Born Helen Luella Koford on January 7, 1929, the Los Angeles, California native worked as a model before she made her film debut at age 11 in 20th Century Fox's Maryland (1940). Throughout the 1940s, she worked under a variety of names (her own, Judy Ford and January Ford) before settling on Terry Moore in 1948. Placed under contract by Columbia, Moore was loaned out to RKO for one of her most famous films, RKO's Mighty Joe Young (1949); she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Paramount's Come Back, Little Sheba (1952). In the 1970s, she was in the news more than she was in motion pictures, asserting that she was the secret wife of the late billionaire Howard Hughes. She has starred in 77 feature films and listed among her leading men are Hollywood's leading legends; including Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, Cary Grant, Tyrone Power, Glenn Ford, Mickey Rooney and Robert Wagner. Since she was a pilot herself, Terry played a major role in preparing Leonardo DiCaprio for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004).

Filmography

• 2027Merrily — Betty Clurman
• 2023Silent Life: The Story of the Lady in Black — Lady in Black
• 2015Aimy in a Cage — Grandma Micry
• 2015Mansion of Blood — Natalie
• True Detective — Lilly Hill
• 2012Margarine Wars — Miriam Cuningham
• 2007The Still Life — Mrs. Stratford
• 2006Kill Your Darlings — Ella Toscana
• 2005Buzz
• 2000Stageghost — Olive
• 1999Final Voyage — Christina
• 1998Mighty Joe Young — Elegant Woman at Party
• 1998Second Chances — Dallas Judd
• 1991Marilyn and Me — Woman at Hyde's Funeral
• America's Funniest Home Videos — Producer
• 1989Beverly Hills Brats — Veronica, Original Story, Producer
• 1989Going Overboard — Mistress
• 1989Hoodwinked — Sally
• 1987W.A.R.: Women Against Rape — Mrs. McCormack
• Wiseguy
• True Confessions
• 1985Hellhole — Sidnee Hammond
• Murder, She Wrote — Florence
• Knight Rider — Molly Friedrich
• Matt Houston — Emily Armor
• 1978Death Dimension — Madam Maria
• The Love Boat — Mrs. Clark
• 1976Smash-Up on Interstate 5 — Trudy
• 1972The Daredevil — Julie Thompson
• 1971Mean Justice — Connie Garrett
• 1970Quarantined — Martha Atkinson
• 1970The Weird World of Weird
• 1968A Man Called Dagger — Harper Davis
• Batman — Venus
• 1966Waco — Dolly
• 1965Black Spurs — Anna Elkins
• 1965City of Fear — Suzan
• 1965Town Tamer — Susan Tavenner
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
• Burke's Law — Sarah Kingston, Nikki Manners, Felice Knight
• Empire — Connie Garrett
• The Virginian — Alma Wilson
• My Three Sons
• 1960Platinum High School — Jennifer Evans
• 1960Why Must I Die — Lois King
• 1959A Private's Affair — Louise Wright
• Bonanza — Lydia Yates
• 1959Cast a Long Shadow — Janet Calvert
• Rawhide — Dallas Storm
• The Rebel — Janice Dutton
• 1957Bernardine — Jean Cantrick
• 1957Peyton Place — Betty Anderson
• 1957The Clouded Image — Eleanor
• 1956Between Heaven and Hell — Jenny Gifford
• 1956No Right to Kill — Lisa
• 1955Daddy Long Legs — Linda Pendleton
• 1955Portrait of Alison — Alison Ford
• 1955Shack Out on 101 — Kotty
• The 20th Century Fox Hour — Ann Winslow
• Climax! — Rosa, Chris, Julie
• 1953Beneath the 12-Mile Reef — Gwyneth Rhys
• 1953Come Back, Little Sheba — Marie Buckholder
• General Electric Theater — Evvy Jeffers
• 1953King of the Khyber Rifles — Susan Maitland
• 1953Man on a Tightrope — Tereza Cernik
• The Ford Television Theatre — Susan Randall
• 1951Sunny Side of the Street — Betty Holloway
• 1951The Barefoot Mailman — Adie Titus
• 1951Two of a Kind — Kathy McIntyre
• 1950Gambling House — Lynn Warren
• 1950He's a Cockeyed Wonder — Judy Sears
• 1950The Great Rupert — Rosalinda Amendola
• 1949Mighty Joe Young — Jill Young
• Studio One — Annabelle
• 1948Summer Holiday — Hatcheck Girl (uncredited)
• 1948The Return of October — Terry Ramsey
• 1947Heartaches — Girl in Movie with Vic (uncredited)
• 1947The Devil On Wheels — Rusty Davis (as Jan Ford)
• 1946Shadowed — Virginia 'Ginny' Johnson (as Helen Koford)
• 1945Son of Lassie — Thea (as Helen Koford)
• 1945The Clock — Girl at Museum (uncredited)
• 1944Gaslight — Paula Alquist, Age 14 (uncredited)
• 1944Since You Went Away — Refugee Child on Train (uncredited)
• 1944Sweet and Low-Down — Snub-Nosed Girl on Dance Floor (uncredited)
• 1943True to Life — Little Girl (uncredited)
• 1942A-Haunting We Will Go — Dante's Young Admirer (uncredited)
• 1942My Gal Sal — Carrie Dreiser (uncredited)
• 1942On the Sunny Side — Schoolgirl (uncredited)
• 1941One Foot in Heaven — Choir Member (uncredited)
• 1940Maryland — Linda - Age 10 (uncredited)
• 1940The Howards of Virginia — Neighbor Girl (uncredited)

Appearances as themselves (19)

• 2025Sinatra! Eternity — Self
• 2024The Story of Terry Moore: The Last Living Legend of Hollywood — Herself
• 2021Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists! — Self
• 2021Titans of Destruction: The Evolution of Giant Monster Movies — Self - (archive footage)
• 2018Frank and Ava — Self
• 2015Tab Hunter Confidential — Self
• 2014Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film — Self
• 2003Rita — Self
• 2000Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies — Self
• 1996Burt Lancaster: Daring to Reach — Self
• 1983Do It Debbie's Way — Self
• 1975Paesano — Self
• 1967Lionpower from MGM — Self - Harper Davis (archive footage) (uncredited)
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self
• Tonight Starring Jack Paar — Self
• The Colgate Comedy Hour — Self
• What's My Line? — Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• All About Alfred — Self