Gwyneth Paltrow

?Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (/?pæltro?/ PAL-troh; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and period films during the 1990s and early 2000s, before transitioning to blockbusters and franchises. Her accolades, include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award

                     Paltrow in 2011

Danner's daughter and has her mother's way of making a camera fall in love with her."[32]

In 1995, she starred in the thriller Se7en, as the wife of a young detective (Brad Pitt), who is partnered with the retiring William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and then tasked with tracking down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as tropes in his murders. The seventh highest grossing film of the year,[33] Se7en (also known as Seven) earned her a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared in Moonlight and Valentino, as a grieving chain-smoker, and in Jefferson in Paris, portraying Martha Jefferson Randolph.[34][35]

1996?2001: Breakthrough and film stardom

In 1996, Paltrow played the title character in the period film adaptation Emma, based on the 1815 novel of the same name by Jane Austen. Director Douglas McGrath decided to bring in Paltrow to audition for the part of Emma Woodhouse, after a suggestion from his agent and after seeing her performance in Flesh and Bone.[36] On his decision to cast the actress, McGrath revealed: "The thing that actually sold me on her playing a young English girl was that she did a perfect Texas accent. I know that wouldn't recommend her to most people ... I knew she had theater training, so she could carry herself. We had many actresses, big and small, who wanted to play this part. The minute she started the read-through, the very first line, I thought, 'Everything is going to be fine; she's going to be brilliant.'"[36] While she recovered from wisdom-tooth surgery, Paltrow had a month to herself to do her own research for the part;[37] she studied horsemanship, dancing, singing, archery and the "highly stylized" manners and dialect during a 3-week rehearsal period.[37] The film was released to critical acclaim and commercial success through arthouse cinemas.[38] Variety proclaimed: "Gwyneth Paltrow shines brightly as Jane Austen's most endearing character, the disastrously self-assured matchmaker Emma Woodhouse. A fine cast, speedy pacing, and playful direction make this a solid contender for the Austen sweepstakes."[39] Paltrow starred in the crime film Hard Eight.[40]

1998 marked a turning point in Paltrow's career as she took on leading roles in five high-profile film releases in the year?Great Expectations, Sliding Doors, Hush, A Perfect Murder and Shakespeare in Love. In the adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, also starring Ethan Hawke, Robert De Niro, Anne Bancroft and Chris Cooper, she played the unrequited and haughty childhood love of a New York City painter. The British drama Sliding Doors saw her star as a woman whose life could take two central paths depending on whether or not she catches a train, causing different outcomes. Great Expectations and Sliding Doors both grossed over $55 million worldwide.[41][42] Paltrow starred opposite Jessica Lange in the thriller Hush, as an unsuspecting woman living with her psychotic mother-in-law. The film made $13.5 million domestically and was generally panned by critics.[43][44] In another thriller, A Perfect Murder, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, Paltrow starred alongside Michael Douglas, playing Emily Taylor, who was based on Grace Kelly's character from the original film. Despite a mixed critical response towards A Perfect Murder, the film grossed $128 million globally.[45] She was also considered for the role of Rose DeWitt Bukater in the 1997 film Titanic.[46]

Paltrow at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival?

fiction film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Her role in the film was Polly Perkins, the reporter for the fictional New York Chronicle. Law became one of the producers of the film and used his clout to get Paltrow involved. Once she had been suggested for the role, Law did not remember "any other name coming up. It just seems that she was perfect. She was as enthusiastic about the script and about the visual references that were sort of put to her, and jumped on board."[67] She said in an interview, "I thought that this is the time to do a movie like this where it's kind of breaking into new territory and it's not your basic formulaic action-adventure movie."[67] While critical response was positive, with a budget of $70 million, Sky Captain only grossed $58 million at the international box office.[68] Also in 2004, she was recognized as an outstanding woman in entertainment by Women in Film Los Angeles with the Crystal Award.[69]

In the drama Proof (2005), she starred as the depressed daughter of a brilliant, eccentric mathematician (played by Anthony Hopkins). The film was based on the play of the same name, in which Paltrow also played the same character at London's Donmar Warehouse between May and June 2002. On her portrayal in the film version, Eye for Film remarked: "As she has already shown in Sylvia, The Royal Tenenbaums and even Sliding Doors, Paltrow has an uncanny talent for playing women who are coming apart at the seams and her [character] veers from lovably eccentric to more disturbingly unhinged and back again with fluent ease. The scenes, which she and Hopkins share, as two difficult people bound together by affection, dependency, and mutual respect, are entirely believable and all the more touching for it."[70] For her performance, Paltrow received her second Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture ? Drama.

Paltrow filmed small roles for the 2006 films Love and Other Disasters, Running with Scissors and Infamous, where she sang Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?" Her brother Jake Paltrow directed her in his feature debut, the romantic comedy The Good Night (2007), in which she starred opposite Penélope Cruz, Martin Freeman, Danny DeVito and Simon Pegg as the wife of a former keyboard player (Freeman). The film received a two-theater run in North America and garnered mixed reviews from critics.[71] View London believed the actress was "clearly only playing her part as a courtesy to her director brother and it just makes you wish she'd go back to playing lead roles again."[72]

2008?2013: Marvel Cinematic Universe and revival

Paltrow saw a resurgence in her career in 2008, when she was cast in Iron Man as Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's personal assistant, closest friend, and budding love interest.[73] First hesitant to appear in a big-budget project, Paltrow asked Marvel to send her any comics they would consider relevant to her understanding of the character, whom she considered to be very smart, levelheaded, and grounded. She said she liked "the fact that there's a sexuality that's not blatant". The director Jon Favreau wanted Potts and Stark's relationship to be reminiscent of a 1940s screwball comedy, something which Paltrow considered to be fun in an "innocent yet sexy" way.[74] Iron Man was favorably received by critics, and with a worldwide gross of $585 million, it became Paltrow's highest-grossing film until The Avengers (2012).[75] She reprised her role in the sequels Iron Man 2 (2010) and Iron Man 3 (2013). While the second film grossed $623.9 million internationally,[76] the third entry went on to gross $1.215 billion.[77] She also reprised the role in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).

Paltrow starred opposite Joaquin Phoenix in the romantic drama Two Lovers (2008), playing the beautiful but volatile new neighbor of a depressed bachelor. Two Lovers premiered in competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in May, receiving largely positive reviews,[78][79] especially for Paltrow's and Phoenix's performances. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Phoenix is at his best with Paltrow's bruised sparrow of a girl; he's desperate to take care of her when he can't even take care of himself. She is one of those actresses who understands the power of a look, and the one of regret and then resignation that overtakes her when Leonard professes his love is steeped in sadness."[80] The film was an arthouse success, grossing $16 million worldwide.[81]

Paltrow at the 84th Academy Awards in 2012

?In the musical drama Country Strong (2010), Paltrow starred as an emotionally unstable country music star who attempts to resurrect her career. She recorded the song "Country Strong" for the film's soundtrack,[82] and it was released to country radio stations in August 2010.[83] The film received mediocre reviews and grossed a modest $20.2 million in North America.[84] The consensus of review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes was: "The cast gives it their all, and Paltrow handles her songs with aplomb, but Country Strong's clichéd, disjointed screenplay hits too many bum notes."[85] At the 83rd Academy Awards, Paltrow performed another song from the film, "Coming Home", which was nominated for Best Original Song.[86]

Paltrow made her first scripted television appearance[87] on Fox's Glee, as substitute teacher Holly Holliday, who fills in for Matthew Morrison's character when he falls ill. Her role was developed by co-creator Ryan Murphy, a personal friend of Paltrow's, who suggested that she showcase her vocal and dancing abilities ahead of the release of Country Strong.[88] In her first episode, "The Substitute", she sang "Nowadays" from the musical Chicago with Lea Michele, CeeLo Green's "Forget You", and a mash-up of "Singin' In the Rain" and Rihanna's "Umbrella" with Morrison and the rest of the cast.[89] Her debut on Glee attracted significant buzz and positive commentary from critics; she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.[90] Indeed, at the time, Entertainment Weekly's Tim Stack and E! Online's Kristin dos Santos called her appearance Emmy-worthy, with the former rating it among her best performances, and the latter stating that Holly received "some of Glee's best-ever one-liners".[91][92]

Paltrow later performed "Forget You" with CeeLo Green himself and several puppet characters provided by The Jim Henson Company at the 2011 Grammy Awards.[93] She reprised her role twice more that season, performing "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" by Gary Glitter, an acoustic version of "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, "Kiss" by Prince, and Adele's "Turning Tables". Paltrow was briefly featured in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie after being filmed while she performed "Forget You" as Holly in the 2011 Glee Live! In Concert! tour performances of June 16 and 17, 2011.[94] Later that year, Paltrow appeared in Steven Soderbergh's film Contagion, featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet and her The Talented Mr. Ripley co-stars Matt Damon and Jude Law. The thriller follows the rapid progress of a lethal indirect contact transmission virus that kills within days.[95] Paltrow played Elizabeth Emhoff, a "working mom" and one of the virus' first victims.[96] Contagion received positive reviews and opened atop at the North American box office with $23.1 million; it went on to gross $75.6 million domestically and $135.4 million worldwide.[97]

Paltrow reprised her role of Pepper Potts in The Avengers (2012), which set numerous box office records, including the biggest opening weekend in North America; it grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, becoming Paltrow's most widely seen film.[98] Also in 2012, she starred in the independent romantic dramedy Thanks for Sharing, opposite Mark Ruffalo as people learning to face a challenging and confusing road as they struggle together against sex addiction. Distributed for a limited release in certain parts of the United States, the film garnered mixed reviews and grossed $1 million domestically.[99] Paste magazine noted that her role: "...exhibits some of the same obsessive diet and exercise habits that Paltrow herself has been accused of?a kind of meta character trait that balances the power in [the main roles'] budding relationship."[100]

2014?present: Intermittent work and acting hiatus

In 2014, Paltrow had a two-episode arc in the improvised online series Web Therapy, as Maya Ganesh, "a new-age caricature".[101] In 2015, she starred in Mortdecai,[102] alongside Johnny Depp, Olivia Munn, and Paul Bettany. In it, she portrayed the wife of an unscrupulous art dealer and swindler (Depp). Budgeted at $60 million, the film only grossed $7.7 million in North America and $47.3 million internationally.[103] Paltrow was featured on the track "Everglow", which was included in Coldplay's seventh studio album A Head Full of Dreams (2015).[104]

In June 2017, Paltrow announced that she would take a break from acting to focus on her business Goop, stating: "I'm still going to do a little bit here and there, but [the company] really requires almost all of my time."[105] In 2019, Paltrow reprised her role as Pepper Potts in Avengers: Endgame.[106] That same year, she played a supporting role in the Netflix comedy drama series The Politician, playing the mother of Ben Platt's character.[107] In October 2021, Netflix released Sex, Love, and Goop, a sex therapy-themed series produced by and starring Paltrow.[108]

In 2023 Paltrow said that her responsibilities with Goop made her less likely to accept acting roles, stating, "Well, it would be very hard for me to do any acting right at the moment, just because of my job. But, I guess Robert Downey Jr. could probably always get me back. You know, to some degree."[109][110]

Personal life

In 2004, Paltrow practiced cupping therapy, attending a film premiere with bruises on her back.[167] As of 2013, Paltrow practices Transcendental Meditation.[168][169]

In 2014, Paltrow, whose father was Jewish, was planning to convert to Judaism.[7][170][171]

In 1997, Paltrow revealed that during the filming of Emma (1996), producer Harvey Weinstein made unwanted sexual advances toward her. She confided in her fiancé Brad Pitt, who confronted the producer at an industry event. Weinstein later warned Paltrow not to tell anyone else.[172] She was, in 2017, a major source for an article written by The New York Times investigative journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey about Weinstein's sexual abuse cases.[173]

Paltrow has received backlash from the scientific community and medical professionals for promoting unproven treatments based on pseudoscience through her company Goop.[174][175]

Relationships and children

Paltrow became engaged at age 24 to actor Brad Pitt, whom she dated from 1994 to 1997.[27] According to Paltrow, they called off the engagement because she was not ready for marriage.[176] She later said that, as this was her first high-profile relationship with another celebrity, it taught her the need for public discretion about her love life.[177]

Paltrow began dating actor Ben Affleck in October 1997 after meeting at a Miramax dinner and they worked together on Shakespeare in Love (1998). Although they split in January 1999, months later Paltrow persuaded Affleck to co-star with her in Bounce (2000) and they rekindled their relationship.[178][179] They eventually broke up in October 2000.[180] In 2015, Paltrow said she and Affleck remain friends.[178]

In October 2002, Paltrow met Chris Martin of the British band Coldplay backstage three weeks after the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow, for which the Coldplay song "Fix You" was written to help Paltrow through her grief. They married in December 2003 in a ceremony at a hotel in Southern California. She was pregnant with their child at the time of their wedding.[181] Paltrow and Martin have two children together: a daughter, Apple, born in 2004,[182][183] and a son, Moses, born in 2006.[184][185][186] Their son's name was inspired by a song Chris Martin wrote for Paltrow. Simon Pegg and Martin's bandmate Jonny Buckland are her daughter's godfathers.[187]

Paltrow cut down on work after becoming a mother.[188] She also suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her younger child in 2006.[189] In March 2014, Paltrow announced that she and Martin had separated after ten years of marriage, describing the process as "conscious uncoupling".[190][191][192] In her official announcement, Paltrow had her doctor, Habib Sadeghi, and his dentist wife, Sherry Sami, explain conscious uncoupling as "the ability to understand that every irritation and argument [within a marriage] was a signal to look inside ourselves and identify a negative internal object that needed healing," Sadeghi explained. "From this perspective, there are no bad guys, just two people, it's about people as individuals, not just the relationship".[193] In April 2015, Paltrow filed for divorce,[194] which was finalized on July 14, 2016.

In 2014, Paltrow began dating producer Brad Falchuk, whom she met on the set of Glee in 2010. The couple went public with their relationship in April 2015[195] and announced their engagement on January 8, 2018.[196] Their marriage ceremony was held on September 29, 2018, in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York.[197]

Ski crash lawsuit

In January 2019, retired optometrist Terry Sanderson sued Paltrow, claiming that three years earlier she collided with him on a ski slope at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, causing him permanent traumatic brain injury.[198] Paltrow counter-sued Sanderson that February, claiming that he was the one who crashed into her. She sought nominal damages of one dollar, as well as repayment of her legal fees.[199][200] At trial in March 2023, Sanderson claimed damages for $300,000. The jury found that Paltrow was not at fault, Sanderson was at fault, and awarded Paltrow $1 in damages.[201][202][203]