On Her 47th Birthday, See Gwyneth Paltrow's Hollywood Evolution
Since she was just a teen, Gwyneth Paltrow has been a fixture on the film scene. Starring in blockbuster films, winning awards, romancing superstars, and starting aspirational lifestyle companies—it's all in a career for this Hollywood legend. And she's just getting started!
In one of her very first roles, a 19-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow shared the screen with her mother, Blythe Danner, in the television miniseries Cruel Doubt.
Just a year later, Paltrow was making her debut on the silver screen in Flesh & Bone, which starred Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.
In 1995, Paltrow starred in the crime mystery Se7en. She met Brad Pitt while shooting the film and the two would date for three years. Pitt even proposed to a 22-year-old Gwyneth, but she turned him down.
Paltrow followed up the David Fincher film with Emma, an adaptation of the Jane Austen novel.
In 1998, Paltrow scored another leading role in an adaptation. This time, Alfonso Cuarón's take on Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
Her first time being nominated, Paltrow took home an Oscar for Best Actress for her work in the romantic flick, Shakespeare in Love.
After taking home the top honor in her field, Paltrow co-starred in Bounce with Ben Affleck, whom she dated between 1997 and 2000.
In 2001, Paltrow joined Bill Muray, Ben Stiller, and Anjelica Huston, taking on a quirky role in Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums.
After starring alongside Jack Black in the Farrely Brothers' Shallow Hal in 2001, Paltrow joined Tom Cruise on screen, however briefly, in Austin Powers in Goldmember.
In 2003, Paltrow married Coldplay frontman, Chris Martin. The two would go on to have a daughter, Apple, and son, Moses, before breaking things off in 2012, describing the split as a "conscious uncoupling."
Going back to her literary roots, Paltrow played poet Sylvia Plath in Sylvia.
In 2004, Paltrow joined Angelina Jolie and Jude Law in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The big-budget film (approximately $70 million) unfortunately only grossed about $58 million worldwide.
In 2005, Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal starred in director John Madden's Proof.
Choosing London over Hollywood, Paltrow joined Keith Allen, Penelope Cruz, and Danny Devito in The Good Night.
In 2008, the Oscar winner joined the cast of Marvel's Iron Man. The film was a tremendous success at the box office and shaped the ensuing decade of Paltrow's career.
As if starring in a comic book blockbuster wasn't enough, Paltrow also launched GOOP, a lifestyle brand, that is estimated to be worth $250 million.
In 2010, Paltrow returned to the screen along with Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau in Iron Man 2.
2011 saw Paltrow star in Contagion, a thriller that also boasted stars including Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law.
In 2012, Paltrow joined the cast of Glee, however briefly, to showcase her singing and dancing chops.
Iron Man 3 marked the end of the Iron Man series, but was far from the last time we'd see Paltrow's character, Pepper Potts, in a comic book movie.
Though she wouldn't officially divorce from Chris Martin until 2016, Paltrow began dating producer Brad Falchuk in 2014. The two would go on to marry in 2018.
In 2015, Paltrow teamed up with Johnny Depp in the ill-fated crime comedy, Mortdecai.
In 2016, Paltrow published her third recipe book, "It's All Easy." Her fourth would hit shelves just two years later.
Avengers, assemble...again! Paltrow made an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War, another installment in the Marvel series.
After seeing The Avengers come to an end in Endgame, Paltrow followed up with a starring role in The Politician, a Netflix Original series.
Oscars, Goop, and much, much more.