Jennifer Connelly Biography
Born: December 12, 1970
Once described as resembling a teenage Elizabeth_Taylor, one gets the feeling that Jennifer Connelly may, with her winning of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in A_Beautiful_Mind (2001), have finally found what she once referred to as, "the film I'm really proud of and really love." And though she has graced the screens of theaters since 1984, Connelly remains a capable and versatile actress undefined by any single role or film.
Born in the Catskill Mountains of mid-state New York in December of 1970, and raised in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City, Connelly got her start in show business as a model at the age of ten. Quickly coming into high demand due to her striking beauty, Connelly often traveled abroad, where she eventually made her acting debut. The burgeoning actress landed her first role in an episode of the British horror anthology Tales of the Unexpected, and soon found work in small roles such as the Duran_Duran music video for "Union of the Snake" before making her feature debut in Sergio_Leone's sprawling gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America.
Connelly's next film role, as a gifted schoolgirl who teams with an entomologist to solve a string of murders in Dario_Argento's Phenomena, proved that the young actress was well capable of handling leading roles. After a memorable Dorothy-esque turn in Jim_Henson's fantasy adventure Labyrinth (1986), in which she must rescue her brother from Goblin King David_Bowie, Connelly seemed to almost disappear for a short while. Subsequent appearances in such forgettable films as The_Hot_Spot and The_Rocketeer, while frequent and helping the actress to maintain visibility, remained unchallenging and did little to advance her career.
Things began to look up for the talented actress in the mid-'90s. Maturing into an actress capable of taking on challenging roles, Connelly's portrayal of a sensitive lesbian who befriends college freshman Kristy_Swanson in John_Singleton's Higher_Learning hinted at abilities previously unexplored. After small roles in such well-received films as Lee_Tamahori's Mulholland_Falls and Alex_Proyas' Dark_City, Connelly was nominated for an Independent Spirit award for her portrayal of a burned-out junkie in Darren_Aronofsky's emotionally jarring Requiem for a Dream (2000). In addition, 2000 brought Connelly her first recurring television role, in the fast-paced Wall Street weekly The treet, and a role in Ed_Harris' directing debut, the Jackson Pollock biopic Pollock. The following year found Connelly at a turning point in director Ron_Howard's A_Beautiful_Mind. As the loyal wife of famed mathematician turned paranoid schizophrenic John Forbes Nash Jr. (portrayed in the film by Gladiator star Russell_Crowe), Connelly once again showed her versatility and ability to gracefully shine amidst such notable talents as Crowe and Howard. With her roles in the early 2000s increasing in both emotional scope and dimension, Connellywould next appear in acclaimed director Ang Lee's eagerly anticipated The Hulk before taking the female lead in The House of Sand and Fog (both 2003). Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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