When you have one of the most famous and recognizable faces in both Hollywood and the tabloids, it is a challenge to be recognized for your talent and not your fame. The plain, unvarnished truth is that Demi Moore is a damned good actress. She makes that abundantly clear in her role as the buttoned-down executive who becomes involved in a major diamond heist from the vaults of her employer in last night’s Gusman Gala. FLAWLESS (which describes the jewels, but certainly can be applied to Ms. Moore as well) is directed by Michael Radford (IL POSTINO) and Moore playing opposite two-time Oscar winner and Hollywood perennial Michael Caine.

Caine is only the latest of a string of leading men that Ms. Moore has acted with in her three decades as a film star. How do the names Robert Redford (INDECENT PROPOSAL), Rob Lowe (ST. ELMO’S FIRE), Patrick Swayze (GHOST), Tom Cruise (A FEW GOOD MEN), Alec Baldwin (THE JUROR) and Kevin Costner (MR. BROOKS) grab you for sheer star power and masculine charisma? Moore has kept her own in this company, while recently branching into production duties on the AUSTIN POWERS series and her own starring project, G.I. JANE (1997). This prolific actress has starred in over 40 films in a career that began with her film debut in BLAME IT ON RIO (1984), a film which also co-starred Michael Caine. As her career moves full circle with her re-teaming with Caine, it is interesting to chart her life and film career.

Born Demetria Gene Guynes in Roswell, New Mexico in 1962, she spent much of her childhood years in a small town south of Pittsburgh. Her family eventually moved to Los Angeles in 1976. When she was sixteen, her friend, actress Nastassja Kinski, persuaded her to drop out of Hollywood's Fairfax High School, to become an actress. Like many before her, she started out as fashion model, but eventually found work on television soap operas, most memorably a co-starring role on GENERAL HOSPITAL. Her big break came in 1985, when she was part of the ensemble cast of the youth dramedy ST. ELMO’S FIRE. She and co-stars Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Jude Nelson, Andrew McCarthy and Ally Sheedy became dubbed “the brat pack”. Her other youth comedies of the period included ABOUT LAST NIGHT (also opposite Rob Lowe), ONE CRAZY SUMMER (with John Cusack) and WISDOM (again opposite Emilio Estevez).

In the 1990s, Moore was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, with a string of box-office successes, including GHOST, A FEW GOOD MEN, INDECENT PROPOSAL and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. She became the first actress to reach the $10 million salary mark. Her star power even shone in films that were only modest box office pacers, including THE SCARLET LETTER, THE JUROR and G.I. JANE (a pet project in which Moore shaved off her trademark long hair on camera, leaving her head totally bald). In this period, she also was one of the stars of the infamous STRIPTEASE, which has since become a cult favorite. She created a sensation in 1991, when she appeared nude while seven-months pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine in a famous photograph by uber-photographer Annie Liebowitz.

She used her Hollywood clout as the producer of a controversial series on HBO called IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK (1996). In this three-part series on abortion, Moore gave a stunning performance as a single woman in the 1950s seeking a back-street abortion. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for that role. After a break from acting, Moore returned to the screen in the big-budget actioner CHARLIE’S ANGELS (2003), the ensemble film BOBBY (2006, which she also produced) and last year’s MR. BROOKS (opposite Kevin Costner). In FLAWLESS, which had its world premiere last Fall at the San Sebastian Film Festival and is making its US Premiere at MIFF, Moore shows a new depth of range. Not only do she age over 30 years in the film, but she plays against her sexy image as a no-nonsense corporate suit who is tempted by the allured of stolen diamonds. The heist film opens in theaters next month, but Miami has got Moore first, as she joined director Michael Radford on the Red Carpet at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts this evening. In short, a paparazzi bonanza!!!

Sandy Mandelberger, Miami FF Dailies Editor