Sharon Stone biography, age, young, relationship, stroke, children 2024

Biography of Sharon Stone

Sharon Vonne Stone is a dazzling Hollywood star, a 1990s sex symbol, the most beautiful woman and a sophisticated intellectual with an IQ of 154 (the highest among actresses and equal to Einstein's intelligence quotient).

Throughout her three-decade acting career, she has played over eighty roles and won numerous prestigious awards, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for "Casino," an Emmy for the TV series "The Practice," and two MTV Movie Awards for the thriller "Basic Instinct."

This erotic hit by Paul Verhoeven catapulted her to Hollywood stardom, showcasing her magnetic presence and incredible temperament. The controversial scene where her character sensually smokes a cigarette during a police interrogation and crosses her legs, shocking the detectives with the absence of underwear, became the most iconic and sexy movie moment in history.

Many believe that thanks to Sharon Stone, the Cannes Film Festival became the most glamorous event in the film world. In the '90s, she was the host and muse of the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS charity gala held during the film festival, turning it into the most significant social event featuring the elite of the global community.

In 2003, the actress received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2005, Gilles Jacob, president of the Cannes Film Festival, awarded her the Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France. In 2013, at the Warsaw Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, she received the Award for AIDS activism from the Dalai Lama XIV, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.

Childhood

The future movie star was born on March 10, 1958, in the small town of Meadville, located in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, 90 miles from Pittsburgh. She was the second child in the family of librarian Dorothy Mary and factory worker-toolmaker Joseph William, who had Irish roots. Her older brother Michael was born in 1951, younger brother Patrick in 1965, and sister Kelly in 1961.

From birth, Sharon showed high intellectual abilities. She was exceptionally quick-witted, spoke before her first birthday, learned to read by four, and at five was admitted directly to the second grade of the nearest middle school in Saegertown.

Due to her advanced intellect, she grew up as a reserved child, didn't like playing with dolls, and preferred to secretly read her mother's romance novels while hiding in her father's garage. There, she would stage theatrical performances, assigning roles to her brothers and sister. Their performance of "Hansel and Gretel" by the Brothers Grimm was especially popular with the neighbors, who were their audience. At the age of six, after watching a movie with the brilliant Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, she already knew she wanted to become an actress.

She had almost no friends at school, kept to herself, and didn't seek interaction with peers. But she was very close to her family, especially to her father, a moderately strict, simple, and kind man.

Besides cinema, theater, and literature, young Sharon loved horses. She has a large scar on her neck as a memory of this passion. At 13, she received a pony as a gift. The animal turned out to be very stubborn, and the young rider ran into a clothesline, getting badly injured.

Intelligence tests revealed Sharon's high IQ (154) and her aptitude for mathematics, technology, and natural sciences. Her parents were pleased that she had a great prospect for a career as an engineer, chemist, or lawyer. But according to her brother Michael, they always emphasized that their daughter could choose any path. In the evenings, lying in their beds, the sisters often discussed their dreams: the older one wanted to become the next Marilyn Monroe, and the younger one – a nurse.

Sharon's appearance back then was quite ordinary – an angular figure, dull hair, and thick-lensed glasses. But dreaming of Hollywood, she began working on her image – experimenting with hair color, different clothing styles, and started using contact lenses, gradually transforming into an attractive girl.

The girl turned from a plain girl into a beauty

After graduating from high school in 1975, Stone won a scholarship for her literary abilities, became a student at Edinboro University, and started working as a cashier at McDonald's. Her academic performance remained above average, so the dean of the literature department, where she studied, allowed her to simultaneously attend a course in architectural history.

In her early years at college, Sharon participated in a county beauty pageant and became "Miss Crawford." Then, she was sent to the "Miss Pennsylvania" contest in Philadelphia. This time, she didn't win, but one of the judges advised her to try modeling.

The Path to Hollywood

The prospect of becoming a model attracted Stone with the possibility of escaping from the provinces. She contacted Ford Modeling Agency in New York and soon got a contract. After that, she left school and moved away from Meadville. Years later, she resumed her studies at the University of Edinburgh and earned a degree in humanities.

From 1976 to 1979, Sharon worked as a model. During these three years, she became one of the top ten models in her agency and traveled around the world, including fashion capitals like Paris and Milan. However, she still wanted to become an actress, so she returned to New York and began studying acting. Before getting a role in a film, she appeared in dozens of commercials.

At the beginning of her career, Sharon Stone worked as a fashion model

The determined and talented girl's screen debut happened in 1980. She appeared in Woody Allen's tragicomedy "Stardust Memories" in a cameo role as a beautiful woman whom the protagonist (played by the director himself) saw as a fleeting vision through the window of a passing train.

Sharon Stone's first film role (Stardust Memories, 1980)

According to legend, Allen chose Stone from several hundred candidates after a half-hour conversation. They didn't talk about the film but about the nature of infinity. The famous director noticed that while waiting for her turn, she was reading a children's book left by someone that explained this concept. Apparently, her erudition made a proper impression on the world cinema classic, and he gave her the role.

Soon, thanks to her striking appearance, she got the next role of Lana, a top model and drug addict, the friend of the main character Martha (Maren Jensen), in the horror film "Deadly Blessing" by the legendary director of this genre, Wes Craven, released in 1981. At the same time, she continued attending courses, improving her acting skills, and doing everything to become a real star.

That same year, the musical drama "Bolero" by French director Claude Lelouch was released. She played the role of Glenn's girlfriend, played by James Caan. Besides him, her colleagues on set were Daniel Olbrychski and Geraldine Chaplin. Then followed a series of films and TV series where Stone continued to play supporting characters, including "Remington Steele" with Pierce Brosnan, "Magnum, P.I." with Tom Selleck, and "Calendar Girl Murders" with Tom Skerritt.

In 1984, the dramatic TV film "The Vegas Strip War" was released, where her co-star was Hollywood legend Rock Hudson. She played Sarah, a girl selling cigarettes in a casino and seducing the owner of the establishment played by Hudson. That same year, the comedy-drama "Irreconcilable Differences" with Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and Drew Barrymore was released, where Sharon brilliantly played the role of a waitress named Blake in a satirical manner.

The young actress rapidly grew both personally and professionally. In 1985, she joined the cast of the police series "T.J. Hooker" with William Shatner and the adventure action film "King Solomon's Mines," an adaptation of the famous novel by H. Rider Haggard.

She also starred in the sequel "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold," released a year later. She played the key role of the charming Jess Huston, who went on a quest to find her missing father. He led an expedition to find the treasures of the legendary King Solomon in the African jungles. Her character's companion was hunter and traveler Allan (Richard Chamberlain). They faced bandits, cannibals, pythons, crocodiles, and leopards.

In 1987, the actress played the witty journalist Claire in the fourth part of the comedy series "Police Academy," and a year later, six film projects featuring her were released. Among them was the American police action film "Above the Law," where she played Sara, the wife of the main character, ex-CIA agent Nico (Steven Seagal), as well as the British war TV film "Tears in the Rain," based on the novel by Pamela Wallace.

Above the Law: Sharon Stone and Steven Seagal

In it, she portrayed the leading heroine, Casey, an American who went to England to deliver a letter written by her mother before her death to British Lord Bredon. But the lord refused to take the letter, pretending not to know her mother. The aristocrat's son, Michael (Christopher Cazenove), falls in love with the girl, and together they decide to uncover the mystery of their parents' acquaintance.

From 1988 to 1989, Stone played Janice, the well-educated and well-mannered daughter of a U.S. senator, in the series "War and Remembrance." Alongside her were Robert Hardy as Churchill, Ralph Bellamy as Roosevelt, and Steven Berkoff as Hitler. According to the script, her character loved Warren (Michael Woods), but during the war, she had an affair with naval officer Aster (Barry Bostwick). As the actress later noted in interviews, she gained invaluable experience working on this film and was proud to be part of such an important project.

A frame from the film War and Remembrance

In 1989, Sharon starred in the Spanish drama "Blood and Sand" by Javier Elorrieta, based on the psychological novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. She played one of the central roles – the treacherous and seductive aristocrat Doña Sol, who destroyed the handsome matador Juan Gallardo.

Career Breakthrough: Remembering Total Recall

A significant breakthrough in the actress's career came with the 1990 sci-fi action film "Total Recall" by Dutch director Paul Verhoeven. She played Lori, the wife of the main character Douglas (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a strong and trained woman who tried to kill him.

Sharon Stone Total Recall Fight

The film received positive reviews, won an Oscar for visual effects, a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film, and grossed over $260 million on a $65 million budget.

On the set of the action movie 'Total Recall'

After the film's release, the 32-year-old actress posed for "Playboy" to cement her success. The magazine, featuring her topless with an ice cube in her teeth on the cover, sold out almost immediately. Sharon started being recognized on the streets.

The actress's second appearance on the cover of Playboy

In 1991, she appeared as Linda, the ex-girlfriend of the main character Dan (Kevin Bacon), in the romantic comedy "He Said, She Said." Then, she played American journalist Alison, caught up in the whirlwind of events in Italy during the "Red Brigades" radical actions, in the drama "Year of the Gun."

That same year, the actress starred in the intense psychological thriller "Scissors" in the lead role of Angela, a woman attacked by a maniac. The emotional trauma she endured exacerbated her mental health issues. She feels like she’s going crazy, especially when she finds herself trapped in a mysterious apartment filled with her fears.

In 1992, Stone finally landed the role that made her a superstar: Catherine, a beautiful, mysterious, bisexual novelist suspected of killing a rock star, in Paul Verhoeven's hit film "Basic Instinct."

Basic Instinct Interrogation Scene

Michael Douglas, who played the main character, detective Nick, initially opposed the idea of doing erotic scenes with an "amateur." He wanted Isabelle Adjani as his co-star, but she declined due to the explicit scenes in the script. Other stars, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, and Geena Davis, also turned down the role.

The director, who knew Sharon from working on "Total Recall," convinced Michael to screen-test with her to appreciate her charisma and appeal. After the screen test, Douglas, then one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, told Paul that the film would be a hit. He claimed he could see it in her eyes. And he was right: with a $49 million budget, the thriller grossed over $350 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year. Though it didn’t win any awards at Cannes, it was later hailed as a "neo-noir masterpiece."

Sharon Stone's Screen Test for Basic Instinct

The famous interrogation scene was Paul Verhoeven's idea, inspired by a flirtatious encounter at a party. During filming, the director asked Sharon Stone to remove her underwear, which was too bright under the studio lights. She agreed on the condition that all explicit shots would be cut during editing, but Verhoeven did not keep his promise.

With Paul Verhoeven at the Cannes Film Festival

Becoming a top-tier star, the actress began receiving numerous film offers. She chose the erotic thriller "Sliver," based on a novel by American writer Ira Levin, released in 1993. Its plot was more intellectually complex, revolving around murder and voyeurism. Sharon played Carly, a young woman who had recently separated from her husband after a failed marriage.

However, the actress did not meet critics' expectations, and the MTV Movie Award went to her co-star William Baldwin, one of four actor brothers. Nevertheless, she received an invitation to host the 1993 Oscars, and Premiere magazine included her in the list of "Hollywood's 100 Most Powerful People," placing her at number 54, above notable cinema figures like Barbra Streisand and Jane Fonda.

The next film featuring Stone was the drama "Intersection," a remake of a popular French film based on a novel by Paul Guimard. She played Sally, the cold and detached wife of Vincent (Richard Gere). The project earned Sharon a record fee of $3 million, praise from director Mark Rydell, who noted her "much more serious acting talent than it might seem," and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress.

Sharon Stone in the movie 'Intersection'

In 1994, the action film "The Specialist," based on the eponymous series by American writer John Shirley, was released. Sharon played May, a girl seeking revenge on the mafia for her family's murder. Her co-star was Sylvester Stallone, who played Ray, a former CIA captain turned hitman. Later, the actor admitted that he had never before performed such great and sensual scenes as those with Stone.

The following year, trying to break away from the "sex symbol" roles, the actress appeared in Sam Raimi's western "The Quick and the Dead." She transformed into the central character, Ellen, the only woman among the participants in a shooting contest, mysterious and sexy even in cowboy attire. Her co-stars included Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, and Gary Sinise. For this role, she received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress.

In 1995, Martin Scorsese's dramatic film "Casino," based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi and Larry Shandling, premiered. The film was the director's third "gangster" project after "Mean Streets" and "Goodfellas." Sharon brilliantly played Ginger, the lover of professional gambler and casino manager Sam (Robert De Niro).

According to the director, her role required high skill. She especially excelled in intimate scenes with Sam's old friend Nicky (Joe Pesci). Her character faced danger from this dealer, and in the sexual episodes, the actress showed incredible tension. This performance brought Sharon not only fame but also recognition of her high achievements in the profession. She was awarded a Golden Globe and received an Oscar nomination.

With Martin Scorsese on the set of 'Casino'

The following year, the film star played the lead role of Cindy in the drama "Last Dance" by Australian director Bruce Beresford. According to the plot, her character awaits execution on death row for a double murder committed 12 years earlier in her teens. Lawyer Hayes (Rob Morrow) tries to save her, arguing that she has become a different person during her imprisonment. However, he faces misunderstanding and indifference everywhere, and the death sentence is inevitable.

That same year, the thriller "Diabolique" was released, where the actress played the lead role of Nicole, the mistress of the cruel school director Baron. Together with his wife, Mia (Isabelle Adjani), she decides to kill their tormentor.

Stone played key roles in several other projects released in 1998. In the science fiction thriller "Sphere," she played the biologist Beth, who, along with psychologist Norman (Dustin Hoffman) and mathematician Harry (Samuel L. Jackson), investigated an alien ship at the ocean's bottom. In the comedy-drama "The Mighty," she played Gwen, the mother of an extremely intelligent boy suffering from a terminal illness. In the thriller "Gloria," she risked her life to save a child.

40-year-old Sharon Stone in the movie 'Sphere'

In 1999, Sharon delighted fans with her vibrant performance in Albert Brooks's comedy "The Muse," playing Sarah, who could restore creative inspiration. Her co-stars included the director Brooks himself, Jeff Bridges, and Andie MacDowell. In 2000, she joined the ensemble cast of the black comedy "Picking Up the Pieces," which included Woody Allen, David Schwimmer, and Kiefer Sutherland.

Barbara Walters Interviews Sharon Stone - 1993

After suffering a subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2001, the actress had to pause her career. But in 2003, she returned to the screen, playing the role of lawyer Sheila Carlisle in the legal drama "The Practice," for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award.

She then participated in the creation of the sci-fi action film "Catwoman" (with Halle Berry and Benjamin Bratt), the psychological thriller "Cold Creek Manor" (with Dennis Quaid and Kristen Stewart), and the drama "A Different Loyalty."

Sharon Stone and Halle Berry ('Catwoman')

Among the star's notable works is the tragicomedy "Broken Flowers" by Jim Jarmusch, starring Bill Murray, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005. Publications noted that Stone, playing the main character's former girlfriend, was "still not just sexy but astonishing and funny."

On the set of the movie 'Broken Flowers'

In 2009, audiences could see the Hollywood beauty in the action film "Streets of Blood," where she starred alongside Val Kilmer, rapper 50 Cent, and Michael Biehn. Six films featuring her were released in 2013.

'Love in the Big City 3': Sharon Stone and Philipp Kirkorov

In 2015, she appeared in the American TV series "Agent X" as Maccabee, the Vice President of the United States. Critics praised her talented performance, calling her "the only thing worth watching in the show." In 2017, Hollywood premiered the romantic comedy "A Little Something for Your Birthday," where the star played the lead role of Senna, a fashion designer desperately trying to find her soulmate.

A shot from the movie 'A Little Something for Your Birthday'

The following year, she played children’s author Olivia in Steven Soderbergh's innovative project "Mosaic," an interactive mini-series where viewers could choose which character to follow during the murder investigation using a mobile app. According to some media, this role instantly made Stone a superstar again.

Sharon Stone in a swimsuit: then and now

Sharon Stone's Personal Life

The movie star, who has dictated beauty standards to the world for decades, has had three marriages and numerous romances. Rumors circulated that she had romantic relationships with Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Antonio Banderas.

Sharon Stone: Incredible Love Stories

Her first husband, from 1984 to 1990, was TV producer and writer Michael Greenburg. She met him on the set of the film "War in Las Vegas" and fell in love at first sight. He was smart, handsome, and, like her, deeply devoted to the art of cinema.

She met her second husband, producer William J. MacDonald, in 1993 on the set of the thriller "Sliver." Enchanted by her beauty and charisma, he left his wife and got engaged to her. Their romance lasted only a year.

Next, Bob Wagner, the first assistant director of the western "The Quick and the Dead," became a suitor for the incomparable movie diva. They were engaged, but the wedding never took place.

Sharon Stone and Bob Wagner were engaged

On Valentine's Day in 1998, Stone married "San Francisco Chronicle" editor Phil Bronstein. In 2000, after unsuccessful attempts to have a child, she and her husband decided to adopt a boy named Roan Joseph.

In 2001, Stone suffered a stroke. She underwent a long recovery, developed memory problems, and directors didn't want to work with her.

In 2001, I had a nine-day brain hemorrhage and a massive, very debilitating stroke. Most people die by the fourth day when they get to the hospital. But the doctors didn't see the burst vessel on the angiogram and were going to send me home, thinking I was just faking it.

In 2003, during her stroke rehabilitation, her husband filed for divorce and won custody of their adopted son. After the divorce, she adopted two more boys: Laird in 2005 and Quinn a year later.

All of Sharon Stone's children are adopted

Despite her unsuccessful marriages, the great seductress, known for her unparalleled quotes (for example, "In bed, I mostly love to read scripts" or "My friends call me a bitch – but affectionately"), hasn't given up on her personal life.

In 2012-2013, she had a brief relationship with a 27-year-old model from Argentina, Martin Mica. At the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015, she dated actor David DeLuise, who played the father of Selena Gomez's character in the sitcom "Wizards of Waverly Place."

In 2018, news surfaced that the actress had a new love interest, 41-year-old Italian businessman Angelo Boffa, who dealt in real estate in Zurich (incidentally, Sharon speaks Italian). He was so smitten with the actress that he proposed to her just a few weeks after their romance began. A year later, when they were no longer together, he stated in an interview that age doesn't matter in relationships and that Stone is "a wonderful woman, stunningly beautiful both inside and out."

In 2019, they went their separate ways. The star fell for his fellow countryman Vincenzo Curcio. He is a journalist and human rights activist. Their age difference is less significant – she is only nine years older than him.

Sharon Stone Recreates the Scene from 'Basic Instinct'

In the summer of 2021, rumors arose about a romance with 25-year-old rapper RMR. They were seen partying together, having fun, and ignoring the age difference. But when journalists asked her about the nature of their relationship, Sharon laughed and said that no one could come up with a funnier question.

The actress quit smoking and drinking alcohol, avoids caffeine due to allergies, and continues to actively act in films, do charity work, and support the fight against AIDS. She remains in excellent shape and full of energy.

Sharon Stone Now

In 2019, the actress appeared in the third season of the comedy-drama series "Better Things." In the same year, she worked on a small role in Paolo Sorrentino's series "The New Pope," an Italian-Spanish-French project that continues the 2016 series "The Young Pope." Jude Law plays Pope Pius XIII, and John Malkovich plays the new Pope John Paul III.

Sharon Stone in the series 'The New Pope' (2020)

In 2020, the series "Ratched," based on Ken Kesey's bestseller "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," premiered. Stone's co-stars included Sarah Paulson, Jon Jon Briones, and Finn Wittrock. The show was quite successful and got renewed for a second season.

Additionally, in 2020, Stone appeared in the series "The Flight Attendant," starring Kaley Cuoco. In 2021, she appeared in the dramedy "Here Today," and in 2022, she starred in the feature drama "Beauty" and the comedy-mystery "Murderville."