That '70s Show, Dude Where's My Car, Punk'd
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$200 Million
"Always roll up the sleeves on your shirt. It gives the impression that you are working, even if you're not." Depending on when you were born, your view of Ashton Kutcher might wildly differ from the person next to you. Kutcher rose to prominence as the stoner-airhead Kelso on That '70s Show before landing several leading film roles in Hollywood. Eventually, Kutcher would become the comedic prankster in Hollywood thanks to his hit reality show, Punk'd.
Any discussion of Ashton Kutcher has to include a closer look at his more dramatic work. Kutcher has flexed his acting chops in projects like The Butterly Effect and Jobs while simultaneously developing himself as an astute early investor. Kutcher is now one of the most wealthy and famous men in Hollywood and it all began in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1978.
Born in Iowa
Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Kutcher's mother was Diane Kutcher and his father was Larry Kutcher. Diane worked at Procter & Gamble while Larry worked at a local factory. Kutcher owes his good looks to his German, Irish, and Czech ancestry. During his childhood, Kutcher was raised in a strict and conservative Catholic household. He has an older sister named Tausha and a fraternal twin named Michael. Michael was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child, and he also had to endure a heart transplant while he was young.
As a child, Kutcher attended Washington High School for his first year before his family relocated to Homestead, Iowa. Kutcher would attend Clear Creek Amana High School where he would develop a passion for performing. Kutcher would appear in school plays though his energy wouldn't be reserved solely for the stage. In his senior year, Kutcher broke into his high school with his cousin. The two were caught fleeing the scene and Kutcher was sentenced to community service and probation. Kutcher cites the experience as pivotal to straightening out his life.
Kutcher would later attend the University of Iowa where he had planned to major in biochemical engineering. Kutcher was motivated by the idea of finding a cure for his brother's heart ailment. Kutcher admits that he partied away his time at college while working for General Mills to make ends meet. Kutcher even donated his own blood plasma in order to pay for groceries and rent. Kutcher would eventually be approached by a model scout, and he would soon find himself winning the Fresh Faces of Iowa competition. In the blink of an eye, Kutcher was heading to New York City to begin his career as a model before moving to Los Angeles to become an actor.
Hollywood's Funny Man
Ashton Kutcher began his career in the entertainment industry as a professional model in New York City. He was quick to sign with a modeling agency where he would appear in advertisements for Calvin Klein and Abercrombie & Fitch. During these early modeling appearances, Kutcher would meet actress and model January Jones. The two would briefly date, later in life.
After spending the better part of a year in New York City, Kutcher knew that he was ready to begin pursuing acting. He would move to Los Angeles and begin auditioning almost immediately. Kutcher's breakout role was also his first role. Kutcher would land the part of Kelso in the That '70s Show (1998). Kelso was an instant hit with audiences and Kutcher was quick to steal the show. Kutcher would appear in 183 episodes before leaving the show in 2006. During filming, Kutcher would become close with his co-star Mila Kunis who would eventually become his real-life wife. Before leaving, Kutcher would establish himself as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
Following his success on That '70s Show, Kutcher would immediately ingratiate himself with the general public. Kutcher would end up developing his own reality show in 2003 titled, Punk'd. The goal of the show was to play increasingly elaborate pranks on some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Throughout the process, Kutcher would become a pop-culture icon as he pranked some of the biggest names in the industry. Getting 'punked' became a cultural colloquialism. The show would run until 2012, spanning 105 total episodes, before it was pulled from the air.
As one of the hardest working performers in Hollywood, Kutcher was quick to find another starring role to take his time. Kutcher would land the leading role in the CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men (2011) after taking over for Charlie Sheen. Kutcher's addition to the show would help bring the program back to the heights of its popularity. Kutcher was famously being paid nearly $750,000 per episode until 2015 when the program came to an end. After Two and a Half Men ended, Kutcher would land a starring role in the Netflix sitcom, The Ranch (2016). The popular series also stars Sam Elliott and Danny Masterson, a former co-star on That '70s Show. The Ranch was renewed in 2018 for an additional season.
Outside of the television world, Kutcher has found himself starring in several notable films. Kutcher appeared in the cult-comedy Dude, Where's My Car? in 2000. Kutcher also had a brief run as a leading man in Hollywood with starring roles in The Butterfly Effect (2004), Reindeer Games (2000), No Strings Attached (2011), and Jobs (2013). Jobs was likely Kutcher's most high-profile acting role as he performed the famous Steve Jobs in a controversial biopic. Despite the film failing at the box office, Kutcher still earned mostly positive reviews for his work.
In his personal life, Ashton Kutcher has been seen as one of the most promising venture capitalists in Hollywood. Kutcher has invested in 60 companies during his career including Foursquare, Airbnb, Skype, and Fab.com. Kutcher has also invested in a number of startups in recent years. Outside of his venture capitalist work, Kutcher is a supporter of the human rights organization, DNA Foundation. Kutcher has also worked with Evan Beard on A-Plus, a social media platform that is focused solely on positive, upbeat, and otherwise happy stories.
While Kutcher's romantic life has been widely publicized, he has most notably been attached to Demi Moore and Mila Kunis. Kutcher and Moore would marry in 2005 and remain together until 2011. In 2012, Kutcher began dating Mila Kunis. The two would be engaged in 2014 and married in 2015. Kunis and Kutcher have two children together.
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