Claim: Demi Moore gained recognition for acting in St. Elmo's Fire.

Demi Gene Guynes -LRB- -LSB- dəˈmiː -RSB- ; born November 11 , 1962 -RRB- , professionally known as Demi Moore , is an American actress , former songwriter , and model . Moore dropped out of high school at age 16 to pursue an acting career and appeared in the men 's magazine Oui in 1981 . After making her film debut later that year , she appeared on the soap opera General Hospital and subsequently gained recognition for her work in Blame It on Rio -LRB- 1984 -RRB- and St. Elmo 's Fire -LRB- 1985 -RRB- . Her first film to become both a critical and commercial hit was About Last Night ... -LRB- 1986 -RRB- , which established her as a Hollywood star .   In 1990 , Moore starred in Ghost , the highest-grossing film of that year , for which she received a Golden Globe nomination . She had a string of additional box-office successes in the early 1990s , including A Few Good Men -LRB- 1992 -RRB- , Indecent Proposal -LRB- 1993 -RRB- , and Disclosure -LRB- 1994 -RRB- . In 1996 , Moore became the highest-paid actress in film history when she was paid a then-unprecedented fee of $ 12.5 million to star in Striptease , a film that was a high-profile disappointment . Her next major role , G.I. Jane -LRB- 1997 -RRB- , for which she famously shaved her head , was followed by a lengthy break and significant downturn in Moore 's career , although she has remained a subject of substantial media interest during the years since .