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Gwyneth Paltrow inherited show business at birth. Although her mother was respected actress Blythe Danner and her father, producer Bruce Paltrow, was regularly writing her name into P.A. announcements on his popular medical-themed series,

, Gwyneth Paltrow initially balked at being involved in the arts. In New York, her parents regularly attended live theater with the reluctant young Paltrow going along for the ride. Gwyneth Paltrow's childhood also included a friendship with

star Maya Rudolph and a year-long student exchange in Spain. By the time she finished high school at the highly-regarded Spence School, the acting bug had bitten Gwyneth Paltrow and she made her acting debut in Massachusetts at the 1990 Williamstown Theatre Festival. She would return to Williamstown a year later to star in a revival of

with her mother as a costar.

In 1991, Gwyneth Paltrow landed her first film role in

, a John Travolta vehicle about an influential Texas music teacher in the 1950s. Given that this was pre-

John Travolta, the film didn't make a dent at the box office, but Steven Spielberg, a friend of Bruce Paltrow, gave Gwyneth Paltrow greater exposure through a role in 1991's

as the young incarnation of Wendy. After playing a deceitful con artist in 1993's

, Gwyneth Paltrow was chosen by David Fincher to star opposite Brad Pitt in his new film

. The role of a police detective's supportive wife had been played before in countless films, but the story arc of Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Tracy Mills, was so memorably tragic that it instantly stood out and made a new movie fad out of unhappy endings.

gwyneth paltrow stars in shakespeare in love and shallow hal

While her off-screen romance with Brad Pitt created a tabloid frenzy, Gwyneth Paltrow used the attention to her advantage by snagging lead roles as a matchmaker who meets her match in 1996's

, a waitress whose life goes in two different directions simultaneously in 1998's

, and a trophy wife who escapes her own murder in 1998's

. Now considered something greater than just Brad Pitt's girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow hit her critical peak that year when she played the ambitious performer Viola De Lesseps, an aspiring actress who captures the Bard's heart in

. For her flawless performance, she won the Oscar statuette for Best Actress and found herself besieged by numerous acting offers.

With so many projects to choose from after

, Gwyneth Paltrow was admittedly overwhelmed, but showed her acting versatility across a number of genres. 1999's

saw her get mixed up with the murderous Matt Damon, while 2000's

didn't fare well at the box office, but did allow her to sing a breezy cover of "Cruisin'" with Huey Lewis and be directed by her dad for the first time. One of Gwyneth Paltrow's most image-altering roles also came in 2000. For the film

, she wore a fat suit to play an obese woman whose inner-beauty shines through to Jack Black. She researched the role by going out to the bar in the suit and was met with much avoidance and ignorant behavior. 

gwyneth paltrow stars in iron man and appears in spain... on the road again

After her role as the only orphan in a family of eccentrics for Wes Anderson's

, Gwyneth Paltrow left for the London Stage to star opposite the legendary Anthony Hopkins in a 2002 production of

. Playing a woman questioning her sanity, she was effective in her performance and brought the role to life on screen in the 2005 film of the same name, which led to a Golden Globe nomination. Having spent much of the decade starring in lesser-known films and caring for her new family, Gwyneth Paltrow returned to the mainstream in 2008 as Pepper Potts, the love interest to Robert Downey Jr. in the summer box office smash

. Reluctant to take the role early on, Gwyneth Paltrow signed on for the movie after her leading man playfully suggested to that she needed to be in a film that the mainstream public would watch.

Before 2008 was complete, Gwyneth Paltrow made a triumphant return to Spain alongside master chef Mario Batali for PBS's foodie favorite,

. Afterward, she returned to movies for what was purported to be Joaquin Phoenix's last film role,

, before reprising her role of Pepper Potts in 2010's highly-anticipated

.