Jennifer Lawrence, the highest-paid actress in the world in 2015 and 2016, is widely regarded as the most successful actress of her generation. Born on August 15, 1990, in Louisville, Kentucky, she is the first person born in the 1990s to have won an acting Oscar.
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence, the youngest of three children, was raised by her mother, Karen, a children's camp manager, and her father, Gary, a construction worker. Her parents are of English, German, Irish, and Scottish descent.
Lawrence's acting career began at the age of fourteen, when she dropped out of the 8th grade and traveled to Manhattan. After a successful cold read, agents convinced her mother to let her spend the summer in New York City, where she appeared in commercials and landed her first film role.
Her family soon moved to Los Angeles, where she was cast in several small movies and the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show. Her breakthrough role came in Winter's Bone (2010),which earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.
Lawrence's subsequent roles in X-Men: First Class (2011) and The Hunger Games (2012) propelled her to international stardom. She went on to star in three Hunger Games sequels, as well as the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012),for which she won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress.
In addition to her film work, Lawrence has also starred in David O. Russell's American Hustle (2013) and Joy (2015),earning Oscar nominations for both roles. With a career spanning over two decades, Lawrence has become one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood, known for her versatility, talent, and dedication to her craft.
