Gwyneth Paltrow

 Gwyneth Kate Paltrow, daughter of actor Blythe Danner and well-known producer Bruce Paltrow, was born in Los Angeles. Her father comes from an Jewish family, while her mother is of German origin. When Gwyneth was 11 years old, the family moved to Massachusetts where her father began working in summer productions for stock within the Berkshires. Under the guidance of her parents, she received her first acting lessons. After graduating from the Spence School for Girls in New York City, she moved to California and pursued a degree in Art History at UC Santa Barbara. Then she decided to leave, realizing it was not her passion. Her film debut came with a small part in Shout (1991) and over the following five years, she featured roles in a mixed bag of film fare that included Flesh and Bone (1993); Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994); Se7en (1995); Jefferson in Paris (1995); Moonlight and Valentino (1995) as well as The Pallbearer (1996). The performance as the title character of Emma Woodhouse in Emma (1996) that was the catalyst for being offered the role of Viola in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and for which she won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards for Best Actress in an Leading Role. In addition, she has appeared in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2000), Shallow Hal (2002), Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow (2004) and Proof (2005). Her former husband, Chris Martin, is an English musician. She has two children.