Ashton Kutcher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashton Kutcher
Kutcher in 2023
Born	Christopher Ashton Kutcher (1978-02-07) February 7, 1978 (age 47) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
Occupation	Actor producer entrepreneur
Years active	1998–present
Spouse(s)	Demi Moore ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2013)​ Mila Kunis ​ ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Christopher Ashton Kutcher (born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, and entrepreneur. He is known for his roles in popular TV shows and movies. He has won many awards, including a People's Choice Award and fifteen Teen Choice Awards.

Kutcher's acting career took off when he played Michael Kelso in the sitcom That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006. He then starred in comedy movies like Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Just Married (2003), and My Boss's Daughter (2003).

In 2003, he created and hosted the popular TV show Punk'd, where he played funny pranks on celebrities. He also starred in the science fiction movie The Butterfly Effect (2004) and was the voice of Elliot in the animated movie Open Season (2006).

From 2011 to 2015, he starred as Walden Schmidt in the sitcom Two and a Half Men. In 2013, he played Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in the movie Jobs. He also starred in the Netflix series The Ranch from 2016 to 2020.

Besides acting, Kutcher is a successful venture capitalist, which means he invests in new companies. He co-founded the investment firm A-Grade Investments and has invested in many technology startups.

Early Life and Education

Ashton Kutcher was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His parents were Diane, a Procter & Gamble employee, and Larry, a factory worker. He grew up in a Catholic family with his older sister, Tausha, and a twin brother, Michael.

His brother Michael was born with cerebral palsy and needed a heart transplant as a child. This was a very stressful time for the family. Ashton has said that he tried to keep himself busy to avoid thinking about his brother's health problems.

When Ashton was in high school, his family moved to Homestead, Iowa. He discovered a love for acting and performed in school plays. During his senior year, he got into trouble for breaking into his high school with his cousin. He was caught and had to do community service. Kutcher said the experience helped him "straighten out."

After high school, Kutcher went to the University of Iowa in 1996. He planned to study biochemical engineering because he wanted to find a cure for his brother's heart condition. To pay for college, he worked in a cereal factory and sometimes sold his blood plasma.

One day, a modeling scout saw him at a bar in Iowa City, Iowa. He entered a modeling contest called "Fresh Faces of Iowa" and won first place. This led to a trip to New York City, which started his career in entertainment. He soon moved to Los Angeles to become an actor.

Career in Entertainment

Modeling and Early Acting

After winning the modeling contest in 1998, Kutcher signed with a modeling agency in New York. He appeared in ads for Calvin Klein and modeled in Paris and Milan.

His success in modeling helped him move to Los Angeles. He quickly landed the role of Michael Kelso in the TV show That '70s Show. The show was a huge hit and made him a star.

Kutcher (left) with Two and a Half Men co-star Jon Cryer in September 2011

From Comedies to Dramas

While on That '70s Show, Kutcher also starred in movies. He became known for his roles in comedies like Dude, Where's My Car? (2000), Just Married (2003), and Guess Who (2005).

In 2004, he took on a more serious role in the drama film The Butterfly Effect. He played a young man who could travel back in time. Although critics had mixed feelings about the movie, it was a success at the box office.

Producing and 'Punk'd'

In 2003, Kutcher created, produced, and hosted the MTV show Punk'd. The show featured hidden cameras and played pranks on famous celebrities. It was very popular and showed Kutcher's skills as a producer.

He also produced other reality TV shows like Beauty and the Geek and The Real Wedding Crashers. He started his own production company, Katalyst Films, with his business partner Jason Goldberg.

Return to Television

In May 2011, Kutcher joined the cast of the popular sitcom Two and a Half Men. He replaced the show's previous star, Charlie Sheen. His first episode was watched by over 28 million people. He played the character Walden Schmidt until the show ended in 2015.

From 2016 to 2020, Kutcher starred in the Netflix series The Ranch. He played Colt Bennett, a former football player who returns home to help run his family's ranch. In 2023, he made a special guest appearance as Michael Kelso in That '90s Show, a spin-off of That '70s Show.

Business and Investments

Kutcher is not just an actor; he is also a smart businessman. As a venture capitalist, he invests money in new technology companies, hoping they will grow and become successful.

He co-founded a venture capital firm called A-Grade Investments with his partners. They invested their own money to help startups. Later, they started a new firm called Sound Ventures. Kutcher has invested in well-known companies like Duolingo, the language-learning app, and ResearchGate, a social network for scientists.

In 2013, the technology company Lenovo hired Kutcher as a product engineer. He helped design and promote their products.

Charity and Other Work

Kutcher in 2010

In 2009, Kutcher and his then-wife Demi Moore started a human rights organization called the DNA Foundation. It is now known as Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children. Thorn's mission is to use technology to protect children from online exploitation.

In 2022, Kutcher and his wife, Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, started a fundraiser to help Ukrainian refugees. They raised over $34 million to support organizations providing aid to people in Poland and Romania.

Personal Life

Marriages and Family

Kutcher married actress Demi Moore in 2005. They announced their separation in 2011, and their divorce was finalized in 2013.

In 2012, Kutcher began dating Mila Kunis, his former co-star from That '70s Show. They got engaged in February 2014 and were married in July 2015. They have two children: a daughter born in 2014 and a son born in 2016. The family lives in a sustainable farmhouse in Beverly Hills.

Health

In August 2022, Kutcher shared that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of vasculitis two years earlier. This autoimmune disease affected his ability to see, hear, and walk for about a year. He has since made a full recovery.

Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

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

See also

In Spanish: Ashton Kutcher para niños