Demetria Guynes was born on the 11th of November 1962, in Roswell, New Mexico. Not only was her family poverty stricken, but her family life wasn't much to cheer about either. The future soap opera actress' childhood was a drama in itself.

By the time she was 18, Demi's family had experienced divorce, poverty, alcoholism, and suicide. Her father left the family before she was born and her mother married Danny Guynes, a newspaper ad salesman. His unstable job forced the family to move around from time to time, and whatever money he did make was lost to gambling.

To add to her less than positive upbringing, her cross-eyed condition, which was finally corrected thanks to two operations, did not help her much. After her surgery, Demi used her looks to earn some money modeling in Europe (after dropping out of high school), and put her now trademark raspy voice to work as a collection agent.

Demi's years as an 18-year-old were marked with a funeral and a wedding. Her father committed suicide, while Demi married rock musician Freddy Moore, who was twelve years her senior. Her short-lived marriage did more than make Demi Mrs. Moore; it is what led her to pursue an acting career. Demi and Freddy lived next door to actress Nastassja Kinski, who inspired Demi to become an actress.

Demi earned her start as an actress on the soap opera General Hospital (which also later triggered the career of Vanessa Marcil. After a few unsuccessful films, Demi left the soap in 1984 after appearing as Michael Caine's daughter in Blame It On Rio.

That same year, Demi became a member of the Brat Pack with a role in St. Elmo's Fire. While playing a dual role as a cocaine-addict, both on and off-screen, she finally kicked the habit after receiving an ultimatum from the film's director. The 80's were marked with an engagement to Emilio Estevez, a marriage to Bruce Willisand some more film roles, but none as memorable as her role in Ghost

Demi's star rose to the top of the box office after the commercial and critical success of 1990's romantic tearjerker Ghost. Her role in the courtroom drama A Few Good Men, co-starring heavy hitters Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise secured her role in Hollywood, and made audiences forgive her for her roles in Mortal Thoughts, Nothing But Trouble and The Butcher's Wife.

In 1994, Demi starred in Indecent Proposal, which garnered her an MTV Movie Award for Best Onscreen Kiss. That same year, she co-starred with Michael Douglasin Disclosure, where her physical assets were disclosed to audiences worldwide.

What followed were a string of box-office disappointments, with The Scarlet Letter, Now and Then and The Juror. The buzz and hype surrounding her controversial film Striptease were the only reason to flock to the theatres -- well, aside from the obvious fact that Demi was playing a stripper. This was the film that placed Demi among the highest paid female actresses, with a salary of $12.5 million.

After her role in Striptease, Demi disappeared from the spotlight, only to resurface with a role in G.I. Jane and a highly publicized separation from her husband of 11 years, Bruce Willis

Demi is not only an actress and former model, she is also an avid doll collector and hopes to someday open a doll museum; a businesswoman (she owns a stake of the waning Planet Hollywood with Sylvester Stallone Arnold Schwarzeneggerand Bruce Willis; not to mention the mother of her three daughters with Bruce Willis-- Rumer Glenn, Scout LaRue and Tallulah Belle.

Demi's time in the spotlight is also due to her behavior in the media. She appeared nude in the 80's for the magazine Oui and twice on the cover of Vanity Fair; once while 7 months pregnant, and a second time covered in body paint.

Demi has also appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman before the release of Striptease, with nothing but a bikini and the top-ten list cards covering her, successfully disproving rumors that she is too fat to appear in the movie. And just as Demi-hype calmed down in the media, she again proved to audiences that she was fit enough to star as a Marine in G.I. Jane, by doing one-arm pushups on the Late Show.

Demi returns to the spotlight after a 3-year hiatus, this time in this summer's Passion of Mind.

Enough is known as much (if not less) for her film roles as she is for her media antics and personal life. She may have been out of the spotlight in recent years, but Demi's rise from a drug and suicide-infused adolescence to her commercial success, as well as her status as one of the highest paid female actresses, is impossible to overlook.