Jennifer Connelly was born to Ilene (Schuman), who was a dealer of antiques and Gerard Connelly, who was a clothing manufacturer. Her father had an Irish and Norwegian heritage, and her mother who was from a Jewish immigrant family. Jennifer’s childhood years were spent in Brooklyn Heights, just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, except the four years her parents were in Woodstock, New York.
Back in Brooklyn Heights, she went to St Ann’s school. A close friend of the Connelly family was an advertising executive. When Jennifer was ten, he made the suggestion that her parents take her to a modelling audition. She started appearing in newspaper and magazine ads (among them “Seventeen” magazine), and soon moved on to TV commercials.
A casting director saw Jennifer and introduced her to Sergio Leone, who was looking for a young girl to dance in his gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Even though she had little screen time, the few minutes that she was on-screen were enough to reveal her talent. Her next role after that was an episode of the British horror anthology TV series Tales of the Unexpected (1979) in 1984.
What Are Jennifer Connelly’s Best Films?
Inventing The Abbotts (1997)
Jennifer Connelly stars next to Joaquin Phoenix in this ’90s film which is about two families who find themselves entwined in a dangerous web that is caused by one patriarch’s supposed wrongs. The movie might not be the most thrilling ever made however it tells a story that’s easy to lose yourself in for two hours. Both Connelly and Phoenix deliver in great performances in their respective roles, which makes this story substantially more compelling and grounded in reality than anybody would firstly expect.
Hulk (2003)
Ang Lee’s Hulk may not be the most critically acclaimed superhero movie in the genre; however it still has its reasonable share of fans who will defend it for its chic reimagining of the famous comic hero. Connelly plays the character of Betty Ross, who is the love interest of protagonist Bruce Banner.
The romance aspect of Hulk is something that hasn’t really been successfully explored in the MCU’s imagining of the character, and it includes a whole new layer to the story that makes it far more compelling. Her relationship with Bana’s Hulk is a rare and interesting one, but it works thanks to the actors’ great performances.
Career Opportunities (1991)
Its movies like Career Opportunities that make Jennifer Connelly one of the most iconic romantic comedy actresses of the 1990s, telling the interesting story of two people who find themselves locked overnight in a store. They construct a strong bond over the course of the night; however this is quickly put to the test when a gang of robbers break in.
As with many romantic comedies of the era, Career Opportunities elicits a lot of laughs from the uncomfortable and unbelievable positions which it places its characters in. It’s a funny story that’s as entertaining as the games you can play using an online casino sign up bonus, and made all the more amusing by Connelly and Frank Whaley’s delightful performances.
