Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.) is an American actor who first garnered fame for playing Michael Kelso in the hit sitcom That ’70s Show (1998–2006) and later found success in such movies as Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000) and What Happens in Vegas (2008). Kutcher is also known for cocreating the reality show Punk’d, which originally aired on MTV from 2003 to 2007.

Early years and modeling

Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Larry and Diane Kutcher, both of whom were factory workers. He has a fraternal twin brother who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age three and who had a heart transplant 10 years later. After their parents divorced, the two boys and their sister relocated with their mother to Homestead, Iowa. Chris Kutcher (as he was then known) started acting in school plays and excelled academically. However, during his senior year, he was arrested for breaking into the high school. As a result, he failed to receive the college scholarships he had been expecting.

In 1996 Kutcher began attending the University of Iowa, where he studied biomedical engineering. He also worked at a General Mills factory. In 1997 he won a local modeling contest, and later that year he moved to New York City. There he began modeling for Calvin Klein and Abercrombie & Fitch, among other brands. It was during this time that he began using his middle name, Ashton. Despite working for high-profile companies, Kutcher struggled financially.

Stardom

In 1998 Kutcher took a two-day trip to Los Angeles, where his fortunes changed. He won a part in the TV series That ’70s Show, about teenage friends in Point Place, Wisconsin, in the 1970s. His costars included future wife Mila Kunis. The show debuted in 1998 and was an immediate hit, airing for eight seasons. Kutcher became a star, and he soon began to land film roles. In 2000 he starred in the box-office hit Dude, Where’s My Car?, a comedy about two stoner friends. Three years later he appeared with Brittany Murphy in the popular romantic comedy Just Married. Also in 2003 he cocreated and began hosting the MTV reality show Punk’d, in which he and his fellow cast members played practical jokes on celebrities. The program ran until 2007, though it was later revived several times with different hosts.

Kutcher continued to appear in movies, and his notable credits include the popular sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect (2004) and the rom-coms My Boss’s Daughter (2003) and A Lot Like Love (2005). In 2006 he starred with Kevin Costner in The Guardian, playing a man training to be a rescue swimmer with the U.S. Coast Guard. Kutcher had a big hit with What Happens in Vegas (2008), a rom-com that also starred Cameron Diaz. In 2009 he appeared in the little-seen drama Personal Effects, about a relationship that forms between two people grieving murdered family members. After Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day (2010), Kutcher starred with Katherine Heigl in the romantic thriller Killers (2010).

In 2011 Kutcher returned to TV, replacing Charlie Sheen in the TV sitcom Two and a Half Men. Kutcher played a tech billionaire, and his first episode drew the show’s highest ratings as some 28 million viewers tuned in. Kutcher stayed on the series through 2015. During this time he acted in several films, including the biopic Jobs (2013), in which he played Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. From 2016 to 2020, Kutcher portrayed a former Canadian professional football player in the Netflix sitcom The Ranch. Kutcher later starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in Your Place or Mine (2023), a rom-com about two best friends who eventually embark on a romantic relationship.

Medical issues and philanthropic work

In 2019 Kutcher was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called vasculitis, and it caused issues with his vision, hearing, and balance. He fully recovered, and in 2022 he ran the New York City Marathon. For the race, he raised money for a nonprofit that he had cofounded in 2009 called Thorn, which works to stop human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children. However, in 2023 Kutcher resigned as chair of Thorn, after he was criticized for writing a letter to a judge asking for leniency in sentencing his former costar from That ’70s Show, Danny Masterson, who had been convicted of rape; Masterson ultimately received a sentence of 30 years to life.

Personal life

In 2003 Kutcher began dating actress Demi Moore. At the time, he was 25, and she was 40 with three children. The couple found themselves on the covers of tabloid magazines and pursued by paparazzi. Moore and Kutcher wed in 2005 but separated in 2011; their divorce was finalized in 2013. Two years later Kutcher married Kunis. They have two children.