Guide Note

Michael Moore is an Academy Award winning director and outspoken liberal commentator. The filmmaker has made several notable documentaries, including Roger and Me, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko. A self-described liberal, Moore's films typically have a progressive or liberal bias.¹

Fast Facts

1. Born: April 23, 1954 in Michigan
2. Authored three best-selling books
3. Became famous for his controversial 1989 film, Roger & Me
4. Married to Kathleen Glynn
5. Will release his latest documentary film Slacker Uprising for free on the Internet on September 23, 2008

Moore's first film Roger and Me was released in 1989 to much critical acclaim. It chronicled the closure of GM plants throughout Michigan and the opening of new ones in Mexico. It is essentially a documentary about the effects of globalization on the American economy.²

Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Bowling for Columbine, a documentary examining the gun culture in the United States and the tragic shooting at Columbine high school in 1999. The film contained a controversial interview with Charlton Heston, then president of the NRA.³

Perhaps his most controversial film, Moore directed Fahrenheit 9/11 in response to the Bush Administration's "War on Terror" and invasion of Iraq. The film chronicles the links between the bin Laden family and the Bush family, as well as the decisions of officials immediately following 9-11 that contributed to the invasion of Iraq.⁴

Sicko is a film chronicling the failures of the American heath insurance industry and comparing America's health care system to that of other countries with Universal health care, including Canada, Britain, France, and Cuba.