Gwyneth Paltrow

Season 7, Episode 705

Original Airdate: March 11, 2001

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow was born September 28, 1972 to Tony-award winning actress Blythe Danner and television producer Bruce Paltrow. Being born into the business, Gwyneth was given a walk-on role at the age of five in one of her father's productions.

At age 11, Gwyneth moved to New York, where she attended the Spence School, and she summered in Massachusetts where her family worked in summer-stock theatre. She then went on to major in art history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She left college to pursue acting full-time, and made her big screen debut in 1991 with John Travolta in Shout.

Later, while attending a premiere with her father, she ran into Steven Speilberg who offered her a role in his next film Hook (1991). Gwyneth accepted the role of young Wendy on the spot. Gwyneth went on to make an impression as a young con artist in Malice (1993). Then had a series of minor, but memorable roles, with Flesh and Bone (1993), Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), and Jefferson in Paris (1995).

In 1995, she found fame with the role of Brad Pitt's wife in Seven, and as his real-life girlfriend. Gwyneth came into her own the following year with the title role of Jane Austin's Emma. She followed with the films Sliding Doors, Great Expectations, Hush, and A Perfect Murder.

In 1998, she won the Oscar for Best Actress as Viola in Shakespeare in Love. Since her Oscar, Gwyneth has starred in the films The Talented Mr. Ripley, Duets, Bounce, The Anniversary Party and Shallow Hal. Upcoming films include The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) alongisde Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller, Bill Murray and Angelica Huston.