Jennifer Lawrence facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jennifer Lawrence
Lawrence in 2016
Born	Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (1990-08-15) August 15, 1990 (age 34) Indian Hills, Kentucky, U.S.
Other names	Jennifer Lawrence Maroney
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Cooke Maroney ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1
Awards	Full list

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. She is known for starring in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, she appeared in Time's 100 most influential people in the world list in 2013 and the Forbes Celebrity 100 list from 2013 to 2016.

Lawrence began her career as a teenager with guest roles on television. Her first major role was as a main cast member on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007–2009). She made her film debut with a supporting role in the drama Garden Party (2008), and had her breakthrough playing a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent film Winter's Bone (2010). Lawrence gained stardom portraying the mutant Mystique in the X-Men film series (2011–2019) and Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015). The latter made her the highest-grossing action heroine.

Lawrence collaborated with filmmaker David O. Russell on three films, which earned her various accolades. For portraying a troubled young widow in the romance Silver Linings Playbook (2012), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the second-youngest winner in the category at age 22. Lawrence won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing an unpredictable wife in the black comedy American Hustle (2013). She also received Golden Globe Awards for both, and for portraying businesswoman Joy Mangano in the biopic Joy (2015). A series of mixed reviewed films and the media scrutiny of her role choices led to a small break from acting. Lawrence returned with the streaming film Don't Look Up (2021), after which she produced and starred in the drama Causeway (2022) and the comedy No Hard Feelings (2023).

Lawrence is a feminist and advocates for women's reproductive rights. In 2015, she founded the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, which advocates for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics. Lawrence formed the production company Excellent Cadaver in 2018. She is an active member of the nonpartisan nonprofit anti-corruption organization RepresentUs and has served as a spokesperson in its videos about protecting democracy.

Early life and education

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence was born on August 15, 1990, in Indian Hills, Kentucky to Gary, a construction company owner, and Karen (née Koch), a summer camp manager. She has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine. Her mother raised her to be "tough" like her brothers, and would not allow her to play with other girls in preschool, as she deemed her "too rough" with them. Lawrence was educated at the Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She did not enjoy her childhood due to hyperactivity and social anxiety, and considered herself a misfit among her peers. She has said that her anxieties vanished when performing on stage and that acting gave her a sense of accomplishment. Her school activities included cheerleading, softball, field hockey and basketball, which she played on a boys' team coached by her father.

Growing up, Lawrence was fond of horseback riding and frequently visited a local horse farm. She has an injured tailbone as a result of being thrown from a horse. When her father worked from home, she performed for him, often dressing up as a clown or ballerina. She had her first acting assignment at age nine, playing in a church play based on the Book of Jonah. For the next few years she continued taking parts in church plays and school musicals.

Lawrence was 14 and on a family vacation in New York City when she was spotted on the street by a talent scout, who arranged for her to audition for talent agents. Her mother was not keen on her pursuing an acting career, but she briefly moved her family to New York to let Lawrence read for roles. After her first cold reading, the agents said that hers was the best they had heard from someone so young; however, her mother convinced her that they were lying. Lawrence said her early experiences were difficult because she felt lonely and friendless. She signed with CESD Talent Agency, which convinced her parents to let her audition for roles in Los Angeles. While her mother encouraged her to go into modeling, she insisted on pursuing acting, which she considered a "natural fit" for her abilities, and turned down several modeling offers. She dropped out of school at 14 without receiving a General Educational Development (GED) or diploma. She has described herself as "self-educated" and said that her career was her priority. Between her acting jobs in the city, she made regular visits to Louisville, where she was an assistant nurse at her mother's camp.

Career

Early roles and breakthrough (2006–2010)

Lawrence at the 2007 Movieguide Awards

Lawrence began her acting career with a minor role in the TV pilot Company Town (2006), which never aired and was never sold. She followed it with guest roles in several television shows, including Monk (2006) and Medium (2007). She received her first part as a series regular on the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show, in which she played Lauren, the rebellious teenage daughter of a family living in suburban Louisville, Colorado. The series premiered in 2007 and ran for three seasons. Tom Shales of The Washington Post considered her a scene stealer in her part, and David Hinckley of the New York Daily News wrote that she was successful in "deliver[ing] the perpetual exasperation of teenage girls". Lawrence won a Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a TV Series for the role in 2009.

Lawrence made her film debut in the 2008 drama film Garden Party, in which she played a troubled teenager named Tiff. She then appeared in director Guillermo Arriaga's feature film debut The Burning Plain (2008), a drama narrated in a hyperlink format. She was cast as the teenage daughter of Kim Basinger's character. She shared the role with Charlize Theron, who played the older version of her character. Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe described her role as "a thankless task", but Derek Elley of Variety praised her as the production's prime asset. Her performance earned her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Emerging Actress at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. The same year, she appeared in the music video for the song "The Mess I Made" by Parachute. In 2008, she starred in Lori Petty's drama The Poker House. Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter opined that Lawrence "has a touching poise on camera that conveys the resilience of children". She won an Outstanding Performance Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival for her performance in the film.

Lawrence's breakthrough role came in Debra Granik's independent drama Winter's Bone (2010), based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Woodrell. The film featured her as 17-year-old Ree Dolly, a poverty-stricken teenage girl in the Ozark Mountains who cares for her mentally ill mother and younger siblings while searching for her missing father. She traveled to the Ozarks a week before filming began to live with the family on whom the story was based, and in preparation for the role, she learned to fight, skin squirrels, and chop wood. David Denby of The New Yorker asserted that the film "would be unimaginable with anyone less charismatic", and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that "her performance is more than acting; it's a gathering storm. Lawrence's eyes are a roadmap to what's tearing Ree apart." The production won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The actress was awarded the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance, and received her first nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role as well as for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, becoming the second-youngest Best Actress nominee at the time.

Worldwide recognition (2011–2013)

Lawrence at the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011, where she received her first Academy Award nomination for Winter's Bone (2010)

In 2011, Lawrence took on a supporting role in Like Crazy, a romantic drama about long-distance relationships, starring Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times considered the film to be an "intensely wrought and immensely satisfying love story" and credited all three performers for "making their [characters'] yearning palpable". She then appeared again with Yelchin in Jodie Foster's The Beaver, alongside Foster and Mel Gibson. Filmed in 2009, the production was delayed and earned less than half of its $21 million budget. After her dramatic role in Winter's Bone, Lawrence looked for something less serious, and found it with her first high-profile release—Matthew Vaughn's superhero film X-Men: First Class (2011)—a prequel to the X-Men film series. She portrayed the shapeshifting mutant Mystique, a role played by Rebecca Romijn in the earlier films. Vaughn cast Lawrence, as he thought that she would be able to portray the weakness and strength involved in the character's transformation. For the part, Lawrence lost weight and practiced yoga. For Mystique's blue form, she had to undergo eight hours of makeup. This process required Lawrence to report to set at 2 a.m.

In 2012, Lawrence starred as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, an adaptation of the first book in author Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the series tells the story of the teenage heroine Everdeen as she joins rebel forces against a totalitarian government after winning a brutal televised annual event. Despite being an admirer of the books, Lawrence was initially hesitant to accept the part, because of the grand scale of the film. She agreed to the project after her mother convinced her to take the part. She practiced archery, rock and tree climbing, and hand-to-hand combat techniques, and other physically demanding activities for the role. While training for the part, she injured herself running into a wall. The Hunger Games garnered positive reviews, with Lawrence's portrayal of Everdeen being particularly praised; Roger Ebert described the film as "an effective entertainment," and found Lawrence to be "strong and convincing in the central role." Similarly, Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called her an "ideal screen actress", believing that she had embodied the Everdeen of the novel, and added that she "anchors [the film] with impressive gravity and presence". With worldwide revenues of over $690 million, The Hunger Games became a top-grossing film featuring a female lead, making Lawrence the highest-grossing action heroine of all time. The film's success established her as a global star.

Lawrence attending the premiere of Silver Linings Playbook at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival

Later in 2012, Lawrence played Tiffany Maxwell, a troubled young widow, in David O. Russell's romantic comedy-drama Silver Linings Playbook. The film is an adaptation of Matthew Quick's novel of the same name, and follows her character as she finds companionship with Pat Solitano Jr. (played by Bradley Cooper), a man with bipolar disorder. She won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance, becoming—at age 22—the second-youngest Best Actress winner. Her final film of the year was alongside Max Thieriot and Elisabeth Shue in Mark Tonderai's critically panned thriller House at the End of the Street.

In January 2013, Lawrence hosted an episode of the NBC late-night sketch comedy Saturday Night Live. The Devil You Know, a small-scale production that she had filmed for in 2005, was her first release of 2013. She then reprised the role of Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment in the Hunger Games series. While performing the film's underwater stunts, Lawrence suffered from an ear infection that resulted in a brief loss of hearing. Writing for The Village Voice, Stephanie Zacharek believed that the actress' portrayal of Everdeen made her an ideal role model, stating that "there's no sanctimony or pretense of false modesty in the way Lawrence plays her." With box office earnings of $865 million, Catching Fire remains her highest-grossing film to date. In the same year, Lawrence took on a supporting role in David O. Russell's ensemble black comedy crime American Hustle as Rosalyn Rosenfeld, the neurotic wife of con man Irving Rosenfeld (played by Christian Bale). Inspired by the FBI's Abscam sting operation, the film is set against the backdrop of political corruption in 1970s New Jersey. She did little research for the role, and based her performance on knowledge of the era from films and television shows she had watched. Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent found Lawrence to be "brilliant", "funny and acerbic" in her part, and highlighted an improvised scene in which she aggressively kisses her husband's mistress (played by Amy Adams) on the lips. For her performance, she won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress, and received her third Screen Actors Guild Award and Academy Award nominations, her first in the supporting category. This made her the youngest actor to accrue three Oscar nominations.

Established actress and career fluctuations (2014–2019)

Lawrence promoting The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

Lawrence played Serena Pemberton in Susanne Bier's depression-era drama Serena (2014), based on the novel of the same name by Ron Rash. The project was filmed in 2012, and was released in 2014 to poor reviews. Lawrence then reprised the role of Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which served as a sequel to both X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: First Class (2011). The film received positive reviews and grossed $748.1 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in the X-Men series to that point. Justin Chang of Variety praised her look in the film but thought she had little to do but "glower, snarl and let the f/x artists do their thing". Lawrence's next two releases were the final installments of The Hunger Games film series, Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015). For the soundtrack of the former film, she recorded the song "The Hanging Tree", which charted on multiple international singles charts. In a review of the final installment in the series, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times drew similarities between Everdeen's journey as a rebel leader and Lawrence's rise to stardom, stating that the actress "now inhabits the role as effortlessly as breathing, partly because, like all great stars, she seems to be playing a version of her 'real' self." Both films grossed over $650 million worldwide.

Lawrence worked with David O. Russell for the third time on the biopic Joy (2015), in which she played the eponymous character, a troubled single mother who becomes a successful businesswoman after inventing the Miracle Mop. During production in Boston, the press reported on a disagreement between Lawrence and Russell that resulted in a "screaming match". She said their friendship made it easier for them to disagree, because people fight when they really love each other. The film was not as well-received as their previous collaborations, but Lawrence's performance was unanimously praised; critic Richard Roeper found it to be her best work since Winter's Bone, terming it "a wonderfully layered performance that carries the film through its rough spots and sometime dubious detours." She won her third Golden Globe for it, and was nominated for another Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the youngest actor in history to accrue four Oscar nominations.

Lawrence promoting Red Sparrow in 2018

Lawrence began 2016 by providing the narration for A Beautiful Planet, a documentary film that explores Earth from the International Space Station. She played Mystique for the third time in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). The film received mixed reviews. Despite this, she was awarded Favorite Movie Actress at the 43rd People's Choice Awards. Lawrence was paid $20 million to star in the science fiction romance Passengers (2016), and received top billing over co-star Chris Pratt. Passengers was met with underwhelming reviews, much to the surprise of its cast and crew. She later expressed regret over starring in the film.

Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film mother! was Lawrence's sole release of 2017. She played a young wife who experiences trauma when her home is invaded by unexpected guests. Mother! polarized audiences and prompted mass walkouts. The film was better received by critics. The following year, she starred as Dominika Egorova, a Russian spy who makes contact with a mysterious CIA agent (played by Joel Edgerton), in Francis Lawrence's espionage thriller Red Sparrow, based on Jason Matthews' novel of the same name. In preparation for the part, she learned to speak in a Russian accent and trained in ballet for four months. In 2019, Lawrence made her fourth and final appearance as Mystique, in the superhero film Dark Phoenix, which emerged as a critical and box-office failure.

Hiatus and return to film (2019–present)

Lawrence at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival

Following roles in a series of mixed reviewed films, Lawrence took a small break from acting. She felt unsatisfied with her films, wanted to avoid media scrutiny, and focused on domestic activities during this period. Wanting to work with director Adam McKay since she was 19, Lawrence returned in 2021 in his film Don't Look Up for Netflix for a reported fee of $25 million. A "slapstick apocalypse", the film had her and costar Leonardo DiCaprio play two astronomers attempting to warn humanity about an extinction-level asteroid. For the role, Lawrence received a red dye job and an undercut. In an interview with Vogue, she said that she extensively researched the typical look of aspiring astrophysicists. Reviews for the film were mixed, but critics mostly praised the performances of Lawrence and DiCaprio, who were described as "powerhouse" by Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy and "a delight to watch" by Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV. Lawrence earned a fifth Golden Globe nomination for the film. It broke the record for the most views, 152 million hours in a single week in Netflix history, and ranks as the platform's second most-watched film within 28 days of release.

Lawrence starred in Lila Neugebauer's independent drama Causeway (2022), playing a soldier suffering from a brain injury. She also produced the film under her company Excellent Cadaver, which she had formed in 2018. After starring in several big-budget films, she was drawn to the "slow melody of a character-driven story". Comparing it to her work in Winter's Bone, Allison Wilmore of Vulture opined that the film "is a welcome reminder of how compelling Lawrence can be, as well as a promising indication that she's willing to seek out smaller projects and work with emerging directors".

Under Excellent Cadaver, Lawrence produced Bread and Roses (2023), a documentary film from director Sahra Mani about Afghan women under Taliban rule. Keen to work in a comedy, Lawrence accepted her friend Gene Stupnitsky's offer to star in his comedy No Hard Feelings (2023), which she also produced. She played a young woman facing bankruptcy who accepts a Craigslist posting from wealthy parents to date their introverted 19-year-old son (played by Andrew Barth Feldman). Reviewers had favorable opinions on the film, and appreciated Lawrence's comic timing. She received another Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

Other ventures

Lawrence at Tulane University in 2018

Lawrence identifies as a feminist, a concept she argues should not intimidate people "because it just means equality". She has promoted body positivity among women. In 2015, she wrote an essay for Lenny Letter criticizing the gender pay gap in Hollywood, describing her own experiences in the industry, such as the lesser pay she received for her work on American Hustle in comparison to her male co-stars. In a 2015 interview with Vogue, she condemned Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis for her opposition to same-sex marriage. Lawrence was raised a Republican and voted for John McCain in the 2008 presidential election, but has since been critical of the party. Lawrence strongly opposed Donald Trump's presidency, stating in 2015 that his election would "be the end of the world". She endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Lawrence joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011. She has lent her support to several charitable organizations, such as the World Food Programme, Feeding America, and the Thirst Project. Along with her The Hunger Games co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, she partnered with the United Nations to publicize poverty and hunger. She organized an early screening of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) to benefit Saint Mary's Center, a disabilities organization in Louisville, and raised more than $40,000 for the cause. She partnered with the charity broadcast network Chideo to raise funds for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games by screening her film Serena (2014). She also collaborated with Omaze to host a fundraising contest for the games as part of the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014).

In 2015, Lawrence teamed with Hutcherson and Hemsworth for Prank It FWD, a charitable initiative to raise money for the nonprofit organization DoSomething. That year, she also launched the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, which supports charities such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics. In 2016, she donated $2 million to the Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville to set up a cardiac intensive care unit named after her foundation. She is a board member of RepresentUs, a nonprofit seeking to pass anti-corruption laws in the United States. In 2018, she collaborated with 300 women in Hollywood to set up the Time's Up initiative to protect women from discrimination, and took part in the 2018 Women's March in Los Angeles. In 2018, Lawrence spoke out in support of retaining ranked-choice voting in Maine.

Personal life

During filming of X-Men: First Class in 2010, Lawrence began dating her co-star Nicholas Hoult. Their relationship ended around the time they wrapped filming X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. In September 2016, she began dating filmmaker Darren Aronofsky after they had met during filming of Mother! They broke up in November 2017.

In 2018, she began a relationship with Cooke Maroney, an art gallery director. They became engaged in February 2019 and married that October in Rhode Island. As of May 2019^[update], they reside in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City and in Beverly Hills, California. In February 2022, Lawrence gave birth to their son, Cy.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Music videos

Accolades

Lawrence won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook (2012). She has won three Golden Globe Awards; Best Actress – Comedy or Musical for Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Joy (2015), and Best Supporting Actress for American Hustle (2013). She also won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for American Hustle. Her other accolades include seven MTV Movie Awards (five for The Hunger Games series, two for Silver Linings Playbook), six People's Choice Awards (three for The Hunger Games, three for the X-Men series), a Satellite Award for Silver Linings Playbook, and a Saturn Award for The Hunger Games.

See also

In Spanish: Jennifer Lawrence para niños