Born:
September 28, 1972
in
Los Angeles
Best Known For:
Shakespeare in Love
Early-life:
Born Gwyneth Kate Paltrow on September 28, 1972, in Los Angeles. Her father was producer and director Bruce Paltrow and her mother is actress Blythe Danner. She has a younger brother, Jake. After attending school in New York and spending time in Spain during her teens, she moved to California to study art history at university, but dropped out after a year. Paltrow then decided to concentrate on acting, something she had been encouraged to do from her early years by her parents.
Career:
After appearing in several plays, she made her movie debut in 1991's Shout. She was standing in a cinema queue when family friend Steven Spielberg asked whether she fancied playing Wendy in Hook. Further roles followed, but she didn't become a star until 1995's Seven. Since then, Paltrow has appeared in Emma, A Perfect Murder, Sliding Doors, Shakespeare in Love (for which she won an Oscar), The Talented Mr Ripley, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Sylvia. She has also starred in the West End play Proof, as well as the film version. More recent projects include Love and Other Disasters and the Iron Man movies.
Quote:
"I sort of look at some peers of mine and I think, 'No, you've got it all wrong!' I just want to tell them all to have babies and be happy and not get sucked into that Hollywood thing."
Trivia:
Away from acting, Paltrow has written two cookbooks.