Jennifer Connelly

Biography of Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American actress, who has begun starring at the age of 10. Until she was 14 years old and starred in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, she was a successful child model.

The actress received the recognition of movie critics in 1998, having played in Dark City, and then after the release of the drama Requiem for a Dream in 2000.

Actress Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer won an Oscar for her excellent acting in A Beautiful Mind about John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics.

Fortunately, Connelly was not affected by the curse of this most prestigious movie awards in the world, according to which after receiving a coveted statuette the stars allegedly faced with a band of failures and career collapse. She successfully continued to star, following her rule - do not focus on one genre and role, and create diverse and more serious and complex images. The philosophical and psychological drama Aloft directed by Claudia Llosa is an example.

The actress was recognized as one of the prettiest women in the world according to many publications, including such US magazines as Vanity Fair, Esquire, Time. Jennifer was the face of the French fashion house Balenciaga, the American brand Revlon, the Japanese cosmetics manufacturer Shiseido.

Jennifer Connelly’s Childhood

The actress was born on December 12, 1970, in Cairo, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. Her mother was a dealer in antiquarian goods, and her father was a clothing manufacturer. Jennifer’s mother was Jewish, educated at a yeshiva. Her family emigrated from Russia and Poland. Her father was a Roman Catholic of Norwegian and Irish descent.

Jennifer Connelly as a child

She spent her childhood in Brooklyn Heights, the New York district, where she attended Saint Ann’s, a private school specializing in the arts. Jennifer's father suffered from asthma, so in 1976 they moved away from the city smog to the small town of Woodstock, located in the Catskill Park. 4 years later, they returned to Brooklyn, and she returned to the same school.

The Beginning of Jennifer Connelly’s Career

Her father's friend, an advertiser, suggested her parents send a photo of their 10-year-old daughter to the Ford Modeling Agency. Jennifer began modeling for print advertisements in the tabloids and television commercials.

The mother also took her to various auditions. As a result, at the age of 11, she starred in the epic Once Upon a Time in America, released in 1984. Robert De Niro, James Woods and Elizabeth McGovern played the lead roles. Just because of the similarity to Elizabeth, young Jennifer was invited to play the heroine as a child. Later, the star described her acting in the movie as an incredibly idyllic introduction to movie-making.

Young Jennifer Connelly

During the shooting, it was Connelly’s debut on television in an episodic role in the British anthology Tales of the Unexpected.

She played her first leading role in the movie Phenomena when she was 15 years old. At the age of 18, she was the main character in Linda Feferman’s Seven Minutes in Heaven. In December of the same year, Connolly recorded two pop songs for the Japanese market: Monologue of Love and Message of Love. She did not speak the language; she repeated the lyrics by ear.

Jennifer Connelly’s Movie Career

Her leading role in the movie about goblins Labyrinth (1986) was significant in the actress’ career. She starred with David Bowie. Initially, the audience did not like the movie, but later it became a cult.

Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie on the set of the movie Labyrinth

After graduating from school, she studied for two years at Yale University, in 1990, before transferring to Stanford University. Roy London, Howard Fine, and Harold Gaskin were her teachers. Encouraged by her parents, Jennifer left school and continued her acting career.

She starred in The Hot Spot, directed by Dennis Hopper. It failed at the box office, but Connelly’s acting was highly appreciated. The media emphasized that she had managed a harmonious transition from a child actress to an ingenue (the role of a naive girl). In this movie, the actress naked for the first time.

Jennifer Connelly’s movies are very successful

The actress's next movie was the comedy Career Opportunities, starring Frank Whaley. Then, in 1991, The Rocketeer, based on the comics, was released.

In 1994, the star and Antonio Banderas played in the drama Of Love and Shadows, directed by Betty Kaplan. In 1995, she starred in the movie Higher Learning, then in Far Harbor by John Huddles and Inventing the Abbotts by Pat O'Connor.

Requiem for a Dream: Jennifer Connelly and Jared Leto

The critics appreciated her after the release of the controversial thriller Dark City in 1998. Then, in 2000, Connelly signed a successful contract with FOX and starred in the TV series The Street, melodrama Waking the Dead, and psychological drama Requiem for a Dream. The last one was directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on the novel by Hubert Selby, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans and Ellen Burstyn also played the lead roles.

Jennifer Connelly in Requiem for a Dream

Jennifer received more significant recognition and coveted statuette Oscar after the release of A Beautiful Mind, where she worked with Russell Crowe. Later, they played together in the romantic movie Winter's Tale, based on Mark Helprin’s book of the same name and the biblical epic Noah.

In 2003, Connelly played the main characters in the very different movies: Hulk, based on the comic book of the same name, and House of Sand and Fog about an abandoned wife.

Two years later, Connelly starred in the horror-thriller Dark Water. The 2006 movies Little Children and Blood Diamond were well received by the public.

Jennifer Connelly in the movie A Beautiful Mind

It was difficult to star in the Reservation Road, where the actress played a mother who had lost her son. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo were her partners on the set.

In 2008, Connelly starred in the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, in the comedy He’s Just Not That Into You with Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper and other superstars. Jennifer and Paul Bettany played the famous couple in the 2009 drama biopic Creation about Charles Darwin’s life.

Jennifer Connelly and Colin Farrell in the movie Winter's Tale

Virginia premiered in 2010 at Toronto International Film Festival. Jennifer played the role of a mentally unstable woman. For the sake of this role, the actress dyed blonde.

In March of 2015, Darren Aronofsky’s Noah was released. The actress played Noah’s wife, starring with Russell Crowe, Douglas Booth, Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Anthony Hopkins.

Jennifer Connelly in the movie Noah

In the autumn of the same year, it was the premiere of Shelter, directed and produced by Paul Bettany. Jennifer Connelly played the lead role. Initially, it was assumed that the couple would appear together on the screen again, but this did not happen. The actress and Anthony Mackie played the homeless New Yorkers who fell in love.

The Oscar winner, who was impressed by the extravagant spirit of Louis Vuitton Fashion house, became the new face of this brand in the spring-summer 2015 advertising campaign.

Jennifer Connelly, her husband and children are walking

In 2015, she starred in the movie American Pastoral, based on Philip Roth's novel. Its shooting began in September in Pittsburgh. Jennifer starred as a former beauty queen and wife of Seymour, nicknamed Swede (played by the Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, first acting as a director after the departure of Phillip Neuss’ project).

In 2017, Jennifer tried herself as a voice actress: she voiced the artificial intelligence Karen in the movie Spider-Man: Homecoming with Tom Holland and Michael Keaton in the lead roles.

Connelly played the supporting role in the biopic Only the Brave (2017) about the fire brigade. The actress got one of the lead roles in the Japanese-American action movie Alita: Battle Angel by Robert Rodriguez. T

Alita: Battle Angel – Trailer

Personal Life of Jennifer Connelly

Starring in The Rocketeer in 1991, Connelly began a romance with Bill Campbell, who played Cliff Secord. They had a relationship for 5 years.

In 1997, Jennifer had her first child Kai. The photographer David Dugan was his father.

While working on A Beautiful Mind, the star met the British actor Paul Bettany on the set. Their relationship began, and 2 years later, they married. The couple has two children – a son, Stellan, who was born on August 5, 2003, and a daughter, Agnes Lark, who was born on May 31, 2011.

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany

The actress likes drawing, enjoys computer science, philosophy, sports (cycling, swimming, gymnastics), and speaks French and Italian.

Jennifer Connelly Now

In February 2019, the movie "Alita: Battle Angel", in which Connelly played Cyrene, premiered on the big screens. The American action movie with elements of cyberpunk attracted the interest of viewers and positive reviews from critics. It is also known that Connelly took part in the filming of the American action movie "Top Gun: Maverick". Its premiere is scheduled for 2020.

Sharon Roberts

I was amazed at the time by the film Requiem for a Dream, even then it was my favorite. The actors are cool starring there.

2021-03-27 13:55:56
Lisa Ballard

WOW, Connelly starred in Labyrinth with the great genius David Bowie! The actress is very popular and besides, she is a beauty

2021-03-19 23:00:56
Richard Evan Patterson

Jennifer Connelly as Alicia Nash is extraordinary! I wish this actress even more success.

2021-03-15 18:25:01