Michael Moore
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Biography
Beginning in 1989 with the critically acclaimed "Roger & Me," documentarian Michael Moore lampooned, lambasted and laid into some of America's most pressing and controversial issues and figures, from gun culture to President Donald Trump, in such fire-breathing features as the Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine" (2002), "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004) and "Fahrenheit 11/9" (2018). Born Michael Francis Moore on April 23, 1954 in Flint, Michigan, he hailed from a family of automotive industry workers: both of his parents and grandfather worked for General Motors when the carmaker helped to provide the financial backbone for the Midwestern city, and an uncle was a founding member of the United Automobile Workers union. Moore's interest in political and social issues took root as a student at Davidson High School, where he parlayed his talents in drama and debate into a seat on the Davidson school board while he was just 18 years of age. He attended he University of Michigan-Flint for a year but dropped out to focus on a career in journalism; at 22, he founded an alternative newspaper, The Flint Voice (later The Michigan Voice) before taking the reins as editor at the long-running liberal publication Mother Jones in 1986. His tenure there proved short-lived: according to some sources, Moore was fired after four months for refusing to print an article about the Sandinista movement in Nicarauga, while Moore himself opined that his termination was due to the publisher's refusal to run a story about the General Motors' plant closings in Flint. Moore sued the company for wrongful dismissal and accepted a $58,000 out-of-court settlement, which gave him the seed money to start work on a documentary about the fate of his hometown. "Roger & Me" (1989) examined the impact of the GM plant closures on the citizens of Flint, and Moore's own attempt to address the situation with GM chairman and CEO Roger Smith. Though criticized for perceived manipulation of the timeline of events that led to Flint's downfall, Moore's approach - part social activist, part standup comic - proved popular with audiences, and was soon followed by a documentary television series, "TV Nation" (NBC/Fox, 1994-1995) and a foray into comedy features with the satirical "Canadian Bacon" (1995), about a U.S. President (Alan Alda) who attempts to boost his popularity by waging war with Canada. But documentaries proved to be his most successful showcase, and between 1997 and 2017, Moore tackled some of the biggest political and social issues in the world, from America's fascination with guns in "Bowling for Columbine" and the country's efforts in the war on terror in "Fahrenheit 9/11." "Sicko" (2007) focused on the American health care system, while "Capitalism: A Love Story" (2009), examined the state of the U.S. economy in the first decade of the new millennium. The ascension of real estate mogul Donald Trump to the Presidency of the United States became the focus of two of Moore's documentaries, "Michael Moore in TrumpLand" (2016), a concert film of sorts concerning Moore's live appearance at a theater in Ohio, and "Fahrenheit 11/9," which looked at Trump's rise to power. "Columbine" and "9/11" - both of which topped, at separate times, the list of highest grossing feature documentaries - proved to be the most popular of these, with the former winning the 2002 Oscar for Best Documentary feature and the latter capturing the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Others, like "TrumpLand," received mixed reviews, and a foray into live theater, "The Terms of My Surrender," was only a modest success, but his efforts as an author, which encompassed eight books, including Downsize This! (1996) and the autobiographical Here Comes Trouble: Stories from My Life (2011), were consistent best-sellers.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Special Thanks (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Producer (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Life Events
1972
Became one of the first 18-year-olds in the country elected to public office when he won a seat on his local school board
1976
Founded a crisis intervention center
1976
At age 22, founded and edited an alternative newspaper <i>The Flint Voice</i> (later <i>The Michigan Voice</i>)
1985
Appeared as a commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered"
1986
Started production company, Dog Eat Dog Films
1986
Fired from <i>Mother Jones</i> for refusing to run a particular article
1986
Appointed executive editor of <i>Mother Jones</i>, one of the largest circulation political magazines in the USA
1989
Paid an estimated $3 million by Warner Bros for the acquisition of "Roger and Me", including $25,000 for homeless families affected by the closing of General Motors
1989
Feature debut as producer, director, screenwriter, on-screen interviewer, and narrator of "Roger and Me", a darkly humorous documentary
1991
Wrote the forward to Ben Hamper's well-reviewed collection of essays, "Rivethead: Tales from the Assemblyline"
1992
TV debut, directing and appearing in a segment of "Rock the Vote", a Fox variety special designed to get young people to register to vote
1992
Produced, directed, scripted and appeared in the documentary short "Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint", a sequel to "Roger and Me"
1994
Served as creator, executive producer, director, writer and correspondent for NBC's "TV Nation", an irreverent, opinionated, magazine show; aired during the summer
1995
"TV Nation" revived by Fox TV for the summer season
1995
Feature fiction writing-directing debut, the disappointing "Canadian Bacon", John Candy's last film
1998
Wrote and executive produced the CBS comedy pilot "Better Days" (filmed in 1998), starring James Belushi and Chris Elliott as laid off Wisconsin auto workers
1998
Directed documentary satire of corporate America, "The Big One"
1999
Appeared in cameo role in Ron Howard's "EdTV"
1999
Executive produced and appeared in the newsmagazine "The Awful Truth"; made for Britain's Channel 4 and aired in the USA on Bravo
2000
Had acting role in Nora Ephron's "Lucky Numbers"
2002
Published "Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation!" which became a New York Times Bestseller
2002
Signed a $3 million book deal with Time Warner Book Group
2002
Examined American's gun culture in the award-winning documentary "Bowling for Columbine"
2004
Directed the documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," which takes a highly critical look at the Bush administration and the White House after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; received top honors at the Cannes Film Festival
2007
Helmed the documentry, "Sicko," a film about the health care system in America; earned an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature
2009
Directed the documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story"
2015
Directed the documentary "Where to Invade Next"
2016
Produced and directed the documentary "Michael Moore in Trumpland"
2018
Took on Trump yet again in "Fahrenheit 11/9"
Videos
Movie Clip
Family
Companions
