Ashton Kutcher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashton Kutcher
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Kutcher in 2023
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Christopher Ashton Kutcher
February 7, 1978 Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Christopher Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, and business person. He is well-known for his roles in TV shows and movies. Ashton Kutcher started his acting career playing Michael Kelso in the popular TV show That '70s Show (1998–2006).
He also starred in funny movies like Dude, Where's My Car? (2000). Later, he created and hosted the TV show Punk'd, where he played pranks on celebrities. Ashton Kutcher also took on a serious role in the science fiction film The Butterfly Effect (2004).
From 2011 to 2015, he played Walden Schmidt in the sitcom Two and a Half Men. He also played Steve Jobs in the movie Jobs (2013). More recently, he starred in the Netflix show The Ranch (2016–2020). Beyond acting, Ashton Kutcher is also a successful investor in many technology companies.
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Early Life and Education
Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His mother, Diane, worked for a company called Procter & Gamble. His father, Larry, was a factory worker. Ashton has a mix of Czech, German, and Irish family background.
He grew up in a family that was "relatively conservative" and Catholic. He has an older sister named Tausha. He also has a fraternal twin brother named Michael. Michael had a heart transplant when they were young children. Michael also has cerebral palsy and speaks for an organization called Reaching for the Stars.
Ashton went to Washington High School for his first year. Then his family moved to Homestead, Iowa. There, he attended Clear Creek–Amana High School. During high school, he became very interested in acting. He performed in many school plays.
After high school, Ashton Kutcher went to the University of Iowa in August 1996. He planned to study biochemical engineering. He wanted to find a cure for his brother's heart problem. To pay for college, he worked at a General Mills cereal plant. He also sometimes sold his blood plasma.
While at the University of Iowa, a model scout discovered him. He entered a modeling competition called "Fresh Faces of Iowa" and won first place. This win gave him a trip to New York City. He then moved to Los Angeles to start his acting career.
Career Highlights
Ashton Kutcher has had a varied career in entertainment and business.
Modeling Career
After winning the "Fresh Faces of Iowa" competition in 1998, Ashton Kutcher signed with a modeling agency. He appeared in commercials for Calvin Klein. He also modeled in big fashion cities like Paris and Milan.
Acting Roles
After his modeling success, Ashton Kutcher moved to Los Angeles. He quickly got a role as Michael Kelso in the TV show That '70s Show. This show was very popular and ran from 1998 to 2006.
He then starred in several comedy films. These included Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) and Just Married (2003). He also appeared in the family film Cheaper by the Dozen (2003). In 2004, he took on a more serious role in the drama film The Butterfly Effect. This movie was a success at the box office.
In 2003, Ashton Kutcher created and hosted the MTV show Punk'd. This show used hidden cameras to play pranks on celebrities. He was also an executive producer for other reality TV shows. These included Beauty and the Geek and The Real Wedding Crashers. Many of his production projects are through Katalyst Films, his company with partner Jason Goldberg.
Ashton Kutcher could not renew his contract for the final season of That '70s Show due to other filming. However, he did appear in some episodes and returned for the series finale. In May 2011, he was chosen to replace Charlie Sheen on the show Two and a Half Men.
His first episode as Walden Schmidt was watched by 28.7 million people. This was more than any episode in the show's first eight seasons. The show ended on February 19, 2015.
In 2015, Ashton Kutcher appeared as a guest investor on the TV show Shark Tank. From 2016 to 2020, he co-starred in the Netflix series The Ranch. He played Colt Bennett, a former football player who returns to his family's ranch. In 2023, he made a guest appearance in the follow-up sitcom, That '90s Show.
Business and Investments
Beyond entertainment, Ashton Kutcher is also a successful venture capitalist. This means he invests in new and growing companies. He has invested in many high-tech startups.
He is a co-founder of the investment firm A-Grade Investments. He started this firm with Guy Oseary and Ron Burkle. In 2015, he announced a new fund called Sound Ventures. This fund is the successor to A-Grade Investments.
Ashton Kutcher has invested in companies like Skype, Foursquare, and Airbnb. As of August 2017, he had invested in six more startups. These include Neighborly, Zenreach, ResearchGate, Duolingo, Kopari Beauty, and Lemonade.
In 2013, Lenovo announced that they hired Ashton Kutcher as a product engineer. He was also part of the management team for Ooma, a tech startup. Ooma works with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. He helped with their marketing campaigns.
Ashton Kutcher has also invested in restaurants. These include an Italian restaurant called Dolce and a Japanese-themed restaurant named Geisha House. In 2019, he invested in a shoe company called Veldskoen Shoes. In 2021, he invested in MeaTech, an Israeli company that develops meat using 3D printing.
Other Projects
In 2009, Ashton Kutcher started an international human rights organization with his then-wife Demi Moore. This organization works to protect children from harm.
In 2011, he launched his own Twitter client called A.plus. This app was available on different mobile platforms. In 2013, he launched a social media content platform also called A Plus. This platform focuses on positive stories. It has become a very popular website.
Ashton Kutcher was an early investor in Airbnb. In 2022, he and his wife Mila Kunis started a gofundme page. They wanted to help refugees from Ukraine who were fleeing violence. They raised a lot of money, and the couple promised to match the donations.
Personal Life
Ashton Kutcher has been married twice. In 2005, he married actress Demi Moore. They separated in 2011 and their divorce was finalized in 2013.
In 2012, he started dating his former That '70s Show co-star Mila Kunis. They got engaged in 2014. They have two children, a daughter born in October 2014 and a son born in November 2016. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher married in July 2015. They live in a sustainable farmhouse in Beverly Hills.
Interests and Beliefs
Ashton Kutcher has shared some of his personal beliefs. He describes himself as someone who believes in careful spending (fiscal conservative) but also in social freedoms (socially liberal). He owns guns but supports new gun laws to help prevent mass shootings.
He trains in the martial art Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He holds a brown belt in this sport. In 2008, he was an assistant coach for a freshman football team at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.
Ashton Kutcher grew up as a Roman Catholic. As an adult, he practices Kabbalah. He has visited Israel and studied the Torah. His wife, Mila Kunis, has said he taught her a lot about her own religion, Judaism.
In April 2012, Ashton Kutcher became one of the first people to sign up for a ride on Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. This company plans to offer space tourism flights. In November 2022, he ran and completed the 2022 New York City Marathon.
Health
In August 2022, Ashton Kutcher shared that he had been diagnosed with vasculitis two years earlier. This condition affected his hearing, vision, and ability to move for about a year.
Filmography
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Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Coming Soon | Louie | |
| 2000 | Down to You | Jim Morrison | |
| 2000 | Reindeer Games | College Kid | |
| 2000 | Dude, Where's My Car? | Jesse Montgomery III | |
| 2001 | Texas Rangers | George Durham | |
| 2003 | Just Married | Tom Leezak | |
| 2003 | My Boss's Daughter | Tom Stansfield | |
| 2003 | Cheaper by the Dozen | Hank | Uncredited |
| 2004 | The Butterfly Effect | Evan Treborn | |
| 2005 | Guess Who | Simon Green | |
| 2005 | A Lot like Love | Oliver Martin | |
| 2006 | Bobby | Fisher | |
| 2006 | The Guardian | Jake Fischer | |
| 2006 | Open Season | Elliot (voice) | |
| 2008 | What Happens in Vegas | Jack Fuller | |
| 2009 | Spread | Nikki | |
| 2009 | Personal Effects | Walter | |
| 2010 | Brother's Justice | Himself | |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day | Reed Bennet | |
| 2010 | Killers | Spencer Aimes | |
| 2011 | No Strings Attached | Adam Franklin | |
| 2011 | New Year's Eve | Randy | Segment: "Elevator Story" |
| 2013 | Jobs | Steve Jobs | |
| 2014 | Annie | Simon Goodspeed | Cameo |
| 2014 | The Man Who Saved the World | Himself | Documentary |
| 2022 | Vengeance | Quinten Sellers | |
| 2023 | Your Place or Mine | Peter | |
| TBA | The Long Home |
Nathan Winer Sr. | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–2006 | That '70s Show | Michael Kelso | Main role (seasons 1–7); recurring (season 8) |
| 2001 | Just Shoot Me | Dean Cassidy | Episode: "Mayas and Tigers and Deans, Oh My" |
| 2002 | Grounded for Life | Cousin Scott | Episode: "Dust in the Wind" |
| 2003–2007; 2012 | Punk'd | Himself | Creator, host, producer |
| 2005 | Robot Chicken | Michael Kelso Michael Knight Templeton 'Faceman' Peck TiVo Addict (voices) |
3 episodes |
| 2008 | Miss Guided | Beaux | Episode: "Hot Sub" |
| 2011–2015 | Two and a Half Men | Walden Schmidt | Lead role (seasons 9–12) |
| 2013 | Men at Work | Eric | Episode: "Long Distance Tyler", uncredited |
| 2016 | Family Guy | Himself | Episode: "Candy, Quahog Marshmallow" |
| 2016–2020 | The Ranch | Colt Bennett | Main role |
| 2017 | The Bachelorette | Himself | Episode: "Season 13, 139 overall" |
| 2022 | The Boys | Himself | Episode: "Herogasm"; cameo |
| 2023 | That '90s Show | Michael Kelso | Episode: "That '90s Pilot" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2003–2007; 2012 | Punk'd | Executive producer | |
| 2003 | My Boss's Daughter | Co-producer | |
| 2004 | The Butterfly Effect | Executive producer | |
| 2004 | You've Got a Friend | Executive producer | 8 episodes |
| 2005–2008 | Beauty and the Geek | Executive producer | |
| 2007 | Adventures in Hollyhood | Executive producer | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | Miss Guided | Executive producer | 7 episodes |
| 2007 | Game Show in My Head | Executive producer | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | The Real Wedding Crashers | Executive producer | 7 episodes |
| 2007 | Room 401 | Executive producer | 8 episodes |
| 2008 | Pop Fiction | Executive producer | 1 episode |
| 2008–2009 | Opportunity Knocks | Executive producer | |
| 2009 | True Beauty | Executive producer | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | The Beautiful Life | Executive producer | |
| 2009 | Spread | ||
| 2010 | Killers | Executive producer | |
| 2012–2013 | Rituals | Executive producer | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Forever Young | Executive producer |
Awards and Nominations
Ashton Kutcher has received many awards and nominations throughout his career. He has been nominated most often by the Teen Choice Awards. He also won awards for his romantic comedies like A Lot like Love, What Happens in Vegas, and No Strings Attached.
In 1999, he was nominated by the Young Artist Award for his role as Michael Kelso in That '70s Show. He has also been nominated by the Kid's Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards, and People's Choice Awards.
Images for kids
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Ashton Kutcher in 2023
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Ashton Kutcher (left) with his Two and a Half Men co-star Jon Cryer in September 2011.
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Ashton Kutcher in 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Ashton Kutcher para niños
