Sharon Vonne Stone was born on March 10, 1958, in Meadville, Pennsylvania,[3][4] to Dorothy Marie (née Lawson), an accountant, and Joseph William Stone II,[5] a tool and die manufacturer and former factory worker. She has three siblings: Michael, Kelly, and Patrick Joseph (died in 2023).[6][7][8] She has some Irish ancestry.[9] In a 2013 interview with Conan O'Brien, she stated that her Irish ancestors arrived in the United States during the Great Famine.[10] Stone was considered academically gifted as a child and entered the second grade when she was five years old.[11][12] In an interview with The New York Times in March 2021, while promoting her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone said that she and her sister were both sexually abused as children by their maternal grandfather.[13] At 14, her neck was badly injured while breaking a horse when the animal bucked as it charged toward a washing line.[14]
Stone obtained the role of Janice Henry in the ABC miniseries War and Remembrance (1987), the sequel to the 1983 miniseries The Winds of War, based on the 1978 novel of the same name written by Herman Wouk. Through the remainder of the 1980s, she appeared as a reporter in the comedy Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), an attractive but mysterious woman with a hidden agenda in the thriller Cold Steel (1987), the wife of an ex-CIA agent in the crime film Above the Law (1988) and the ill-fated wife of a successful businessman in the action film Action Jackson (1988).
Breakthrough and Basic Instinct (1990–1992)
In Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990), a science fiction action film opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, Stone played the seemingly loving wife of a construction worker. The film received favorable reviews and made $261.2 million worldwide, giving Stone's career a major boost,[7] leading to her being cast in five feature films released throughout 1991. She played what Roger Ebert described as the "bad girl" in the romantic comedy He Said, She Said,[26] a sexually repressed woman in the psychological thriller Scissors, a wealthy blonde in the crime drama Diary of a Hitman,[27] a provocative young photojournalist in the thriller Year of the Gun and the agent and former lover of a writer in the neo-noir Where Sleeping Dogs Lie.
In another Verhoeven film, the erotic thriller Basic Instinct (1992),[7] she took on the role that made her a star, playing Catherine Tramell, a bisexual woman and alleged serial killer. Several actresses at the time turned down the role, mostly because of the nudity required.[28]
Critical response towards Basic Instinct was mixed, but Stone received critical acclaim for her "star-making performance";[29]Peter Travers of Rolling Stone remarked that "Verhoeven's cinematic wet dream delivers the goods, especially when Sharon Stone struts on with enough come-on carnality to singe the screen," and observed of the actress' portrayal: "Stone, a former model, is a knockout; she even got a rise out of Ah-nold in Verhoeven's Total Recall. But being the bright spot in too many dull movies (He Said, She Said; Irreconcilable Differences) stalled her career. Though Basic Instinct establishes Stone as a bombshell for the 1990s, it also shows she can nail a laugh or shade an emotion with equal aplomb."[30] Australian critic Shannon J. Harvey of The Sunday Times called the film "one of the best films of the early 1990s, doing more for female empowerment than any feminist rally. Stone – in her star-making performance – is as hot and sexy as she is ice-pick cold."[31] For the part, Stone earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, four MTV Movie Awards nominations, and a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst New Star for her "tribute to Theodore Cleaver". The film also became one of the most financially successful productions of the 1990s, grossing US$352.9 million worldwide.[32]
Leading lady status (1993–1999)
In 1993, Stone played a femme fatale in the erotic thriller Sliver, based on Ira Levin's eponymous novel about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York City high-rise apartment building. The film was heavily panned by critics and earned Stone a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress but became a commercial success, grossing US$116.3 million at the international box office.[33] She also made a cameo appearance in the action film Last Action Hero (1993), reuniting with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1994, Stone appeared as the wife of an architect opposite Richard Gere in the drama Intersection, and as a woman who entices a bomb expert she is involved with into destroying the criminal gang that killed her family, alongside Sylvester Stallone, in the action thriller The Specialist. While Intersection found limited success, The Specialist made US$170.3 million worldwide.[34] For her work in both films, she won a Golden Raspberry Award and a Stinkers Bad Movie Award for Worst Actress, but was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female for The Specialist.
Stone portrayed the mistress of a cruel school master in the psychological thriller Diabolique (1996), a woman waiting on death row for a brutal double murder in the drama Last Dance (1996), and a biologist in the suspense film Sphere (1998). The three aforementioned films were panned by critics and failed to find an audience in theatres.[40][41] In 1998, Stone also lent her voice for the successful animated film Antz,[42] and played the mother of a 13-year-old boy suffering from Morquio syndrome in the drama The Mighty, which garnered a positive critical response.[43][44] Stone was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the lattermost.
Her turn as a street-wise, middle-aged moll in Gloria (1999), a remake of the 1980 film of the same name, proved to be a critical and commercial misfire.[45][46][47] A titular role followed in 1999 with the comedy The Muse, playing the inspiration of an esteemed screenwriter. Wade Major, a critic for Boxoffice, found her portrayal of a "dizzy Muse" to be "the film's most delightful surprise",[48] but most reviews were ultimately lukewarm. Helmut Voss, then president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who give the annual Golden Globe Awards, ordered all 82 of its members to return gift luxury watches sent by either Stone or October Films (now merged into Focus Features) as this was considered promotions for a nomination for Stone's performance in the film.[49] She ultimately received the nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
Hiatus and downturn (2000–2004)
In 2000, Stone played a lesbian trying to start a family, opposite Ellen DeGeneres, in the HBO television film If These Walls Could Talk 2 and starred as an exotic dancer, alongside Billy Connolly, in the comedy Beautiful Joe. While she was recognized by Women in Film with her second Lucy Award for her performance in If These Walls Could Talk 2,[39]Beautiful Jo premiered on cable television instead of receiving a theatrical release in North America.[50][51][52][53][54] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club, who had been critical of Stone's previous films, wrote that "nothing she's done has been quite as shameless or appalling as Beautiful Joe, a toxic piece of whimsy that ranks among the worst films of 2000".[55]
In September 2001 she faced health problems and was hospitalized for a subarachnoid hemorrhage. As a result Stone took a hiatus from screen acting. She faced professional challenges as she was in the process of recovery. She felt that she had "lost [her] place" in Hollywood, and during a 2015 interview with USA Today, she remarked: "[When] you find yourself at the back of the line in your business, as I did, [you] have to figure yourself out all over again."[56] She returned to the screen in 2003, when she took on a three-episode arc as Sheila Carlisle, an attorney who believes she can communicate with God, in the eighth season of The Practice. For her performance, she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[57]
Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with roles in the films Cold Creek Manor (2003), with Dennis Quaid, and Catwoman (2004), with Halle Berry. In the mystery psychological thriller Cold Creek Manor, she and Quaid played a couple terrorized by the former owner of the rural estate they bought in foreclosure. Variety magazine remarked in its review for the film that both actors "fish in vain to find any angles to play in their dimension-free characters".[58] The superhero film Catwoman saw her play the age-obsessed CEO of a cosmetic company and the story's antagonist. While both films flopped at the box office, Catwoman is considered by many critics to be one of the worst movies of all time.[59][60]
Independent films and ensemble dramas (2005–2017)
She next appeared in Jim Jarmusch's road movie Broken Flowers (2005), in which erstwhile womanizer Bill Murray revisits, unannounced, all of his old flames in search of the one who sent him an anonymous letter stating that he is the father of her son. Stone plays one of these former lovers, a professional closet organizer and single mother with a teenage daughter.[61] Unlike her previous few film outings, Broken Flowers was well received by the critics. At its premiere during the Cannes Film Festival,[62] it was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix.[63]Far Out Magazine ranked Stone's role among one of her "10 best performances",[64] while New York Magazine remarked: "Sharon Stone, playing a widow who's half-hippie, half-working-class-tough, demonstrates that, given the right part, she's still not merely sexy but knockabout funny and sly".[65] In 2005, she was named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.[66]
After years of litigation, Basic Instinct 2 was finally released on March 31, 2006. One reason for the long delay was, reportedly, Stone's dispute with the filmmakers over the nudity in the film; she wanted more while they wanted less. Stone told an interviewer, "We are in a time of odd repression and if a popcorn movie allows us to create a platform for discussion, wouldn't that be great?".[67] Despite an estimated budget of US$70 million, Basic Instinct 2 placed only tenth in gross receipts on its opening weekend with a meager US$3.2 million, finishing with a total domestic gross of under US$6 million. Stone appeared in Nick Cassavetes's crime drama Alpha Dog (2006), opposite Bruce Willis, playing Olivia Mazursky, the mother of a real-life murder victim; she wore a fatsuit for the role.[68] The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was an arthouse success.[69] She made part of an ensemble cast in Emilio Estevez's drama Bobby (2006), about the hours leading up to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Stone received favorable comments for her performance, particularly a scene alongside Lindsay Lohan.[70][71] As a member of the cast, she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, but won the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast.[72]
In 2013, Stone played the mother of porn actress Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) in the biographical drama Lovelace,[78] and a dermatologist seeking a "ménage à trois" in the Woody Allen–John Turturro comedy Fading Gigolo.[79] Both films were released in limited theatres to a decent critical reception; Glenn Kenny, in his review for Fading Gigolo, found Stone to be "splendidly understated" in what he described as "a New York story through and through [...] often funny, sometimes moving, occasionally goofy as hell".[80] In 2014, she starred as an actress-turned-publisher, opposite Riccardo Scamarcio, in the Italian dramedy A Golden Boy (Un ragazzo d'oro), directed by Pupi Avati,[81][82][83] and portrayed America's first female Vice President in the TNT action drama series Agent X, which only aired for one season.[84] Stone next played an adoptive mother in the drama Mothers and Daughters (2016),[85][86] a "lineman widow" and the "alcoholic mom" of a high-wire worker in the action film Life on the Line (2016),[87][88] and a greedy billionaire in the drama Running Wild (2017).[89] These three films all received a VOD release, to varying responses.[90]James Franco's biographical comedy The Disaster Artist (2017), which featured Stone as Iris Burton, the agent of actor Greg Sestero, was a critical and commercial success, and was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2017.[91]
In Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (2019), a pseudo-documentary film covering Bob Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue concert tour,[95] Stone played an exaggerated version of herself. The film was released on Netflix, to critical acclaim. Owen Gleiberman described her appearance as a "marketing hook" and further stated: "The presence of Sharon Stone embodies the spirit of [the Hollywood] machine. She has always been a good actress (probably better than many know; just watch her in Casino), but her fame will forever rest on a certain crudely riveting but debased high-budget exploitation thriller".[96] She reunited with Soderbergh for The Laundromat (2019), in which she played a harried realtor, opposite Meryl Streep.
In Netflix's psychological thriller series Ratched (2020), a prequel to Miloš Forman's 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest developed by Ryan Murphy, Stone portrayed a wealthy heiress who hires a hit man to kill a doctor for disfiguring her son. Intrigued by Murphy's pitch for her character, which he wrote for her, Stone described the part as "completely insane. And at the same time she thinks she's really a loving mother who has her shit together".[97][98] The series garnered a decent critical response and was viewed by 48 million people in its first four weeks of release.[99] In 2020 Stone appeared as herself in an introduction to the fifth episode of The New Pope, where she had an audience with John Malkovich as Pope John Paul III.[100]
For her leading roles in erotic and adult-themed feature films such as Basic Instinct, Sliver, and The Specialist, Stone cemented what was described as a "tough-talking, no-underwear, voyeuristic, cool-as-ice, sex symbol" status during the 1990s.[103] She has appeared on the covers and pictorials of over 300 celebrity and fashion magazines throughout her four-decade acting career.[104] She graced the June–July 1986 cover of French Vogue, and to coincide with the release of Total Recall, she posed nude for the July 1990 issue of Playboy, flaunting the muscles she had developed in preparation for the film. Following Basic Instinct, photographer George Hurrell took a series of photographs of Stone, Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands, Raquel Welch, Eric Roberts, and Sean Penn. Stone, who was Hurrell's reportedly last sitting before his death in 1992,[105] is also a collector of the photographer's original prints and wrote the foreword to the book Hurrell's Hollywood. In 1993, she appeared in Pirelli's commercial, Driving Instinct,[106][107] in 2005, became the face of Dior's Capture skincare line,[108] and in 2016, starred with Paul Sculfor in Airfield's (de) Fashion Is a Lovestory short film.[109][110][111]
Stone's public and professional profiles have been strongly tied to her perceived beauty and sex appeal. She has ranked among the "50 most beautiful people in the world" by People in 1992,[112] the "100 sexiest stars in film history" by Empire in 1995 and 1997,[113] and the "25 sexiest stars of the century" by Playboy in 1999.[114] She has also been the subject of four television documentary specials,[104] and several biographies have been written about her.
[115][116][117] On her sex symbol image, Stone told Oprah Winfrey on Oprah Prime in 2014: "It's a pleasure for me now. I mean, I'm gonna be 56 years old. If people want to think I'm a sex symbol, it's, like, yeah. Think it up. You know. I mean, like, good for me".[118] She posed nude for the September 2015 issue of Harper's Bazaar, in which she stated: "At a certain point you start asking yourself, 'What really is sexy?' It's not just the elevation of your boobs. It's being present and having fun and liking yourself enough to like the person that's with you".[119]
Well you know it was very interesting because at first, you know, I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don't like that. And I had been this, you know, concerned about, oh how should we deal with the Olympics because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?[120]
One of China's biggest cinema chains reacted to Stone's comments by declaring it would not show her films in its theaters.[121] The founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-yuen, called Stone's comments "inappropriate", and said the UME Cineplex chain would no longer present her films.[121]Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were dropped from all ads in China amid the public uproar.[122] Stone was removed from the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival guest list, and the event's organizers considered banning the actress permanently.[123] Dior China had originally posted an apology in Stone's name, but Stone later denied making the apology during an interview with The New York Times, saying "I'm not going to apologize. I'm certainly not going to apologize for something that isn't real and true – not for face creams," although she did admit that she had "sounded like an idiot."[124] However, after the interview, Stone released a statement entitled "In my own words by Sharon Stone" in which she said "I could not be more regretful of that mistake. It was unintentional. I apologize. Those words were never meant to be hurtful to anyone."[125] While Stone cited the Dalai Lama as her "good friend" when she made the remark at the Cannes film festival, the Dalai Lama has reportedly distanced himself by saying of her only, "yes, I've met that lady".[126]
Personal life
Stone is a Tibetan Buddhist, having been converted to Buddhism when Richard Gere introduced her to the Dalai Lama. She has said she believes in God.[127] On September 29, 2001, Stone was hospitalized for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization.[128] She has stated while she was sick people took advantage of her and stole $18 million from her. She nearly went broke.[129]
Relationships and family
In 1984, she met television producer Michael Greenburg on the set of The Vegas Strip War, a television film he produced and she starred in. They married the same year. In 1986, Greenburg was her line producer on Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. The couple separated three years later, and their divorce was finalized in 1990.[130]
Stone and comedian Garry Shandling were students of acting coach Roy London and dated briefly.[131][132] She appeared on his show The Larry Sanders Show in the episode "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show".[133] They remained close friends until Shandling's death in 2016.[134] In the documentary Special Thanks to Roy London, interviews with Stone[135][136] and Shandling[137][138][139][140][141] discuss their relationship.
In 1993, Stone met William J. MacDonald on the set of the film Sliver, which he co-produced. MacDonald left his wife Naomi Baka for Stone and became engaged to her. They separated one year later in 1994.[142] After they separated, Stone returned the engagement ring via FedEx.[143] While working on the film The Quick and the Dead in 1994, Stone met Bob Wagner, a first assistant director, and they became engaged.[143]
In March 2006, Stone traveled to Israel to promote peace in the Middle East through a press conference with Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres.[155] In 2013, she referred to Peres as her "mentor".[156] On October 23, 2013, Stone received the Peace Summit Award for her work for people with HIV/AIDS.[157]
In 2015, Stone was guest of honor at the Pilosio Building Peace Award in Milan.[158] She began an impromptu auction on stage in front of a crowd of CEOs from the construction industry and other dignitaries. She gained enough pledges to build 28 schools in Africa.[159]
^Marc Maron (March 5, 2018). "Episode 895 – Sharon Stone". WTF with Marc Maron Podcast. Archived from the original on April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
^Rotunda, Marie. "In Your Own Words: A flashback to Sharon Stone, competing to become Miss Pennsylvania 1976". Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021. On the other hand, at 17, Sharon was a real pageant novice. We became fast friends during pageant week in Altoona, Pa. I was impressed by her all-American pretty looks and smarts. She was very confident sharing with me that she was going to be the next Marilyn Monroe. I was a little surprised at her remark since she weighed about 145 (or more) pounds. During the talent segment, she recited the Gettysburg Address with sparkles in her hair. During the evening gown competition, she announced to the audience that she was going to win an Academy Award. She did not finish in the Top 10 that evening. The following year, in June of 1977, as I was relinquishing my Miss Pennsylvania title, Sharon came to the pageant with her mother on the final night, she said, "to specifically thank me for helping her the year before." Sharon was totally transformed. At a statuesque 5 foot 9, she now weighed about 115 pounds. She wasn't just pretty anymore. She was beautiful. I was thrilled when she told me she had signed a modeling contract with the prestigious Ford Modeling Agency in New York City
^"The 50 Hottest Models Turned Actresses". Complex Magazine. May 18, 2012. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2015. Modeling Credentials: She was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in 1977 and worked for a time as a model in Europe.
^Stone, Sharon (2021). "Role Models". The Beauty of Living Twice (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN9780525656760. OCLC1234479428. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2021. I got a call from my friend Riccardo Bertoni, who was an extras casting agent. He said that he knew that there was a call for a Woody Allen movie, and I should go. I was twenty, still in New York, trying to book modeling work by going out on "go-sees."
^Peden, Lauren David (June 20, 1993). "FILM; Seen the One Where Arnold Sells Noodles?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2021. In Ms. Stone's Pirelli ad, the star steps off an airplane and into a waiting car.
^"SHARON STONE FOR DIOR". British Vogue. October 4, 2005. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
^Schuller, Kristian[in German]; AIRFIELD[in German] (February 25, 2016). "Fashion is a Love Story". AirfieldFashion. via: YouTube. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021. AIRFIELD shows a cinematic love story with Hollywood star Sharon Stone and Paul Sculfor. Let yourself be enchanted by the story of a contemporary, self-confident woman who loves to travel, in fashion that still looks fresh and glamorous even after the longest trip – staged by star photographer Kristian Schuller.
^Sharpe, Olivia (July 22, 2016). "Sharon Stone: The Interview". London: Luxury. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Hollywood actress, model and philanthropist Sharon Stone speaks to us about women in Hollywood, being sexy at 58 and starring in Airfield's S/S16 campaign
^Schindehette, Susan (March 2, 1998). "Some Enchanted Evening". People. Vol. 49, no. 8. p. 80. ISSN0093-7673. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^Stone, Sharon (2021). "Kitchen-Sink Irish". The Beauty of Living Twice (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN9780525656760. OCLC1234479428. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2021. She had fibroid tumors in her uterus and I'm sure the endometriosis that both my sister and I inherited and that was what disallowed us to have our own children."
^Bear, Liza; Oldenburg, Ann (May 24, 2002). "No fashion stone left unturned". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
^ ab"The War Over Roan". People. October 20, 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2012.