Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing
femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular
sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of
various accolades, including a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
, a
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
, and a nomination for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
. She was named
Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France in 2005 (Commander in 2021).
After modeling in television commercials and print advertisements, Stone made her film debut as an
extra in ''
Stardust Memories'' (1980) and played her first speaking part in the horror film ''
Deadly Blessing'' (1981). In the 1980s, she appeared in such films as ''
Irreconcilable Differences
The concept of irreconcilable differences provides possible grounds for divorce in the United States of America and Australia, among other jurisdictions.
Australia
Australian family law uses a no-fault divorce approach, and irreconcilable differe ...
'' (1984), ''
King Solomon's Mines'' (1985), ''
Action Jackson'' (1988), and ''
Above the Law'' (1988). She had a breakthrough with her part in
Paul Verhoeven's science fiction film ''
Total Recall'' (1990), before rising to international recognition when she portrayed
Catherine Tramell in Verhoeven's erotic thriller ''
Basic Instinct'' (1992), for which she earned her first Golden Globe Award nomination.
Stone's performance as a
trophy wife in
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
's crime drama ''
Casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
'' (1995) earned her a Golden Globe Award along with a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...
. Her other notable films include ''
Sliver'' (1993), ''
The Specialist
''The Specialist'' is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Eric Roberts, and Rod Steiger. It is loosely based on "The Specialist" series of novels by John ...
'' (1994), ''
The Quick and the Dead'' (1995), ''
Catwoman'' (2004), ''
Broken Flowers
''Broken Flowers'' is a 2005 French-American comedy drama, comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and produced by Jon Kilik and Stacey Smith. The film focuses on an aging "Don Juan" who embarks on a cross-country journey to track ...
'' (2005), ''
Alpha Dog'' (2006), ''
Bobby'' (2006), ''
Fading Gigolo'' (2013), ''
The Disaster Artist'' (2017), ''
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese'' (2019), and ''
The Laundromat'' (2019).
On television, Stone has featured in the
ABC miniseries ''
War and Remembrance'' (1987), the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
television film ''
If These Walls Could Talk 2'' (2000),
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...
's ''
Mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
'' (2017) and
Ryan Murphy's ''
Ratched'' (2020). She made guest appearances in ''
The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...
'' (2004) and ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2010), winning the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for the former.
Early life
Sharon Vonne Stone was born on March 10, 1958, in
Meadville, Pennsylvania, to
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
parents Dorothy Marie (née Lawson), an accountant, and Joseph William Stone II, a
tool and die manufacturer and former factory worker. She has three siblings.
[Stated on '' Inside the Actors Studio'', 1999] She is mostly of Scotch-Irish and English descent. She has some Irish ancestry. In a 2013 interview with
Conan O'Brien, she stated that her Irish ancestors arrived in the United States during the
Great Famine. She has a reported
IQ of 154. Stone was considered academically gifted as a child and entered the second grade when she was five years old. Stone said that she and her sister were both
sexually abused as children by their maternal grandfather, in an interview to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in March 2021, while promoting her memoir ''
The Beauty of Living Twice''.
At 14, her neck was badly injured while
breaking a horse when the animal bucked as it charged toward a washing line.
She graduated from Saegertown High School in
Saegertown, Pennsylvania, in 1975.
[ Stone was admitted to Edinboro State College on a creative writing scholarship at age 15,][ but quit college and moved to New York City to become a fashion model.][ Inspired by ]Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
, in 2016 Stone went back to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania to complete her degree.
Career
Modeling and early screen appearances (1976–1989)
While attending Edinboro State College, Stone won the title of Miss Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and in 1976, was a candidate for Miss Pennsylvania.[ One of the pageant judges told her to quit college and move to New York City to become a fashion model.][ Stone left Meadville and moved in with an aunt in ]New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, and by 1977, she had been signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York City. She soon moved to Europe, living for a year in Milan and then in Paris. While living there, she decided to quit modeling and pursue acting. "So I packed my bags, moved back to New York, and stood in line to be an extra in a Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
movie", she later recalled. At 20, Stone was cast for a brief role in Allen's dramedy '' Stardust Memories'' (1980)[ and had a speaking part a year later in the horror film '' Deadly Blessing'' (1981).
French director ]Claude Lelouch
Claude Barruck Joseph Lelouch (; born 30 October 1937) is a French film director, writer, cinematographer, actor and producer. Lelouch grew up in an Algerian Jewish family. He emerged as a prominent director in the 1960s. Lelouch gained critical ...
cast Stone in the musical epic '' Les Uns et les Autres'' (1982), starring James Caan, but she was on screen for two minutes and did not appear in the credits. She secured guest-spots on the television series ''Silver Spoons
''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for th ...
'' (1982), '' Bay City Blues'' (1983), '' Remington Steele'' (1983), '' Magnum, P.I.'' (1984), and '' T. J. Hooker'' (1985); played a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife in the drama ''Irreconcilable Differences
The concept of irreconcilable differences provides possible grounds for divorce in the United States of America and Australia, among other jurisdictions.
Australia
Australian family law uses a no-fault divorce approach, and irreconcilable differe ...
'' (1984), opposite Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long and a young Drew Barrymore; and starred as a resourceful woman teaming up with a fortune hunter (played by Richard Chamberlain) in the action-centered '' King Solomon's Mines'' (1985) and '' Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold'' (1986), a light, comedic take on the ''Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
'' film series, which were poorly received by critics and audiences. In his review for ''King Solomon's Mines'', Walter Goodman of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' considered that Stone was "up to date as a spunky, sexy, smart-talking heroine with an effective right hook" but felt that the story was "lost in the effects". For her performance in ''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold'', she received her first Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...
nomination for Worst Actress.
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
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of 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,[ leading to her being cast in five feature films released throughout 1991. She played what ]Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
described as the "bad girl" in the romantic comedy '' He Said, She Said'', a sexually repressed woman in the psychological thriller ''Scissors
Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutting var ...
'', a wealthy blonde in the crime drama '' Diary of a Hitman'', 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),[ she took on the role that made her a star, playing Catherine Tramell, a brilliant ]bisexual
Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
novelist and alleged serial killer
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone:
*
*
*
*
* (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
. Several actresses at the time turned down the role, mostly because of the nudity
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...
required.
Critical response towards ''Basic Instinct'' was mixed, but Stone received critical acclaim for her "star-making performance"; Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' 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." Australian critic Shannon J. Harvey of ''The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' called the film "one of the best films of the early 1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...
, 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." For the part, Stone earned a Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, four MTV Movie Awards nominations, and a Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...
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.
Leading lady status (1993–1999)
In 1993, Stone played a femme fatale
A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
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
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...
nomination for Worst Actress but became a commercial success, grossing US$116.3 million at the international box office. 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
In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their ...
'', 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
Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
, in the action thriller ''The Specialist
''The Specialist'' is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Eric Roberts, and Rod Steiger. It is loosely based on "The Specialist" series of novels by John ...
''. While ''Intersection'' found limited success, ''The Specialist'' made US$170.3 million worldwide. For her work in both films, she won a Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...
and a Stinkers Bad Movie Award for Worst Actress, but was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female for ''The Specialist''.
In '' The Quick and the Dead'' (1995), Stone took on the role of a gunfighter who returns to a frontier town in an effort to avenge her father's death. She served as a producer on the film and had some creative control over the production;[Muir, pp. 171-179] she chose director Sam Raimi, after being impressed by his work on ''Army of Darkness
''Army of Darkness'' is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy film directed, co-written, and co-edited by Sam Raimi. The film is the third installment in the Evil Dead, ''Evil Dead'' film series and the sequel to ''Evil Dead II'' (1987). Starring ...
'', and co-star Russell Crowe after watching ''Romper Stomper
''Romper Stomper'' is a 1992 Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Le-Nguyen and Colin Chin. The film tel ...
''.[ She paid ]Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
's salary herself after a reluctance from Sony, the film's studio, over his casting. ''The Quick and the Dead'' was a modest profit and earned Stone a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress. Stone starred opposite Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...
in Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
's epic crime drama ''Casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
'' (1995), where she took on the role of Ginger McKenna, the scheming, self-absorbed wife of a top gambling handicapper (De Niro). The film, based on the non-fiction book '' Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas'' by Nicholas Pileggi
Nicholas Pileggi (, ; born February 22, 1933) is an American author and screenwriter. He wrote the 1985 non-fiction book ''Wiseguy (book), Wiseguy'' and co-wrote the screenplay for ''Goodfellas'', its 1990 film adaptation, for which he received ...
, received widespread critical acclaim, made US$116.1 million globally, and earned her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...
.[ During an interview with '']The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', published on January 28, 1996, Stone said of the response: "Thank God. I mean just finally, wow ..I am not getting any younger. It couldn't have happened at a better time". That year, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd, and was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.
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
A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...
'' (1998). The three aforementioned films were panned by critics and failed to find an audience in theaters. In 1998, Stone also lent her voice for the successful animated film '' Antz'', 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. Stone was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress may refer to:
*Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture is a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award th ...
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. 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", but most reviews were ultimately lukewarm. Helmut Voss, then president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gave the annual Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
, ordered all 82 of its members to return gift luxury watches sent by either Stone or October Films (now merged into Focus Features) as these were considered to be promotions for a nomination for Stone's performance in the film. 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
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American former comedian, actress, television host, writer, and producer.
She began her career in stand-up comedy in the early 1980s, gaining national attention with a 1986 appearance on '' ...
, in the HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
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'', ''Beautiful Joe'' premiered on cable television
Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...
instead of receiving a theatrical release in North America. 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".
Following her September 2001 hospitalization for a subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid (brain), arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the human brain, brain. Symptoms may include a thunderclap headache, severe heada ...
, 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 erplace" in Hollywood, and during a 2015 interview with ''USA Today'', she remarked: " henyou find yourself at the back of the line in your business, as I did, ouhave to figure yourself out all over again." 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
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...
''. For her performance, she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
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
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...
. '' 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". 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.
Independent films and ensemble dramas (2005–2017)
Her next film release was Jim Jarmusch
James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician.
He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
's dramedy ''Broken Flowers
''Broken Flowers'' is a 2005 French-American comedy drama, comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and produced by Jon Kilik and Stacey Smith. The film focuses on an aging "Don Juan" who embarks on a cross-country journey to track ...
'' (2005), in which Stone took on the role of a grasping and overly eager closet organizer who re-connects with a former womanizer (played by Bill Murray
William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...
). Unlike her previous few film outings, ''Broken Flowers'' was met with critical acclaim, upon its premiere at Cannes, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Grand Prix. '' Far Out Magazine'' ranked Stone's role among one of her "10 best performances", while ''New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City.
Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'' 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". In 2005, she was named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France.
After years of litigation, '' Basic Instinct 2'' was released on March 31, 2006. A reason for a long delay in releasing the film 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?". Despite an estimated budget of US$70 million, ''Basic Instinct 2'' placed only tenth in gross on its opening weekend with a meager US$3.2 million and finished 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. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was an arthouse success. She made part of an ensemble cast in Emilio Estevez
Emilio Estevez (; born May 12, 1962) is an American actor and filmmaker. The son of actor Martin Sheen and the older brother of Charlie Sheen, he made his film debut with an uncredited role in '' Badlands'' (1973). He later received his first ...
's drama '' Bobby'' (2006), about the hours leading up to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles), Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and pronounced dead the following day.
Kennedy, a United States senator and candidate in the 19 ...
. Stone received favorable comments for her performance, particularly a scene alongside Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
. 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 in the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast.
Stone took on the role of a clinically depressed woman in the independent drama '' When a Man Falls in the Forest'' (2007), which premiered in competition at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival where it was nominated for the Golden Bear
The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...
. All of her late 2000s films —'' If I Had Known I Was a Genius'' (2007), '' The Year of Getting to Know Us'' (2008), '' Five Dollars a Day'' (2009) and '' Streets of Blood'' (2009)— were direct-to-DVD releases in North America. In 2010, Stone made guest-appearances in four episodes of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', portraying Jo Marlowe, a former cop turned prosecutor. ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' included in a review such descriptions of her performance as a "great presence", and having "had to revive her best ..tone to sell hokey lines" in a series it described as "mawkish and overwrought". She took on the leading female role in the French action sequel '' Largo Winch II'' as a United Nations investigator named Diane Francken. Her first theatrical-released production since 2007, the film premiered on February 16, 2011, in France, where it opened in second place at the box office. She next starred as a hard-hitting journalist in the thriller '' Border Run'' (2012), which received a direct-to-DVD release.
In 2013, Stone played the mother of porn actress Linda Lovelace ( Amanda Seyfried) in the biographical drama '' Lovelace'', and a dermatologist seeking a ''ménage à trois
A () is a domestic arrangement or committed relationship consisting of three people in polyamorous romantic or sexual relations with each other, and often dwelling together. The phrase is a loan from French meaning "household of three". ...
'' in the Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
– John Turturro comedy '' Fading Gigolo''. Both films were released in limited theaters 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". 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
Giuseppe Avati, better known as Pupi Avati (born 3 November 1938), is an Italian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known to horror film fans for his two '' giallo'' masterpieces, '' The House with Laughing Windows'' (1976) and '' ...
, and portrayed America's first female Vice President in the TNT action drama series '' Agent X'', which only aired for one season. Stone next played an adoptive mother in the drama '' Mothers and Daughters'' (2016), a "lineman widow" and the "alcoholic mom" of a high-wire worker in the action film '' Life on the Line'' (2016), and a greedy billionaire in the drama '' Running Wild'' (2017). These three films all received a VOD release, to varying responses. 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.
Film and television balance (2018–present)
Stone returned to television in 2018, when she portrayed a murdered children's book author and illustrator in Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...
's HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
mystery production ''Mosaic
A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
'', which was released as an iOS/ Android mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...
serving as an interactive film and as a television drama. She received positive reviews for her performance. Maureen Ryan of '' Variety'' felt that the actress "displays terrific range and depth" and "holds the screen with effortless charisma", and Nick Schager of ''The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...
'' wrote that "Stone's turn is something close to masterful." She earned the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film.
In '' Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese'' (2019), a pseudo-documentary film covering Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue
The Rolling Thunder Revue was a 1975–76 concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan with numerous musicians and collaborators. The purpose of the tour was to allow Dylan, who was a major recording artist and concert performer, to play ...
concert tour, Stone played an exaggerated version of herself. The film was released on Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, to critical acclaim. Owen Gleiberman described her appearance as a "marketing hook" and further stated: "The presence of Sharon Stone embodies the spirit of he Hollywoodmachine. 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". She reunited with Soderbergh for ''The Laundromat'' (2019), in which she played a harried realtor, opposite Meryl Streep.
In Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
'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". The series garnered a decent critical response and was viewed by 48 million people in its first four weeks of release. 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.
In 2021, she also appeared as herself in the dramedy '' Here Today'', directed by Billy Crystal, and was cast in the romantic drama ''Beauty
Beauty is commonly described as a feature of objects that makes them pleasure, pleasurable to perceive. Such objects include landscapes, sunsets, humans and works of art. Beauty, art and taste are the main subjects of aesthetics, one of the fie ...
'', directed by Andrew Dosunmu for Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
.
Public image
In media and fashion
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. She has appeared on the covers and pictorials of over 300 celebrity and fashion magazines throughout her four-decade acting career. 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
''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'', 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
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
. Stone, who was Hurrell's reportedly last sitting before his death in 1992, 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
Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...
's commercial, ''Driving Instinct'', in 2005, became the face of Dior's Capture skincare line, and in 2016, starred with Paul Sculfor in Airfield's ( de) ''Fashion Is a Lovestory'' short film.
Stone's public and professional profiles have been strongly tied to her appearance and sex appeal. She has ranked among the "50 most beautiful people in the world" by ''People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' in 1992, the "100 sexiest stars in film history" by ''Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' in 1995 and 1997, and the "25 sexiest stars of the century" by ''Playboy'' in 1999. She has also been the subject of four television documentary specials, and several biographies have been written about her.
On her sex symbol image, Stone told Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
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". She posed nude for the September 2015 issue of ''Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
'', 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".
Criticism
On January 28, 2005, Stone helped solicit pledges for $1 million in five minutes for mosquito nets in Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
, turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fundraiser at the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
in Davos, Switzerland. Many observers, including UNICEF
UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
, criticized her actions by claiming that Stone had reacted instinctively to the words of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, because she had not done her research on the causes, consequences, and methods of preventing malaria
Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...
. Of the $1 million pledged, only $250,000 was actually raised. In order to fulfill the promise to send $1 million worth of bed nets to Tanzania, UNICEF contributed $750,000.[ A review of ] This diverted funds from other UNICEF projects. According to prominent economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin, officials are largely unaware of what happened with the bed nets. Some were delivered to the local airport. These reportedly were stolen and later resurfaced as wedding dresses on the local black market
A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...
.
Stone was criticized over her comments in an exchange on the red carpet with Hong Kong's '' Cable Entertainment News'' during the 2008 Cannes Film Festival
The 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2008. American actor and filmmaker Sean Penn served as jury president for the main competition. French filmmaker Laurent Cantet won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for th ...
on May 25, 2008. When asked about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
An earthquake occurred in the province of Sichuan, China at 14:28:01 China Standard Time on May 12, 2008. Measuring at 8.0 (7.9–8.3 ), the earthquake's epicenter was located boxing the compass, west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial ...
she remarked:
One of China's biggest cinema chains reacted to Stone's comments by declaring it would not show her films in its theaters. 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. Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were dropped from all ads in China amid the public uproar. Stone was removed from the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival guest list, and the event's organizers considered banning the actress permanently. 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
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', 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." 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." 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".
Personal life
Stone is a Tibetan Buddhist, having been converted to Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
when Richard Gere introduced her to the Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
. She has said she believes in God.
On September 29, 2001, Stone was hospitalized for a subarachnoid hemorrhage
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid (brain), arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the human brain, brain. Symptoms may include a thunderclap headache, severe heada ...
, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward :wikt:bulge, bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also b ...
, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization. She has stated while she was sick people took advantage of her and stole $18 million from her. She nearly went broke.
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.
Stone and comedian Garry Shandling were students of acting coach Roy London and dated briefly. She appeared on his show ''The Larry Sanders Show
''The Larry Sanders Show'' is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. Created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein, the show ran for six seasons and List of The Larry Sanders Show episodes, ...
'' in the episode "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show". They remained close friends until Shandling's death in 2016.
In 1993, Stone met William J. MacDonald on the set of the film '' Sliver'', which he co-produced. MacDonald left his wife for Stone and became engaged to her. They separated one year later in 1994. After they separated, Stone returned the engagement ring via FedEx
FedEx Corporation, originally known as Federal Express Corporation, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate holding company specializing in Package delivery, transportation, e-commerce, and ...
. While working on the film '' The Quick and the Dead'' in 1994, Stone met Bob Wagner, a first assistant director, and they became engaged.
On February 14, 1998, Stone married Phil Bronstein, executive editor of '' The San Francisco Examiner'' and later ''San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
''. Stone suffered several miscarriages due to an autoimmune disease and endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease in which Tissue (biology), tissue similar to the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, grows in other places in the body, outside the uterus. It occurs in women and a limited number of other female mammals. Endomet ...
and was unable to have children. They adopted a son in 2000. Bronstein filed for divorce in 2003, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce became final in 2004, with a judge ruling that their son should remain primarily with Bronstein, and Stone would have visitation rights.
Stone adopted her second son in 2005 and her third son in 2006. As of 2018, Stone resides with her three sons in West Hollywood, California, in a home once owned by the actor Montgomery Clift.
Activism
In March 2006, Stone traveled to Israel to promote peace in the Middle East through a press conference with Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
winner and former prime minister of Israel
The prime minister of Israel (, Hebrew abbreviations, Hebrew abbreviation: ; , ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief executive of the Israel, State of Israel.
Israel is a parliamentary republic with a President of Isra ...
Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres ( ; ; born Szymon Perski, ; 2 August 1923 – 28 September 2016) was an Israeli politician and statesman who served as the prime minister of Israel from 1984 to 1986 and from 1995 to 1996 and as the president of Israel from 2007 t ...
. In 2013, she referred to Peres, who was then serving as the president of Israel
The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...
, as her "mentor". On October 23, 2013, Stone received the Peace Summit Award for her work for people with HIV/AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
.
In 2015, Stone was guest of honor at the Pilosio Building Peace Award in Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. 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.
Selected filmography and accolades
In a career spanning over four decades, Stone has had over one hundred acting credits in film and on television. She has won 10 awards from 41 nominations, including one Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
(for ''Casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
''), one Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
(for ''The Practice
''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...
''), and two MTV Movie Awards (for '' Basic Instinct''). Her top-billing roles and most notable films include:
In December 2024, Sharon Stone was included on the BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's '' 100 Women'' list.
Bibliography
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Sharon
1958 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American Buddhists
Activists from California
Activists from Pennsylvania
Actresses from Pennsylvania
American female models
American female taekwondo practitioners
American film actresses
American health activists
American people of Scotch-Irish descent
American people of Irish descent
American television actresses
American voice actresses
Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
California Democrats
Converts to Buddhism
Pennsylvania Western University, Edinboro alumni
HIV/AIDS activists
Living people
Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Pennsylvania Democrats
People from Meadville, Pennsylvania
Primetime Emmy Award winners
Tibetan Buddhists from the United States