Jennifer Connelly is an American actress. She began her career as a child model before making her acting debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America. After having worked as a model for several years, she began to focus on acting, starring in a variety of films including the horror film Phenomena (1985), the musical fantasy film Labyrinth (1986), the romantic comedy Career Opportunities (1991), and the period superhero film The Rocketeer (1991). She received praise for her performance in the science fiction film Dark City (1998) and for playing a drug addict in Darren Aronofsky’s drama film Requiem for a Dream (2000).
Connelly was named Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education in 2005. She has been the face of Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton fashion advertisements, as well as for Revlon cosmetics. In 2012, she was named the first global face of the Shiseido Company. Magazines, including Time, Vanity Fair, and Esquire, as well as the Los Angeles Times newspaper, have included her on their lists of the world’s most beautiful women.
Jennifer Connelly Biography/Wiki
| Jennifer Connelly Full Name | Jennifer Lynn Connelly |
| Nick Name | Jenny C |
| Profession | Actress |
| Debut Movie | Once Upon A Time In America (1984) |
| Physical Stat | |
| Jennifer Connelly Height | In Centimeter- 169 cm In Meter- 1.69 m In Feet- 5’6” |
| Jennifer Connelly Weight | In Kilogram- 61 kg In Pound- 134 lbs |
| Body Measurement | 34-23-33 |
| Eye Color | Green |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Personal Life | |
| Date Of Birth | 12 December 1970 (Saturday) |
| Jennifer Connelly Age (2022) | 52 Years |
| Birthplace | Cairo, New York, United States |
| Zodiac Sign/Sun Sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | American |
| Home town | Cairo, New York, United States |
| School | Saint Ann’s School |
| College/University | Yale UniversityStanford University |
| Educational Qualification | Degree In Theatre |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Family member(s) | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Boyfriend | Billy Campbell (Actor) David Dugan (Photographer) Paul Bettany (Actor) |
| Jennifer Connelly Husband | Paul Bettany (Actor) |
| Marriage Date | 1 January 2003 |
| Children | Son- Kai Dugan (Father- David Dugan), Stellan Bettany (Father- Paul Bettany) Daughter- Agnes Lark Bettany |
| Parents | Father- Gerard ConnellyMother- Eileen Connelly |
| Sibling | Brother- Kevin Connolly (Actor) Sister- Kristen Nora Connolly (Actor) |
| Favorite Things | |
| Hobbies | Puzzles |
| Food | Sushi |
| Color | Forest green, Cobalt blue, and Light gray |
| Perfume | Lancome Tresor Perfume, Vanilla Brandy Perfume, Tom Ford Neroli Portofino and Kai Perfume |
| Income | |
| Jennifer Connelly Net Worth (2022) | 50 Million USD |
Early Life and Childhood
Jennifer Connelly was born on 12 December 1970 in Cairo, New York, United States. Her father was a Catholic of Irish descent. Connelly’s mother was Jewish. Connelly was raised primarily in Brooklyn Heights, near the Brooklyn Bridge, where she attended Saint Ann’s, a private school specializing in the arts. After graduating from high school, Connelly studied English literature at Yale University in 1988. After two years at Yale, Connelly transferred to Stanford University to study drama. There, she trained with Roy London, Howard Fine, and Harold Guskin.
Career
- Jennifer Connelly auditioned as a child model when she was 10, at the suggestion of a friend of her father’s. Her modeling career started with the Ford Modeling Agency and she appeared on the cover of several magazines and Japanese pop songs.
- In 1984, Connelly appeared in a Hollywood movie for the first time, in ‘Once Upon a Time in America’. She performed a ballet routine in the movie. During the same time, she made her first appearance on the television.
- She got her first lead roles in 1985 with the Italian horror movie, ‘Phenomena’ and ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’. These movies did not do wonders for Connelly’s image but it got her the required media exposure and attention.
- In 1986, Connelly played a teenager in the fantasy film, ‘Labyrinth’. Her performance in the movie was highly criticized and the movie itself bombed at the box office but it became a cult film later.
- She took a little break from acting to join back school and make sense of the things as her acting career was growing larger. Connelly joined Yale in 1988 to study English and later joined Stanford to study drama.
- In 1990, Connelly’s parents encouraged her to join back movies and she left Stanford to act in ‘The Hot Spot’. Although the movie did not achieve commercial success but her performance in the movie earned critics’ appreciation.
- Connelly’s next big movies were released in 1991––romantic comedy ‘Career Opportunities’ in which she worked opposite Frank Whaley and Disney’s ‘The Rocketeer’. Both the movies failed to take her career to new heights.
- In 1996, Connelly did the most controversial intimate scene with her co-star John Malkovich in the movie ‘Mulholland Falls’, in which she played the role of his mistress who gets mysteriously murdered.
- Connelly took a break from the commercial cinema and did a low budget film, ‘Inventing the Abbotts’, for which she gained critical acclaim. The following year, she did ‘Dark City’, and her performance as ‘femme fatale Emma’ charmed everyone.
- In 2000, she appeared in what is considered as the breakthrough film of her career, ‘Requiem for a Dream’. She played the emotionally heightened and difficult role of a woman who gets addicted and becomes a prostitute.
- Next came the most prominent movie in Connelly’s life, ‘A Beautiful Mind’ in 2001, in which she played the role of Alicia Nash, wife of schizophrenic mathematician, John Nash. She won an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA for it.
- In 2003, she did ‘The Hulk’ and played the role of Betty Rose, who was a scientist and main protagonist’s former girlfriend. Connelly got interested in the movie because of Ang Lee’s unusual take on the Marvel Comics superhero.
- She did ‘House of Sand and Fog’ in 2003, which was based on a novel by the author Andre Dubus III. She played the role of an abandoned wife who feels lost and lonely.
- After remaining away from cinema for two years, Connelly’s ‘Dark Water’ came out in 2005. In this horror and psychological thriller, she was appreciated for playing the role of a mother who is haunted by her past.
- Year 2006 proved to be a creatively fulfilling one in Connelly’s film career as she did movies like, ‘Little Children’ alongside Kate Winslet and ‘Blood Diamond’ opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Both the movies were nominated for multiple Academy Awards.
- ‘Reservation Road’ in 2007 gave Connelly another opportunity to prove her acting skills as a serious actress. She starred in the movie with Joaquin Phoenix. The character that she played was stronger than any she played before.
- In 2008, Connelly did ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’ opposite Keanu Reeves and the following year, she did a light romantic comedy, ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’ along with Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, etc.
- Connelly appeared in the drama biopic ‘Creation’ in 2009, a movie based on Charles Darwin’s life. She played the role of Darwin’s wife who used to oppose his ideas and struggled with the death of his daughter.
- In 2010, Connelly did Dustin Lance Black’s ‘Virginia’. The movie was only meant to get limited theatrical release and her performance as a mentally unstable woman was very well received by the critics.
- Jennifer Connelly took up a comedy venture in 2011, ‘The Dilemma‘, starring opposite Vince Vaughn. The same year, she did a comedy-thriller film with religious satire undertones, titled ‘Salvation Boulevard’, along with Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear.
- Working again in collaboration with A Beautiful Mind co-star Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly portrayed Naameh in Darren Aronofsky’s 2014 biblical epic Noah.
Personal Life
- While filming The Rocketeer, Connelly began a romance with her co-star Billy Campbell. They became engaged but broke up in 1996 after five years together.
- Jennifer Connelly then had a relationship with photographer David Dugan, with whom she has a son, born 1997.
- On January 1, 2003, in a private family ceremony in Scotland, Jennifer Connelly married actor Paul Bettany, whom she had met while working on A Beautiful Mind. The couple have two children, a son, born 2003, and a daughter, born 2011.
Awards & Achievements
- Although Connelly has been critically acclaimed for many movies like, ‘Blood Diamond’, ‘Little Children’, ‘Reservation Road’, etc. it was Ron Howard’s ‘A Beautiful Mind’ that won her an Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA.
Facts About
- Jennifer Connelly was named Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education in 2005.
- She is the face of Revlon cosmetics and Parisian fashion house Balenciaga.
- She has been mentioned as amongst the most beautiful women in the world by publications like, ‘Vanity’, ‘Esquire’ and ‘The Los Angeles Times’.