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When Ashton was 13, his parents got divorced & have since remarried giving him step-siblings. Also that year his brother required a heart transplant. When he was 15 his
mom (& stepdad Mark) moved all 3 kids to Homestead, Iowa - a small farm community with a population of around 100. That move changed his high school from Cedar Rapids Washington to Clear Creek Amana.
In High School Ashton excelled in sports including football & wrestling. But being athletic paid it's toll both socially (he was teased for also being in drama) & physically (he had many
injuries). Although appearing in plays & musicals since his debut as a thief in The Crying Princess and the Golden Goose in 7th grade, it wasn't until senior year that he got his biggest role to
date; Daddy Warbucks in Annie. Ashton was so excited he shaved his head, but it was another radical move that cost him the part. Just before graduation Ashton & some friends broke into the school
after hours in attempts to steal money from the vending machines. He was caught and besides getting in trouble with the law, he was denied all HS extra-curricular activities including the play.
After he graduated in 1996 he decided to attend the University of Iowa. There he decided to study biochemical engineering in order to someday find a cure for the illness Michael had. At U of I he was a
member of the Delta Chi fraternity. To help pay for college, Ashton swept up cereal at a General Mills factory, skinned deer, and washed dishes. He was so poor that he donated a lot of blood while at
university. His college education was cut short however after he was discovered in a bar by a local modeling agent who suggested he enter the Fresh Faces of Iowa modeling contest. The 1st prize was a
trip to NYC to compete in the 1997 International Model & Talent Agency competition. He didn't win but this led to a modelling career in NYC.
Kutcher's looks and determination landed him roles
in a National Pizza Hut commercial, an NYU student film entitled Distance, and a Calvin Klein Jeans campaign. Before he knew it he was traveling around the world modeling for magazines & on the
runway.
In the Spring of 1998 he went to LA for auditions on new NBC pilots for upcoming TV shows. He had 2 auditions that day; 1 was for Wind on Water and the other was That '70s Show. He
landed both. He chose wisely (not wanting to be a cowboy surfer) since Wind on Water was cancelled after two episodes.
Ashton soon made the move into working on feature films. His film debut was
in the independent feature Coming Soon, opposite Gaby Hoffman, followed by appearances in Down to You, Reindeer Games and Texas Rangers (all 2000). Although his feature Dude, Where's My Car (2000)
offered lowbrow comedy aimed at teenagers, it was a success at the box office and Kutcher suddenly found himself being asked to star in more Hollywood feature comedies such as Just Married (2003) and My
Boss's Daughter (2003), all while continuing to star on That '70s Show. He lost out to Josh Hartnett for a role in Pearl Harbor (2001).
Ashton often wears the same beaded necklace in pictures,
interviews, and around town. He was voted One of Teen People Magazine's "25 Hottest Stars under 25" [2002]
Kutcher, who divides his time between New York and Los Angeles, is currently
dating actress Demi Moore, almost 16 years his senior.
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