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Ashton Kutcher
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Biography
Born: Christopher Ashton Kutcher on 7 February 1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, US.
Ashton Kutcher is an American actor and producer best known for playing Michael Kelso in the television series That '70s Show and for being the creator, executive producer, and host of the MTV celebrity prank show Punk'd. He is also well known for his roles in films such as Dude, Where's My Car?, Just Married, The Butterfly Effect , and The Guardian. He is currently married to actress Demi Moore.
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, hay-baling and livestock castration. 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 ostracised at school and in his community.
Kutcher attended the University of Iowa, where he majored in biochemical engineering (but did not complete), motivated by the desire to find a cure for his brother's heart ailment. During his time at the University he was approached by a talent scout and recruited to enter the "Fresh Faces of Iowa" modelling competition, which he went on to win. Kutcher signed with the Next modelling agency in New York, appeared in ads for Calvin Klein, modelled in Paris and Milan, and appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial.
Modelling is the best because you have to look hot, which comes easy to me, you know. I'm blessed with that.
After some success in modelling, Kutcher moved to Los Angeles and, after his first audition, was cast as Michael Kelso in the television series That '70s Show, which debuted in 1998 and ended in 2006. Kutcher was cast in a series of film roles; 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 (2005). In addition, he appeared in the family film Cheaper By The Dozen, playing a self-obsessed actor. His 2004 film The Butterfly Effect was an unusually dramatic role for Kutcher, playing a conflicted young man; 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.
Kutcher's most recent film role is in The Guardian, a film which opened on September 29, 2006. The film co-stars Kevin Costner and Kutcher as United States Coast Guard rescue swimmers. Kutcher also voiced a leading character in the animated film Open Season, which opened on the same date as The Guardian.
Kutcher has 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; the couple married on September 24, 2005.
