She began her acting career in 1983 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the soap opera As the World Turns, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1988. She began to appear in supporting roles in films during the early 1990s, in films such as The Fugitive and Short Cuts, the latter of which won her and the rest of the cast a Golden Globe for their ensemble performance, before her performance in Boogie Nights (1997) which brought her widespread attention and nominations for several major acting awards. Her success continued with films such as The End of the Affair (1999) and Magnolia (1999). She was acclaimed for her portrayal of a betrayed wife in Far from Heaven (2002), winning several critic awards as best actress of the year, in addition to several other nominations, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award. The same year she was also nominated for several awards as best supporting actress for her work in The Hours. Most recently she starred in the Sundance hit The Kids Are All Right, for which she received a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination. Throughout her career she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and five Screen Actors Guild awards.
In November 2006, Moore made her Broadway debut in the world premiere of David Hare's new play The Vertical Hour, directed by Sam Mendes.2006 also saw the releasing of three of her films: Freedomland, which opened in February to mixed reviews,followed by Trust the Man, directed by her husband Bart Freundlich, and the critically acclaimed science fiction feature Children of Men. The following year she appeared opposite Nicolas Cage and Jessica Biel in Next, a science fiction action film based on The Golden Man, a short story by Philip K. Dick; and the controversial incest film Savage Grace, the story of a high-society mother and son whose Oedipal relationship ends in tragedy. In 2008, she starred alongside Mark Ruffalo in Blindness, a thriller from director Fernando Meirelles.
The next year Moore appeared opposite Colin Firth in the well-received American drama A Single Man, for which she received her fifth Golden Globe nomination. When the cancellation of As the World Turns was announced in late 2009, Moore decided to honor the soap that brought her fame and temporarily returned for a few days as Frannie Hughes, to which fans responded with great admiration. During the 2009–2010 season of 30 Rock, she had a guest role as Nancy Donovan, a love interest for Alec Baldwin's character.
In 2010, Moore starred in the erotic thriller Chloe, theatrically released by Sony Pictures Classics and grossing $3 million in the United States. Moore next appeared in the comedy-drama The Kids Are All Right, co-starring Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo; Moore was instrumental in getting the film made and in getting Bening involved. The film was both a critical and commercial success, garnering acting and production nominations from the Gotham Awards, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards, as well as winning the Golden Globe Award for "Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy"
