Gwyneth Paltrow biography

Synopsis

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, the daughter of Tony Award-winning actress Blythe Danner and television producer Bruce Paltrow, began acting as a child soon earning small film roles inShout (1991) and Hook (1991). In 1995, she appeared in the controversial film Se7en alongside Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. From there,

television producer Bruce Paltrow, Paltrow grew up no stranger to the world of Hollywood. After living in Los Angeles, Paltrow moved with her family to New York at age 11. The precocious young blonde made her stage debut at just 5 years old in a theater in Massachusetts's Berkshire Mountains, where her mother performed in summer stock.

As she grew up, Paltrow's burgeoning beauty and developing acting talent began to win her small film roles, beginning with Shout andHook in 1991. After a well-received spot opposite her mother on the television miniseries Cruel Doubt (1992), Paltrow decided to abandon her art history studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara to pursue acting full time.

Early Career

The decision paid off - Paltrow won a string of roles in films likeMalice (1993), co-starring Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin, Flesh and Bone (1993), and Jefferson in Paris (1995), co-starring Nick Nolte. In 1995, Paltrow appeared in the controversial film Se7enwith Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt.

A romance with the latter helped propel Paltrow into the headlines, just as she began to win starring roles in The Pallbearer (1996),Emma (1996), Great Expectations (1998) and A Perfect Murder(1998) with Michael Douglas. Paltrow confirmed her superstar status with an inspired performance in 1998's Shakespeare in Love, as the immortal Bard's purported muse. The role won her a Best Actress Oscar and made her one of Hollywood's most sought-after female performers.

The willowy blonde also made a name for herself in the gossip columns with much-publicized relationships and break-ups with both Pitt and Ben Affleck, the Oscar-winning co-screenwriter of Good Will Hunting (1997). Affleck also appeared (in a relatively small role) in Shakespeare in Love. He and Paltrow broke up amicably in early 1998 after a yearlong romance.

Mid-Career

In 1999, Paltrow starred with Matt Damon in director Anthony Minghella's lush production of The Talented Mr. Ripley, a novel by Patricia Highsmith. In 2000, she starred in the karaoke comedy-drama Duets, directed by her father, Bruce Paltrow, and the romantic Bounce, opposite Affleck.