glynn and their child.
* 2002 Oscar winner for Documentary Feature for Bowling For Columbine.
Filmography
Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018)Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
Captain Mike Across America (2007)
Sicko (2007)
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
The Big One (1998)
Canadian Bacon (1995)
Roger & Me (1989)