Sharon Stone - Movies, Basic Instinct & Casino

Sharon Stone is an Oscar-nominated actress known for her roles in a variety of films, including 'Total Recall,' 'Basic Instinct,' 'Sliver,' 'Casino' and 'Lovelace.'

Who Is Sharon Stone?

Sharon Stone worked as a model before launching into film, landing roles in features like Irreconcilable Differences and Total Recall. She created major buzz with her scintillating lead part in Basic Instinct, with later roles in Sliver, Gloria and If These Walls Could Talk 2. She was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for Casino.

Early Career

Sharon Yvonne Stone was born on March 10, 1958, in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The daughter of a factory worker, Stone won a scholarship to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania at age 15. At Edinboro, she studied creative writing and fine arts. Upon graduation, the Miss Pennsylvania beauty pageant winner decided to pursue a modeling career in New York where she signed with the Ford agency. By the late 1970s, Stone was a highly sought-after model, appearing in both print and television ads nationwide.

Stone decided to branch out into acting in the 1980s, making a number of television and movie appearance throughout the decade. She played the memorable role of Blake Chandler in the 1984 Golden Globe-nominated comedy, Irreconcilable Differences. She also earned laughs in the popular comedy film, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987).

Breakthrough Role

Her breakthrough film role came in 1990 with the Philip K. Dick action thriller, Total Recall. Stone played Lori, the gorgeous but deadly wife of Douglas Quaid (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger). The film did well with fans, grossing more than $100 million at U.S. box offices. In an effort to promote the film, Stone also appeared that year in a Playboy magazine spread. Her photo shoot earned her a spot on the magazine's "Top 25 Sexiest Stars of the Century" list.

In 1992, Stone landed the unforgettable role of a bisexual murder suspect in the blockbuster film Basic Instinct. Stone sparked controversy for a particular scene in the film, which required her to cross and uncross her legs in a way which revealed she was not wearing underwear. While Stone initially claimed she was not aware of the level of nudity that would be revealed in the film, she later recanted.

The film was a blockbuster hit, and earned Stone Golden Globe and Saturn award nominations for her performance. She also landed on People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list shortly after the film's release.

Career Highlights

Subsequent films, including Sliver (1993) and The Specialist (1994), did not fare as well with critics or fans. The lull in her career led some to claim that her success had more to do with her simmering sexuality than her acting. But Stone proved the critics wrong in 1995 with Martin Scorsese's Casino. The film won Stone a Golden Globe as well as an Academy Award nomination, and put Stone back in the limelight.

Following the win, she took on a number of dramatic roles including The Quick and the Dead (1995) and Last Dance (1996). She finished the decade with a number of uneven films, including Sphere in 1998 and Gloria in 1999, but received praise for her comedic performance in The Muse that same year.

The actress recovered, and returned to the big screen in 2004 as the co-star of Catwoman with Benjamin Bratt and Halle Berry.

In the more recent years, Stone has appeared in several smaller independent films including Broken Flowers, starring Bill Murray, and Bobby, written by actor Emilio Estevez. In 2020, she appeared in the TV show Ratched.

Personal Life

In 2001, Stone encountered health problems after a severe headache turned into a brain hemorrhage. Stone married producer Michael Greenburg in 1984. The couple divorced three years later. In 1998 she married again, this time to San Francisco Chronicle Executive Editor Phil Bronstein. The couple adopted a son, Roan Joseph, before their divorce in 2004. Since then, Stone adopted two more sons: Laird Vonne (2005) and Quinn Kelly (2006).