A child model that turned to a superstar, Jennifer Connelly is known for her portrayals of Marion Silver in Requiem for a Dream and of Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind. In 2005, she was hailed as Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education. Connelly was born in New York on December 12, 1970.
The Beginning
She started her career as a child model and went on to become a movie star. She appeared on the cover of Seventeen and Muppet Magazine and landed her first lead role in 1985 with the movie Phenomena, a film about a teenage girl with psychic power. This movie was followed by other projects such as Labyrinth, Some Girls and Career Opportunities. When asked about her experience growing up, Connelly said she started acting at a very young age and never had a chance to think whether she really liked acting or not.
Breakthrough Roles
Although Connelly began starring in films in the early 80’s, the first recognition she received for her acting came in 1986 with the movie Labyrinth. In the film, Sarah has to summon the goblin who kidnapped her brother.The movie was a flop, but it became a classic cult (I am not sure what you mean by cult here). According to film critics, Connelly’s portrayal as Sarah was one of the reasons why it became a popular cult (again, word choice here. This word does not fit.).
Connelly’s acting prowess was again praised in Dennis Hopper’s movie, The Hot Spot. USA Today’s Stephen Schaefer wrote that “Jennifer Connelly is a proof that little girls do grow fast and with neat transition”. If not for her age, Connelly could have got the role for Pretty Woman (played by Julia Roberts in 1990).
Other Notable Portrayals
In 2003, Connelly played the role of Betty Ross in Hulk (alongside Eric Bana) and received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress. The movie Hulk is Connelly’s second highest grossing film, after A Beautiful Mind. {NOTE TO DEVELOPER: Kindly link “Biography of Jennifer Connelly” to the article “Astounding Career from Modelling to Acting”}
During the same year, she also played Kathy in House of Sand and Fog where she received a nomination as Best Actress for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award. After having a few serious characters, Connelly went on to star in He’s Just Not That Into You, a romantic comedy movie with Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper
Jennifer Connelly outside Film and Acting
Although she started her modeling and acting career at a very young age, Jennifer Connelly managed her time well in order to finish her education. She completed her secondary education from St. Ann's School then enrolled in Yale as an English major . She then moved to Stanford University and switched from an English major to drama major. She was one of the students of Roy London. Connelly can speak fluent French and Italian. During her stint as Human Rights Education Ambassador (Amnesty International) in 2005, Connelly worked in promoting the need for clean water. In 2009, Connelly was once again appointed as ambassador, this time for Save the Children.
Personal Life
In 1997, she was in relationship with David Dugan, a photographer, and they had a son but the relationship didn’t last. In 2001, Connelly met Paul Bettany (the voice of Jarvis in Iron Man) whom she married in 2003 in Scotland. To date, the couple has two kids andcurrently lives in New York.
Jennifer Connelly is has been ranked as one of the world’s most beautiful women according to Los Angeles Times, Esquire and Vanity Fair. She is also known as the face of Balenciaga, Shiseido and Revlon. From time to time, people mistakenly take Jennifer Connelly as Demi Moore.