Jennifer Connelly
Biography
Jennifer Lynn Connelly is an American actress born on December 12, 1970, in Cairo, New York. She is the daughter of Ilene Schuman, an antiques dealer, and Gerard Connelly, a clothing manufacturer. Her father possessed Irish and Norwegian ancestry, while her mother was from a Jewish immigrant family. Connelly spent her childhood in Brooklyn. She initially established herself as a child model before transitioning into a professional acting career. Throughout her decades in the entertainment industry, she has become recognized for her work in a wide variety of film genres, ranging from horror and musical fantasy to period dramas and science fiction. She is a recipient of an Academy Award for her performance in the film A Beautiful Mind.
Career overview
Connelly began her acting career with her debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America. Following her early work as a model, she focused on acting, appearing in the horror film Phenomena in 1985 and the musical fantasy Labyrinth in 1986. Her early filmography also includes the 1991 romantic comedy Career Opportunities and the period superhero film The Rocketeer. She gained further recognition for her roles in the 1996 film Mulholland Falls and the 1998 science fiction film Dark City. In 2000, she received praise for her portrayal of a drug addict in Darren Aronofsky's drama Requiem for a Dream. She later starred in the 2003 film House of Sand and Fog, the 2006 film Blood Diamond, and the 2016 film American Pastoral. Her performance as the wife of mathematician John Nash in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind earned her an Oscar. Although she worked in the film industry throughout her teenage years, she achieved significant prominence as a major movie star during the 2000s. Her career spans 80 known credits in film and television.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Dark Matter (2024) as Daniela Dessen
- Dark Matter (2024) Executive Producer
- Jim Henson Idea Man (2024) as Self
- Bad Behaviour (2023) as Lucy
- Bad Behaviour (2023) Executive Producer
- Top Gun: Maverick (2022) as Penny Benjamin
- Sergio Leone: The Italian Who Invented America (2022) as Self
- Snowpiercer (2020) as Melanie Cavill
- Alita: Battle Angel (2019) as Chiren
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) as Karen / Suit Lady (voice)
- Only the Brave (2017) as Amanda Marsh
- Chelsea (2016) as Self
- American Pastoral (2016) as Dawn Levov
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self - Guest
- Noah (2014) as Naameh
- Winter's Tale (2014) as Virginia Gamely
- Aloft (2014) as Nana Kunning
- Shelter (2014) as Hannah
- Stuck in Love (2013) as Erica
- The Dilemma (2011) as Beth
- Salvation Boulevard (2011) as Gwen Vanderveer
- Virginia (2010) as Virginia
- He's Just Not That Into You (2009) as Janine Gunders
- 9 (2009) as #7 (voice)
- Creation (2009) as Emma Darwin
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) as Helen Benson
- Inkheart (2008) as Roxanne
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Reservation Road (2007) as Grace Learner
- Journey Through the Labyrinth (2007) Thanks
- El hormiguero (2006) as Self
- Blood Diamond (2006) as Maddy Bowen
- Little Children (2006) as Kathy Adamson
- Dark Water (2005) as Dahlia Williams
- Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'Dark Water' (2005) as Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self
- Hulk (2003) as Betty Ross
- House of Sand and Fog (2003) as Kathy
- The Making of 'Hulk' (2003) as Self
- The Incredible Ang Lee (2003) as Self
- Inside a Beautiful Mind (2002) as Self
- A Beautiful Mind (2001) as Alicia Nash
- The Making of Requiem for a Dream (2001) as Self
- Requiem for a Dream (2000) as Marion Silver
- The $treet (2000) as Catherine Miller
- Waking the Dead (2000) as Sarah Williams
- Pollock (2000) as Ruth Kligman
- The Early Show (1999) as Self
- Dark City (1998) as Emma Murdoch
- The View (1997) as Self
- Inventing the Abbotts (1997) as Eleanor Abbott
- Far Harbor (1996) as Ellie
- Mulholland Falls (1996) as Allison Pond
- Higher Learning (1995) as Taryn
- Out There (1995) as Woman in Grocery Line (uncredited)
- Of Love and Shadows (1994) as Irene
- The World of Jim Henson (1994) as Sarah (archive footage)
- Inside the Actors Studio (1994) as Self
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) as Self
- MTV Movie & TV Awards (1992) as Self
- The Heart of Justice (1992) as Emma Burgess
- Career Opportunities (1991) as Josie McClellan
- The Rocketeer (1991) as Jenny Blake
- Rocketeer: Excitement in the Air (1991) as Self
- The Best of Disney: 50 Years of Magic (1991) as Self
- The Hot Spot (1990) as Gloria Harper
- Etoile (1989) as Claire Hamilton / Natalie Horvath
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- Some Girls (1988) as Gabriella
- Labyrinth (1986) as Sarah
- Seven Minutes in Heaven (1986) as Natalie Becker
- Inside the Labyrinth (1986) as Self
- Phenomena (1985) as Jennifer Corvino
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984) as Young Deborah
- Tales of the Unexpected (1979) as The Girl
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Today (1952) as Self
- Safe Houses as Elizabeth Winters
- Wrong Answer