Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
During her prolific career, actress Julianne Moore has scored two Golden Globes, two Emmy Awards and an Oscar—and it’s easy to see why. Here are the legendary film star's 20 most iconic movies, from Boogie Nights to The Big Lebowski.
Playing a 1970s porn actress in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ensemble piece about a group of individuals working in the industry (also starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle and Philip Seymour Hoffman) scored Moore her first Academy Award nomination, in 1998. In addition to the supporting actress Oscar nod, Moore’s turn as the maternal Amber Waves—who longs to be reunited with her son—also landed her Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations.
While it initially received mixed reviews, this crime comedy written and directed by Oscar-winning Fargo screenwriters Joel and Ethan Coen—known as the Coen brothers—became a cult classic. Moore plays feminist artist Maude Lebowski, who gets involved with Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski (Jeff Bridges)—an L.A. slacker who’s assaulted when he’s mistaken for a millionaire with the same name.
Moore scored her first and only Oscar (after four previous nominations) for her lead role in Still Alice, in which she plays a linguistics professor diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Based on the novel by Lisa Genova, the powerful film costars Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart. Moore’s touching performance also resulted in Golden Globe and Indie Spirit Award wins.
Writer-Director Todd Haynes’ indie period drama—in which Moore plays an affluent 1950s housewife who’s delivered a shock when her husband reveals he is gay—debuted to accolades at the Venice Film Festival. After receiving the festival’s Volpi Cup for Best Actress, Moore went on to receive a best lead actress nomination at the 2003 Academy Awards (where the film was recognized in three other categories).
The very same year as her Far From Heaven nod, Moore received an Oscar nomination in the best supporting actress category for 2002 film The Hours—making her the ninth performer ever nominated for two Academy Awards in the same year. In The Hours, Moore stars opposite Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep in the story of how the novel Mrs. Dalloway affects three generations of women who’ve all had to deal with suicide.
Based on the eponymous 1951 novel by British author Graham Greene, this World War II-set story of an extramarital affair between Sarah Miles (Moore) and Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes) earned Moore her second Oscar nomination.
Among Moore’s highest-grossing releases are the final two films in the series The Hunger Games. In the dystopian series’ third installment, she plays President Alma Coin, who leads a rebellion against The Capitol.
This indie-drama about a lesbian couple whose teenage children seek out their sperm donor went on to score a best picture Oscar nomination—and Moore received a Golden Globe and BAFTA Film Award nomination.
Dan Fogelman (who later went on to create This Is Us) wrote this crowd-pleasing rom-com about a middle-aged husband (Steve Carell) who enlists a newfound friend (Ryan Gosling) to learn how to pick up women after his wife (Moore) asks for a divorce. The film grossed over $142 million against its $50 million budget.
Another of Moore’s major box office hits, director Matthew Vaughn’s spy film Kingsman: The Golden Circle grossed $410 million (against a budget of $104 million). The second installment in the series, the film also starred Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Elton John, Channing Tatum and Halle Berry.
Another well-performing sequel, the second installment in the Jurassic Park dinosaur-centric franchise directed by Steven Spielberg put Moore on the map as a leading lady. Moore stars as paleontologist Dr. Sarah Harding in the sequel to Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park—which made history as one of the 10 highest-grossing films when it debuted in 1997.
Moore also starred in the anticipated sequel to Oscar-winning horror film The Silence of The Lambs. When Jodie Foster was unavailable to reprise her role, director Ridley Scott cast Moore as FBI agent Clarice Starling. Moore received an MTV Movie + TV Award nom in the Best Kiss category for her chemistry with Anthony Hopkins.
Written and directed by Chris Columbus, this rom-com is a remake of French film Neuf mois and served as Hugh Grant’s first U.S. starring role. Moore charms as a ballet teacher who gets pregnant alongside actors Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum and Robin Williams.
Moore reunited with Boogie Nights director Anderson on this ensemble film starring Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly and Alfred Molina, about a group of unrelated characters navigating life in the San Fernando Valley.
This satire in which Moore starred alongside Robert Pattinson and John Cusack, exploring a child star and washed-up actress, earned Moore the title of Best Actress at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
Set in 1960s Los Angeles, fashion designer Tom Ford’s directorial debut about a homosexual professor (Colin Firth) who wishes to end his life costarred Moore as his best friend, a fellow English expat who’s also suffering.
Moore won an Emmy as well as a SAG Award for transforming into Sarah Palin for television film Game Change, based on the events of the 2008 U.S. presidential election. The film directed by Jay Roach and written by Danny Strong also starred Ed Harris and Woody Harrelson.
Nominated for three Academy Awards, Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian action thriller in which Moore stars alongside Clive Owen and Chiwetel Ejiofor explores a future world in which women have become infertile.
Director Robert Altman’s ensemble film exploring the day-to-day lives of suburban L.A. residents—featuring Moore, Tim Robbins, Robert Downey Jr. and Andie MacDowell—was one of the first to put Moore on the map, and received an Indie Spirit nomination as well as a special Golden Globe award.
Moore’s followed her cinematic debut in 1990 with this hit thriller about a pregnant widow (Rebecca De Mornay) who loses her child, and poses as a nanny to wreak vengeance on a woman (Annabella Sciorra) who’d accused her late husband of sexual misconduct. Moore caught the eyes of critics in the role of Sciorra’s ill-fated best friend.
Photography by: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic
