- Born
- Birth nameMichael Francis Moore
- Nickname
- The Big Man
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Michael Francis Moore was born in Flint, Michigan on April 23, 1954,
and was raised in its Davison suburb. He is the son of Helen Veronica
(Wall), a secretary, and Francis Richard Moore, who worked on an auto
assembly line. He has Irish, as well as English and Scottish, ancestry.
Moore studied journalism at the University of Michigan-Flint, and also
pursued other hobbies such as gun shooting, for which he even won a
competition. Michael began his journalistic career writing for the
school newspaper "The Michigan Times," and after dropping out of
college briefly worked as editor for "Mother Jones."
He then turned to filmmaking, and to earn the money for the budget of
his first film Roger & Me (1989) he
ran neighborhood bingo games. The success of this film launched his
career as one of America's best-known and most controversial
documentarians. He has produced a string of documentary films and TV
series predominantly about the same subject: attacks on corrupt
politicians and greedy business corporations. He landed his first big
hit with
Bowling for Columbine (2002)
about the bad points of the right to bear arms in America, which earned
him an Oscar and a big reputation. He then shook the world with his
even bigger hit
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), making
fun of President George W. Bush. This is
the highest-grossing documentary of all time. Michael is known for
having the guts to give his opinion in public, which not many people
are courageous enough to do, and for that is respected by many.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Francesco Bori
- SpouseKathleen Glynn(October 19, 1991 - July 22, 2014) (divorced, 1 child)
- ChildrenNatalie
- ParentsHelen Veronica (Wall)Francis Richard Moore
- Usually wears a baseball cap and glasses
- Often mentions or shows his hometown of Flint, Michigan in his films
- Famous for his provocative populist documentaries that are unapologetic attacks on social wrongs, including those he considers callous business corporations and opportunistic right wing politicians.
- Usually wears jeans and sneakers
- Narrates all of his documentaries in the first person
- While the press tried to pit Moore and his Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) against Mel Gibson and
his The Passion of the Christ (2004) against each other as the representation of "blue" and
"red" states in the election year of 2004, the two men get along well
personally and find their opposition to be an invention of the press.
Actually Moore, a practicing Catholic, loved "Passion" and saw it many
times and Gibson, who opposed the invasion of Iraq despite his
conservative reputation, greatly enjoyed "Fahrenheit." - One of the few major pundits to predict that Donald Trump would be elected president in 2016. In July 2016 he posted a column on his website claiming that Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin would be won by Trump, securing him the presidency. Despite Trump having poor polling in several of the states he won all four.
- Due to his portly demeanor, Moore has always been uncomfortable seeing himself on film, thus, a prominent poster in his production office reads: "When in doubt - cut me out!".
- On the day after his infamous "Oscar Backlash", where he attacked both
George W. Bush and the Iraq war, attendance for his movie Bowling for Columbine (2002) went up
110%. The following weekend, the box office for the film was up 73%. - Is a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association. Moore told
Tim Russert that he joined so as to be elected its president and then
dismantle the organization.
- I like America to some extent. Take the Japanese for instance. They
are complicated and tend to be reserved in expressing themselves.
Sometimes, it is difficult for me to understand them. Americans are
simple and clear. They are charming people. You will understand how
good an individual American is. What I am not satisfied with America is
that the nation cannot control the government and economy. Only a
handful of people have the power to control the country. - I don't compromise my values and I don't compromise my work. That's
why I've been kicked from one network to the next: I won't give in. - Americans, when they see Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), will see things they have never seen
before. - When asked by David Letterman why Disney didn't want to release his film
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004): They watched it. - In response to bootleg copies of the movie popping up: "Is it wrong for
someone who's bought a film on DVD to let a friend watch it for free?
Of course it's not. It never has been and never will be. I think
information, art and ideas should be shared. I don't agree with the
copyright laws, and I don't have a problem with people downloading the
movie and sharing it with people as long as they're not trying to make
a profit off my labour. I would oppose that. I do well enough already,
and I made this film because I want the world to change. The more
people who see it, the better, so I'm happy this is happening."
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