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Jennifer Connelly was born December
12, 1970, in Catskill Mountains, New York, to parents Gerard, a clothing
manufacturer, and Eileen, an antique dealer.
Although she claims she was tiny and mousy as a child, she was certainly
pretty enough to appear in magazines such as Seventeen at the age of 10,
after a friend of her father's recommended that she model.
Signed with Ford models, Jennifer did her share of print and television
before appearing in front of cameras as an actress. While a student at St.
Ann's School, she landed a role as a young Elisabeth McGovern for a
flashback sequence in the mobster film, Once Upon a Time in America,
starring Robert De Niro.
With only an appearance on the television show, Tales of the Unexpected on
her acting resume, she was soon on her way, but her next outings, Creepers
(aka Phenomena and Seven Minutes in Heaven) weren't the answers to her
breaking through.
What helped her find her way out of obscurity was her lead role opposite
David Bowie in Jim Henson and George Lucas' 1986 film, Labyrinth. Her role
placed her into the spotlight, so much so that she is even recognized by
children today.
By the time she had graduated high school, Jennifer had appeared in a
video for Roy Orbison's "I Drove All Night" with Jason Priestly; appeared
in television commercials in Japan; and even released a single in Japan
entitled, "Monologue of Love," in which she sings in Japanese (her agent
claimed that she was semi-fluent in the language.)
But Jennifer's career choice left her in a maze of disappointment after
disappointment, with roles in 1990's The Hot Spot and Career
Opportunities. The latter did not live up to its name, as it was not much
more than another film credit.
Balancing work and school, Jennifer attended Yale and then transferred to
Stanford, but decided to make acting her number one priority when she was
cast in the lead of Disney's The Rocketeer. The movie not only skyrocketed
Jennifer to new heights, but it also led to a long-term romance with her
co-star, Billy Campbell.
In 1995, Jennifer was cast as a lesbian in Higher Learning, co-starring
Tyra Banks, and the following year she appeared in Mulholland Falls and
starred in Far Harbor.
The green-eyed beauty then had a streak, with 1997's Inventing the
Abbotts, as the sister of Liv Tyler, and less commercial films like Dark
City, Waking the Dead, the critically-acclaimed Requiem for a Dream, in a
convincing turn as a heroine addict, and Pollock.
Jennifer tried her hand at television, with a starring role in the poorly
rated The $treet, and although it was canceled, Jennifer is keeping busy
with a lead role in the upcoming A Beautiful Mind, opposite Russell Crowe,
and a role in the pending Schwarzenegger flick, Crusade. She is also busy
raising her son, Kai, as a single mother.
Her acting talents were finally recognized as she was nominated for a Best
Supporting Female Independent Spirit Award for her role in Requiem for a
Dream, in what is considered her best role to date. |
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Acting is great. When it works
it is so fulfilling. You do the research and work with other
talented people who are creative and compassionate and use all your
faculties. The ability to express yourself completely is the most
wonderful feeling in the world. Each film is a chapter in my life
wherein I learn so much more about myself.
I so much enjoy being able to completely allow myself to be consumed
by a role, and really grow in the process,once you've done that,
it's hard to go back working on things you don't care about.
[talking about the films she did in the beginning of her career]:
You don't want to get rid of your experiences, because they're your
experiences - good or bad - and you need them, but it would be great
if they weren't on the video shelf!
[Talking about her character in A Beautiful Mind (2001)]: Alicia is
the person who's trying to ground John Nash in reality and bring him
home, literally, and back to what he was. In A Beautiful Mind, there
are scenes that were painful and scary and sad. I didn't have to go
through degradation as I did in Requiem for a Dream (2000), but
there is a lot of emotional terrain in this movie. There's a tragedy
in the family and it takes a toll on each of them as they try to
live with each other.
[talking about her son Kai Dugan]: We've already done plays
together. Very short plays. He dictates them to me. Sometimes he
casts me, sometimes he doesn't. And when I'm in the play, he'll
sometimes say to me, "No Mom, you didn't say that right!"
[on "The Ball Room Dance" scene, her favorite from Labyrinth
(1986)]: I wore a beautiful silver ball gown, which was a refreshing
change from the blue jeans I wore in almost every other scene. It
was really a gorgeous set, with masses of huge chandeliers and
thousands of flickering candles, hundreds of silken cushions and
curtains, and masses of people in strange masks and ornate dresses.
There was the thrill of dancing with David Bowie to one of the songs
he composed especially for the film. There wasn't enough room, for
technical reasons, to really dance around properly, but we just
drifted slowly and gracefully (I hope!) to David's music, and he
looked fabulous! It's all a sort of magical fantasy sequence inside
a huge bubble.
[about her son]: "I don't think I would be doing this quality of
work if it hadn't been for my son. He's changed me. He's helped me
to understand myself and find my place in the world." |
