Portrait of Gwyneth Paltrow

Birthday profile

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow, American actress, blogger, and businesswoman

Born
September 27, 1972
Age in 2026
54
Zodiac sign
Libra
Birth year
1972

About Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( PAL-troh; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in primarily mid-budget and period films during the 1990s and early 2000s, before transitioning to blockbusters and franchises. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films including Seven (1995), Emma (1996), Sliding Doors (1998), and A Perfect Murder (1998). She garnered wider acclaim for her role as Viola de Lesseps in the historical romance Shakespeare in Love (1998), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. This was followed by roles in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), and Shallow Hal (2001). She made her West End debut in the David Auburn's play Proof (2003), earning a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress nomination, and reprised the role in the 2005 film of the same name. After becoming a parent in 2004, Paltrow reduced her acting workload by making intermittent appearances in films such as Two Lovers (2008), Country Strong (2010), and Contagion (2011). Paltrow's career revived through her portrayal of Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from Iron Man (2008) to Avengers: Endgame (2019). On television, she had a recurring guest role as Holly Holliday on the Fox musical television series Glee (2010–2011), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. After starring in the Netflix series The Politician (2019–2020), she took a break from acting, before returning with Marty Supreme (2025). In 2005, Paltrow became a "face" of Estée Lauder Companies; she was previously the face of the American fashion brand Coach. She is the founder and CEO of the lifestyle company Goop, which has been criticized for promoting pseudoscience. She has written several cookbooks. She also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Spoken Word Album for Children for narrating the children's book Brown Bear and Friends (2009). She hosted the documentary series The Goop Lab for Netflix in 2020. Iron Man was favorably received by critics, and with a worldwide gross of $585 million, it became Paltrow's highest-grossing film until The Avengers (2012). Law became one of the film's producers and used his clout to get Paltrow involved.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Gwyneth Paltrow timeline

  1. In 2005, Paltrow became a "face" of Estée Lauder Companies; she was previously the face of the American fashion brand Coach.
  2. Iron Man was favorably received by critics, and with a worldwide gross of $585 million, it became Paltrow's highest-grossing film until The Avengers (2012).

The world when Gwyneth Paltrow was born

Gwyneth Paltrow was born in 1972. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1972

  • #1 song"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack
  • Top movieThe Godfather
  • Top TV showAll in the Family
  • Best-selling bookJonathan Livingston Seagull – Richard Bach

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMark Spitz wins 7 gold medals at Munich Olympics
  • Top headlineWatergate break-in begins Nixon's downfall
  • Technology milestoneAtari founded
  • Defining fadPong (first mainstream video game)
  • Notable inventionPong video game
  • World population3.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRichard Nixon
  • Sports championOakland Athletics (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population209.9M

1972 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Gwyneth Paltrow's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19722026
Gas$0.36$3.45/gal
Average home$19,800$435,000
Average income$12,600$67,500
Minimum wage$1.60$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.70$11.95
Postage stamp$0.08$0.73
Population209.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Encyclopaedia Britannica. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.