Gwyneth Paltrow Biography
It would only seem natural that this daughter of TV producer Bruce Paltrow and stage and screen actress Blythe Danner would chose to follow a path in show business. Nevertheless, Gwyneth Paltrow's parents tried to dissuade her from a career as an actress, but she was determined. Her first professional role was a walk-on at age five and eventually she graduated to a part in an unsold pilot produced by her father. Gradually, she established herself as a rising talent and confirmed her abilities with a series of leading roles that demonstrated her range and skill.
A willowy blonde, Paltrow frequently has been called luminous both by critics and interviewers. Projecting an innate intelligence, she began her career choosing her roles wisely, often working in low-budget or independent films that allowed her to portray a variety of characters, ranging from her breakthrough as a young con woman in "Flesh and Bone" (1993) to her hard-bitten prostitute in "Hard Eight/Sydney" (1997) to a series of parts that required a flawless British accent: the busybody "Emma" (1996) and the leading lady of "Sliding Doors" and "Shakespeare in Love" (both 1998). Her cool demeanor and throaty vocals bring to mind not only her mother but other famous blonde icons like Grace Kelly (whose role she inherited in 1998's "A Perfect Murder", a loose remake of "Dial M for Murder") and Jessica Lange (with whom she co-starred in the ludicrous "Hush" 1998).