22 Facts About Gwyneth Paltrow’s Rising Career

She conquered Hollywood and became a successful businessperson — and a lifestyle inspiration to millions.

22 Facts About Gwyneth Paltrow’s Rise From Hollywood Kid to Lifestyle Guru

There are so many sides to Gwyneth Paltrow.

She’s an excellent actress, but she’s more than an actress. She single-handedly created a lifestyle culture and brand that millions of people identify with and support. And she’s done so while maintaining her own distinct identity. That’s saying a lot considering she grew up in the heart of the entertainment industry, which is known for making people a little off-kilter.

Her evolving career within and outside of acting has been very lucrative, too; her current net worth is around $60 million. Though the Academy Award winner may be portrayed in many different lights based on her beliefs and her lifestyle choices, it’s hard to look at the list of her career accomplishments and not be inspired.

Her Family Is in the Entertainment Business

Gwyneth Paltrow and Blythe Danner — Gwyneth Paltrow (right) and her mother, Blythe Danner, arrive at the Women in Film 2004 Crystal and Lucy Awards in Los Angeles 2004.

Gwyneth Paltrow is the daughter of the late director and producer Bruce Paltrow and still-working actress Blythe Danner. She grew up in the entertainment business and had an interest in acting at a young age, though she still grew up with the normal rebellious streak you’d expect from any teenager.

Her father, with whom she was very close until his death, directed her in his final film, “Duets.” And she’s still supportive of her mother’s ongoing film and TV career. Her brother, Jake, is also in the biz.

Steven Spielberg Is Her Godfather

Paltrow Spielberg — Gwyneth Paltrow (right) and director Steven Spielberg, shown here in 2004, have known each other all of their lives. Spielberg is Paltrow's godfather.

Living in Los Angeles with parents in the entertainment industry, it's inevitable you’d grow up knowing someone pretty famous. And Gwyneth not only grew up around them. She considers them family.

Her parents were extremely close to director Steven Spielberg and asked him to be their daughter's godfather. Their close relationship apparently led Gwyneth to one of her first major film roles. The director was with the Paltrow family after seeing “The Silence of the Lambs,” right around the time he was about to begin filming “Hook,” when he realized that Gwyneth could make a great young Wendy.

She’s Got an Oscar

paltrow oscar — Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in "Shakespeare in Love," in 1999.

In case you missed it since it happened early on in her career, Gwyneth Paltrow won an Academy Award in 1999 for the classic period piece “Shakespeare in Love.”

The movie was a surprise hit for many people, especially during award season. And it ended up winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, beating out her own godfather’s masterpiece, “Saving Private Ryan.”

She Can Sing

duets paltrow lewis — Gwyneth Paltrow sings alongside Huey Lewis in the 2000 film "Duets."

Despite the fact that it was a bit of a flop, the film in which she collaborated with her father, “Duets,” showed off her singing skills. She’s never seemed to interested in pursuing a separate singing career, but she did use her skills for the 2010 movie “Country Strong,” too.

She Has a Sense of Humor

Gwyneth Paltrow Sings an AC/DC Guitar Solo — Gwyneth Paltrow sings an AC/DC guitar solo on "The Late Late Show with James Corden."

Nowadays, you’ll mostly find her singing if a late night talk show hosts asks her to do it as part of a bit. And, because she has a good sense of humor, it usually ends up being a delightful and entertaining experience.

She Loves Spain

paltrow spain — Gwyneth Paltrow arrives at the launch party for the PBS television series "Spain...on the Road Again" in New York in 2008.

When she was in high school, Paltrow took a trip to Spain that would change her life. She not only fell in love with the food and culture, she ended up learning to speak Spanish.

She Wrote Her First Book About Spain

The country inspired her first book “Spain...A Culinary Road Trip,” which would be the first of many books to come. She claims to visit Spain at least once a year, and brings her children along now, too.

She Lost Her Dad to Cancer

Stand up to cancer — Gwyneth Paltrow, who's father Bruce Paltrow died of cancer, supports the Stand Up To Cancer charity.

Gwyneth attributes many of her positive qualities to her late father, Bruce Paltrow, who died suddenly at 58 from complications of oral cancer and pneumonia.

She’s in Excellent Shape

paltrow gwyneth — Gwyneth Paltrow, shown here in Berlin in 2014, is dedicated to her fitness routine.

After his passing, during which Paltrow was by his side during a trip to Rome for her 30th birthday, she decided to dedicate herself to becoming much healthier. She began learning about fitness and nutrition, a journey that would become something she’d be well known for in the years to come.

She Helped Make Her Trainer Famous

paltrow and anderson — Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy Anderson arrive at the opening of the Tracy Anderson flagship studio in Los Angeles in 2013.

Because of Paltrow’s dedication to her fitness and lifestyle choices, people began asking what she did to keep herself in such great shape. For a long time, she swore by her personal trainer Tracy Anderson and her unique but effective workout methods.

Since Paltrow began talking about fitness, Anderson’s own career as a celebrity trainer and fitness expert has thrived. She has several stand-alone gyms dedicated to teaching her method and is often featured in health magazines.

Paltrow wasn’t the only famous celebrity that worked with Anderson, but she certainly was one of the most consistent and most vocal.

She Keeps Her Private Life Private

paltrow pitt — After Gwyneth Paltrow's high-profile romance with Brad Pitt, as seen here in 1996 at the Academy Awards, she decided to keep her private life more private.

When she was first becoming famous, she had several high-profile romances with fellow actors, including and engagement with Brad Pitt. After their high-profile engagement was called off, Paltrow admitted she learned the value of privacy in her private life.

Though she continued to date well-known entertainers, she declined to talk about them on the same level she had before. Often, she would not be pictured with her significant other. This included her marriage to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, despite the fact that both are well-known celebrities.

She Created and Runs Goop...

paltrow goop — Gwyneth Paltrow hosted the inaugural "In Goop Health" event in 2017 in Culver City, California. About 600 women spent the day chatting, learning, eating, shopping and generally indulging in the lifestyle touted by Goop.

Paltrow continues to act, but she has also focused a lot of her time and attention on growing her popular lifestyle brand, Goop. The brand offers all sorts of products and experiences for people who want to actively work on their wellness — and who have deep pockets. Sometimes the products on goop are so ridiculously decadent, it’s hard to tell if the actress might be playing a small prank on the rest of the world, making them believe that people actually buy these things.

... And It Is Worth a Bundle

Goop has had some controversial offerings throughout the years, items that not everyone would agree are universally beneficial to your health. But apparently enough people are invested in the blog, products, and experiences under the Goop umbrella that the company is currently valued around $250 million.

She’s Written More Books Than You Think

paltrow book — Gwyneth Paltrow poses with her book "It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great," in 2013 in Los Angeles.

Her first published book was inspired by her beloved Spain. She apparently caught the writing bug after that. She continued to write all sorts of cookbooks and even other lifestyle books, including the popular “My Father’s Daughter” and “Notes From My Kitchen.”

On her Goop website, she continues to blog regularly about her adventures and her lifestyle choices.

She Popularized the Phrase “Conscious Uncoupling”

martin paltrow — Gwyneth Paltrow her then-husband Chris Martin, shown in 2014, went through a process called "conscious uncoupling" when they split.

Because of her lifestyle brand, she sometimes approaches word choices more carefully than others. Whether it’s by design or by choice, Paltrow’s vocabulary is almost as branded as her Goop product choices.

So when she announced she and her husband Chris Martin would be officially splitting up and getting divorced, she did so using the term “conscious uncoupling.” Unsurprisingly, the term made quite a splash and people everywhere discussed its meaning.

She Still Puts Family First

Gwyneth Paltrow's Family — Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow pose with their two children.

To her credit, Paltrow and Martin have continued being an active part of each other’s lives and the lives of their children. They even go on vacations together as a family.

She Got Married Again

paltrow married — Paltrow and new husband Brad Falchuk announced their marriage with this photo on Instagram.

Paltrow tied the knot again September 29. 2018, this time with a wedding in the Hamptons to television writer, director, and producer Brad Falchuk, co-creator of the series “Glee.”

She’s Part of the Marvel Universe

pepper paltrow — Gwyneth Paltrow has played Virginia “Pepper” Potts in Marvel's “Iron Man” series since 2008.

Though her lifestyle brand, Goop, has taken over much of her time, Paltrow still finds time to be in front of the camera.

She’s played Virginia “Pepper” Potts in the “Iron Man” series for Marvel since 2008, and even had a cameo in the star-studded (and heartbreaking) “Avengers: Infinity War.”

She Lent Her Voice to a Children’s Book

paltrow audio — Gwyneth Paltrow, seen here in London in 2018, has lent her voice to the beloved children’s book series “Brown Bear & Friends.”

In between running a multi-million dollar company and acting regularly while raising a totally organic family, Paltrow found time to lend her voice to the beloved children’s book series “Brown Bear & Friends,” which is available on Audible.

The original audiobook from the series was nominated for a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

She’s a Philanthropist

paltrow pink — Gwyneth Paltrow speaks at the 2016 Hamptons Paddle & Party for Pink in New York. The event helps raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Paltrow has been an outspoken advocate for many charitable causes, including as the face of Estée Lauder cosmetics. A good portion of the profits from her Pleasure Gwyneth Paltrow fragrance are donated to breast cancer research.

She Volunteers Her Time

She also sits on the board for the Robin Hood Foundation, which helps address and reduce poverty in New York City, and she’s an artist ambassador for the Save the Children Foundation.

In addition, she advocates for better legislation for clean and responsible products used in food, makeup, and skincare lines.

Life Is Good