He sold his house, organized raffles in a church, and borrowed money from friends and family to be able to make his first documentary, Roger & Me (1989). We are talking about Michael Moore, who at 71 years old continues to be the major social critic in the United States, particularly targeting the policies of Donald Trump (78). When he first gained recognition, the Washington Post described him as "a bully with a camera." The young man at the time was already showing promise.
His first work did well, investing $166,000 and generating $7.7 million in worldwide box office sales. In 2003, he received ultimate recognition when he won an Oscar for Best Documentary for Bowling for Columbine, a plea against the free proliferation of guns in the US and the increase in violence in his country following the massacre at Columbine High School (Colorado) in 1999. One of the most famous scenes was his confrontation with the legendary Charlton Heston, President of the National Rifle Association of the United States.
Undoubtedly, the documentarian became the main critic of the Bush administration and specifically of President George, whom he portrayed as nothing short of a devil.
One of the collaborators in the documentary was his wife Kathleen Glynn, whom he married in 1991, who also worked as a producer on other well-known documentaries by her husband such as Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), Sicko (2007), and Capitalism: A Love Story (2009). Thanks to the massive success of his critical works against the prevailing society at each moment, Moore began to amass a significant fortune estimated by experts at $50 million.
This became one of the most contentious points during the divorce process that the filmmaker initiated in 2013 after almost 22 years of marriage. At stake were nine real estate properties, including a 1,000-square-meter mansion on Torch Lake in Michigan and a condominium in Manhattan that had previously been divided into three apartments. The couple has a daughter named Natalie.
When Michael Moore's vast wealth became public, many turned against him, accusing him of being a hypocritical opportunist since his documentaries have mainly focused on various protests against capitalism.
In 2005, now 20 years ago, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world and he founded the Traverse City Film Festival, which hosts groundbreaking films and documentaries every year. From his Instagram account, the veteran filmmaker continues his relentless battle against Donald Trump's status quo, where in a dozen of his latest photos, a massive gathering can be seen with signs reading "bullies out of government." His latest documentary was Planet of the Humans (2019).