Jennifer Lynn Connelly (born December 12, 1970) is an American film actress and former child model. She made her motion picture debut in the 1984 crime film Once Upon a Time in America. Although starring as early as a teenager in films such as Labyrinth and Career Opportunities, she gained critical acclaim following her work in the 1998 science fiction film Dark City and the 2000 drama Requiem for a Dream.
In 2002, Connelly won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for the 2001 biopic A Beautiful Mind. Other film appearances include the 2003 Marvel superhero film Hulk, the 2005 thriller drama Dark Water, Blood Diamond, The Day the Earth Stood Still and the romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You.
Since 2005, Connelly has served as Amnesty International Ambassador for Human Rights Education for the United States. During her career, various magazines, including Time, Vanity Fair, and Esquire have named her on their lists of the most beautiful women.
Despite her successful film career, Connelly stated that she prefers to live a family life with her husband and children when she is not working. She also expressed that the most important thing in her life is her family,[88] with whom she lives in TriBeCa, New York City.
She appeared alongside Keanu Reeves in the 2008 remake of the 1951 science fiction film The Day The Earth Stood Still. Connelly, a fan of the original movie, played the Princeton University astrobiologist Dr. Helen Benson. Unlike the original movie, where her character was a secretary and the focus of the movie was balanced in her romantic relationship with Klaatu, the remake emphasizes on the troubled relationship between her and her stepson portrayed by Jaden Smith. The astronomer Seth Shostak prepared her in order to understand the scientific jargon of the character.
