Monday 19 September 2011

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow, born September 27, 1972 is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en (1995) and Emma (1996) (in which she played the title role). Following the films, Sliding Doors (1998) and A Perfect Murder (1998), Paltrow garnered worldwide recognition through her performance in Shakespeare in Love (1998), for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, for Outstanding Lead Actress and as a member of the Outstanding Cast. She also won a Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011 for her role as Holly Holiday on the FOX hit TV show Glee in the episode The Substitute
Since then, Paltrow has portrayed supporting as well as lead roles in films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Shallow Hal (2001), and Proof (2005), for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in Motion Picture Drama. In 2008, she appeared in the highest grossing movie of her career, the superhero film Iron Man (2008), and then reprised her role as Pepper Potts in its sequel, Iron Man 2 (2010). Paltrow also appeared in the television series, Glee, and has been the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume since 2005. In the same 2011 weekend as winning her Emmy Award she appeared in the number one film at the US box office, the ensemble plague drama Contagion. She is married to Chris Martin, the lead vocalist of Coldplay. They have two children together, Apple and Moses.




Early life


Paltrow was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Blythe Danner, an actress, and Bruce Paltrow, a film and television director and producer. Her father was of Ashkenazi Russian Jewish descent, and her mother is a Quaker of Pennsylvania Dutch and more distant white Barbadian ancestry. Paltrow's paternal great-great-grandfather, whose surname was "Palterowicz", was a rabbi in Nowogród, Poland. Paltrow has a younger brother, Jake Paltrow, and is a half-cousin of actress Katherine Moennig, and a second cousin of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-08).


Career


Early work, 1990–1996
After spending several summers watching her mother perform at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, Paltrow made her professional stage debut there in 1990. Her film debut followed next year with Shout (1991), starring John Travolta, she was cast by Steven Spielberg in his film, Hook (1991), as the young Wendy Darling. 




Worldwide recognition


In 1998, Paltrow starred in Shakespeare in Love, portraying the fictional lover of William Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes. The film earned more than US$100 million in box office receipts in the United States and Paltrow gained critical acclaim for her portrayal. Entertainment Weekly commented, "Best of all is Gwyneth Paltrow, who, at long last, has a movie to star in that's as radiant as she is." The New York Times summed up her turn as Viola as such: "Gwyneth Paltrow, in her first great, fully realized starring performance, makes a heroine so breathtaking that she seems utterly plausible as the playwright's guiding light.
In 1999, Paltrow co-starred in The Talented Mr. Ripley alongside Jude Law, Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett which earned $80 million domestically and received positive reviews. She showcased her singing ability in 2000's Duets, which was directed by her father and co-starred singer Huey Lewis. The same year, Paltrow co-starred with Ben Affleck in the romantic drama Bounce as Abby Janello. mixed reviews.




Recent work, 2004–present


Since the Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, Paltrow's film success has been less noteworthy. She said she was unequipped for the pressure, leading to several bad movie choices, agreeing with peers who believe the win is, in some ways, a curse.
Robert called me and he said, 'This is gonna be fun, and this is gonna be good.' And then he said to me, 'Don't you want to be in a movie that people see?' And I was like, 'Whoa! What would that feel like?' And he's right. Moviemaking is not supposed to be a masturbatory exercise; it's supposed to be shared by other people. ”
In 2010, Paltrow reprised her role in the sequel to Iron Man, Iron Man 2. Later in 2010, she appeared in the musical, Country Strong, where she also recorded the song Country Strong for the films' soundtrack. The song was released to country radio in August 2010. At the 83rd Academy Awards, Paltrow performed the song "Coming Home" from the film which was nominated for Best Original Song. She also appeared in Fox's Glee, as substitute teacher, Holly Holliday who fills in for Matthew Morrison's character when he falls ill. She sang "Nowadays" from the musical Chicago with Lea Michele, Cee Lo Green's "Forget You" and Gary Glitter's "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)", plus a mash-up of "Singin' In the Rain" and Rihanna's "Umbrella" with Morrison, Mark Salling and Chris Colfer in the episode. She later performed "Forget You" with Cee-Lo Green himself and The Muppets at the 2011 Grammy Awards. She reprised her role later that season performing "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" by Gary Glitter, an acoustic version of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac and "Kiss" by Prince. In 2011, Paltrow appeared in the Steven Soderbergh thriller Contagion, in which she was part of an ensemble cast, including Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard and her The Talented Mr. Ripley co-stars, Matt Damon and Jude Law.




Other projects


Paltrow is a Save the Children artist ambassador, raising awareness about World Pneumonia Day. She is on the board of the Robin Hood Foundation, a charitable organization that works to alleviate poverty in New York City.[citation needed] In February 2009, Paltrow received a Grammy nomination for her reading of the classic bear books of author Bill Martin, Jr.
In May 2005, Paltrow became the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume. She appeared in Chicago on 17 August 2007, to sign bottles of the perfume, and on 8 July 2008, she promoted Lauder's Sensuous perfume in New York with the company's three other models. Estée Lauder donates a minimum of $500,000 of sales of items from the 'Pleasures Gwyneth Paltrow' collection to breast cancer research. In 2006, she became the face for Bean Pole International, a Korean fashion brand.
In October 2007, she signed for a PBS television series Spain... on the road Again with Mario Batali that showcases the food and culture of Spain. 




Personal life


In her early '20s, Paltrow was engaged for six months to actor Brad Pitt, whom she dated from December 1994 to May 1997. The engagement was called off, according to Paltrow, because she wasn't ready for marriage and later felt responsible for hurting Pitt since she was "such a mess" during that time in her life.[50] Paltrow has since said that as this was her first high-profile relationship with another celebrity, it taught her the need for public discretion about her romantic life; she told Biography magazine, "I said things about being in a relationship [with Brad Pitt] that felt wrong to me even as I was saying them."
Paltrow had an on-off three year relationship with actor Ben Affleck from 1997 to late 2000. They first dated from November 1997 to January 1999. Soon after their breakup, Paltrow convinced Affleck to work in the film Bounce with her; during the making of the film, which was shot in mid 1999, the couple started dating again and eventually broke up in October 2000. Paltrow has said that she stopped reading celebrity magazines in 1999.
In October 2002, Paltrow met Chris Martin of the British rock group Coldplay backstage three weeks after the death of her father Bruce Paltrow. They married on December 5, 2003 in a ceremony at a hotel in Southern California. On 14 May 2004, the couple had their first child, a girl named Apple Blythe Alison Martin. Paltrow explained the unusual first name on Oprah, saying: "It sounded so sweet and it conjured such a lovely picture for me – you know, apples are so sweet and they're wholesome and it's biblical – and I just thought it sounded so lovely and … clean! And I just thought, 'Perfect!'" The child's godfathers are Simon Pegg and Martin's bandmate, Jonny Buckland.
Her second child, a boy named Moses Bruce Anthony Martin, was born on 8 April 2006, in New York City's Mount Sinai Hospital.[58] Her son's first name was explained as the song, entitled "Moses", that her husband wrote for her before their wedding. Paltrow has stated that she cut down on work after becoming a mother. She has also said that she suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her second child.
Paltrow was raised by a Jewish father and Christian mother. In comments she made in 2010 about her experience of being raised with both religions in her family, she stated that "It was such a nice way to grow up." She also added, "I don’t believe in religion. I believe in spirituality. Religion is the cause of all the problems in the world." In July 2011, she stated that she now wants to raise her children in the Jewish faith. Her husband, and her children’s father, singer Chris Martin, has a Christian background. Paltrow discovered in 2011 that her father's family came from a long line of influential East European rabbis, and that inspired her to raise her daughter and son in a Jewish environment.




Controversial statements


In December 2006, Paltrow was reported on the Internet to have told Notícias Sábado, the weekend magazine supplement of Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, that she thought British people were more civilized and intelligent than Americans. Paltrow denied making the statements attributed to her and told People magazine that she never gave an interview to a Portuguese publication, but instead had tried to say in Spanish, during a press conference, that Europe was an "older culture" and Americans "live to work". Diário de Notícias said in their 6 December 2006 edition that it had obtained the quotes from English-language articles that are still referenced online, though Paltrow has insisted that she was misquoted, declaring in 2007: "I love America, and I'm an American through and through.




Filmography


Film


Jefferson in Paris 1995 Patsy Jefferson
Se7en 1995 Tracy Mills Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
Moonlight and Valentino 1995 Lucy Trager
Hard Eight 1996 Clementine
The Pallbearer 1996 Julie DeMarco
Emma 1996 Emma Woodhouse Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Out of the Past 1998 Sarah Orne Jewett Voice
Sliding Doors 1998 Helen Quilley Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Shakespeare in Love)
Russian Guild of Film Critics – Best Foreign Actress
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Shakespeare in Love)
Great Expectations 1998 Estella
Hush 1998 Helen Baring
A Perfect Murder 1998 Emily Bradford Taylor Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
Shakespeare in Love 1998 Viola De Lesseps Academy Award for Best Actress
Empire Award for Best Actress
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress (also for Sliding Doors)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Joseph Fiennes)
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress (also for Sliding Doors)
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role – Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Sexiest Love Scene (shared with Joseph Fiennes)
The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999 Marge Sherwood Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
The Intern 2000 Herself Uncredited
Duets 2000 Liv
Bounce 2000 Abby Janello Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Ben Affleck)
The Anniversary Party 2001 Skye Davidson
The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 Margot Tenenbaum Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Shallow Hal 2001 Rosemary Shanahan Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress
Searching for Debra Winger 2002 Herself Documentary
Austin Powers in Goldmember 2002 Gwyneth Paltrow as Dixie Normous in 'Austinpussy'
Possession 2002 Maud Bailey
View from the Top 2003 Donna Jensen
Sylvia 2003 Sylvia Plath
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 2004 Polly Perkins Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Jude Law)
Proof 2005 Catherine Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
Infamous 2006 Kitty Dean
Love and Other Disasters 2006 Hollywood Jacks Cameo appearance
Running with Scissors 2006 Hope Finch
The Good Night 2007 Dora
Iron Man 2008 Virginia "Pepper" Potts Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Actress
Two Lovers 2008 Michelle Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
Iron Man 2 2010 Virginia "Pepper" Potts Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Science Fiction Actress
Nominated—Scream Award for Best Science Fiction Actress
Country Strong 2010 Kelly Canter
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie 2011 Herself/Holly Holiday
Contagion 2011 Beth Emhoff

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