Gwyneth Paltrow

Background

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and businesswoman who has been exposed to the film and acting lifestyle since childhood. Paltrow’s mother, Blythe Danner, is an actress, and her father, Bruce Paltrow, is a film producer and director. She has one younger brother, Jake, who has also grown up to be a director and screenwriter. Paltrow’s entire family, from uncles to cousins to godparents, are all well known in the entertainment industry. She was born and raised in California in a wealthy household, and attended an all-girls private school. After high school, she attended the University of California to study art history but later dropped out to pursue her acting career.

In 1989, when Paltrow was just 17 years old, she made her acting debut in a film that her father directed called “High,” and in 1990, made her professional stage debut at the “Williamstown Theater Festival” where she used to watch her mother perform growing up. In 1991, she starred in two films, a musical romance film called “Shout,” and an adventure film directed by her godfather, Steven Spielberg, called “Hook.” Paltrow was mentioned in “The New York Times” by a journalist who called her a ‘scene-stealer’ because of her beauty, after starring in the popular 1993 film “Flesh and Bone.” She became widely recognized in 1995 after she was cast in the thriller film called “Se7en” alongside Brad Pitt, who later became her boyfriend, and Morgan Freeman. Her performance in “Se7en” earned her a nomination for the ‘Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.’ In 1998, Paltrow’s acting career was at its peak as she starred in five high-profile films. During the same year, she starred in “Great Expectations,” “Sliding Doors,” “Hush,” “A Perfect Murder,” and lastly, “Shakespeare in Love.” Her performance in “Shakespeare in Love” made her the winner of various awards in 1999, including the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role,’ the ‘Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical,’ and an ‘Academy Award for Best Actress.’ Paltrow showed the industry that she is more than just an actress with her singing skills in 2000. She performed a cover song for Smokey Robinson’s song ‘Cruisin,’ which was number one in Australia, and Kim Carnes’s ‘Bette Davis Eyes,’ which was number three, after both were released as singles.

In 2008, Paltrow took a different stance on her acting when she agreed to a role in “Iron Man,” her first Marvel film, which was also the highest-grossing film she’s starred in. In 2009, she narrated a children’s audio book series called “The Brown Bear and Friends” by Bill Martin Jr., which earned her a ‘Grammy Award’ nomination for ‘Best Spoken World Album for Children.’

She reprised her role in “Iron Man” one and two in 2010 and 2013, and in Marvel’s “The Avengers” in 2012, as well as its sequels. In 2017, she starred in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Her performance in the “Iron Man” movies has earned her various award nominations. Apart from acting, Paltrow also has her own wellness and lifestyle company called “Goop,” which she started in 2008 and took a break from acting to focus on. She later expanded her business into e-commerce, a print magazine, podcast, and a Netflix documentary series. She has also published several cookbooks, with her first one titled “My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness” published in 2011. Today, Paltrow is married to Brad Falchuk and has a daughter and son from her previous marriage with Chris Martin.