Jennifer Lawrence is an American actress and film producer born on August 15, 1990, in Kentucky. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook at age 22. This Jennifer Lawrence biography covers her early life, breakthrough roles, awards, producing work, and personal life.
Who Is Jennifer Lawrence?
Jennifer Lawrence is an American actress and film producer born on August 15, 1990, in Indian Hills, Kentucky, near Louisville, according to Britannica. Lawrence is known for roles in Winter’s Bone, The Hunger Games, and Silver Linings Playbook. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2013.
The table below lists 10 quick facts about Jennifer Lawrence. The left column names the fact category, and the right column gives the value for each category.
| Fact Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Full name | Jennifer Shrader Lawrence |
| Birth date | August 15, 1990 |
| Birthplace | Indian Hills, Kentucky, near Louisville |
| Age | 36 years, as of October 2026 |
| Occupations | Actress, film producer |
| Breakthrough film | Winter’s Bone (2010) |
| Academy Award | Best Actress, 2013, for Silver Linings Playbook |
| Production company | Excellent Cadaver, founded in 2018 |
| Spouse | Cooke Maroney, married in 2019 |
| Children | 2 sons, born in 2022 and 2025 |
What Was Jennifer Lawrence’s Early Life Like?
Jennifer Lawrence grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, with her parents Gary and Karen Lawrence and her two older brothers, Ben and Blaine, according to Wikipedia. Her father owned a construction company, and her mother managed a summer camp.
Lawrence left Kammerer Middle School in Louisville at age 14 and did not earn a GED or high school diploma.
How Did Jennifer Lawrence Start Acting?
Jennifer Lawrence started acting at age 9 in a church play based on the Book of Jonah. A talent scout spotted her in New York City at age 14, and she later signed with the CESD Talent Agency.
Her first screen roles included 4 credits:
- Company Town (2006): unsold television pilot
- The Bill Engvall Show (2007 to 2009): series regular, with a Young Artist Award in 2009
- Garden Party (2008): film debut
- The Burning Plain (2008): Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 2008 Venice Film Festival
What Was Jennifer Lawrence’s Breakthrough Role?
Jennifer Lawrence’s breakthrough role was Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone (2010), which earned her a first Academy Award nomination, according to Wikipedia.
Which Franchise Roles Made Jennifer Lawrence Famous?
Jennifer Lawrence became widely known through 2 franchises, X-Men and The Hunger Games:
- X-Men: Mystique in 4 films, from X-Men: First Class (2011) to Dark Phoenix (2019)
- The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen in 4 films, from 2012 to 2015
Was Jennifer Lawrence the Highest-Paid Actress?
Forbes ranked Jennifer Lawrence the world’s highest-paid actress in 2015 at $52 million and in 2016 at $46 million, according to Wikipedia.
What Awards Has Jennifer Lawrence Won?
Jennifer Lawrence has won 93 awards from 200 nominations, including 1 Academy Award, according to Wikipedia’s list of her awards. The Golden Globes list 3 wins and 4 nominations for Lawrence.
The table below lists 7 major wins. The columns give the award, the ceremony year, the category, and the film.
| Award | Ceremony Year | Category | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | 2013 | Best Actress | Silver Linings Playbook |
| Golden Globe | 2013 | Best Actress, Musical or Comedy | Silver Linings Playbook |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | 2013 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Silver Linings Playbook |
| Golden Globe | 2014 | Best Supporting Actress | American Hustle |
| BAFTA Award | 2014 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | American Hustle |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | 2014 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast | American Hustle |
| Golden Globe | 2016 | Best Actress, Musical or Comedy | Joy |
How Many Oscar Nominations Does Jennifer Lawrence Have?
Jennifer Lawrence has 4 Academy Award nominations and 1 win, according to Wikipedia. The nominations came for Winter’s Bone (83rd ceremony), Silver Linings Playbook (85th, won), American Hustle (86th, Best Supporting Actress), and Joy (88th).
Lawrence was 22 years old when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her most recent Golden Globe nomination came in 2026 for Die My Love, in the Best Actress, Drama category.
What Are Jennifer Lawrence’s Best-Known Movies?
Jennifer Lawrence’s best-known movies include Winter’s Bone, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle. Her filmography also includes Joy, mother!, Don’t Look Up, Causeway, No Hard Feelings, and Die My Love.
The table below lists 11 major films. The first column names the film, the second column gives the release year, and the third column gives a note on the film.
| Film | Release Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Winter’s Bone | 2010 | Breakthrough role as Ree Dolly and first Oscar nomination |
| X-Men: First Class | 2011 | First of 4 films as Mystique |
| The Hunger Games | 2012 | First of 4 films as Katniss Everdeen |
| Silver Linings Playbook | 2012 | Won the Academy Award for Best Actress |
| American Hustle | 2013 | Won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for supporting actress |
| Joy | 2015 | Won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress |
| mother! | 2017 | Directed by Darren Aronofsky |
| Don’t Look Up | 2021 | Netflix film |
| Causeway | 2022 | Produced through Excellent Cadaver |
| No Hard Feelings | 2023 | Produced through Excellent Cadaver, with a Golden Globe nomination |
| Die My Love | 2025 | Directed by Lynne Ramsay, with a Golden Globe nomination |
What Is Excellent Cadaver?
Excellent Cadaver is a production company founded by Jennifer Lawrence in 2018, according to Wikipedia. Her producing partner is Justine Ciarrocchi. The company signed a first-look deal with Makeready in October 2018.
Excellent Cadaver produced 5 projects between 2022 and 2025:
- Causeway (2022): drama
- Bread and Roses (2023): documentary directed by Sahra Mani
- No Hard Feelings (2023): comedy
- Zurawski v Texas (2024): documentary, executive produced
- Die My Love (2025): dark comedy directed by Lynne Ramsay
What Is Die My Love?
Die My Love is a 2025 dark comedy directed by Lynne Ramsay, with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role and Excellent Cadaver as producer. The film premiered in the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2025, and opened in the United States and Canada on November 7, 2025.
Lawrence sent Ramsay the source novel, according to Wikipedia. Martin Scorsese had sent the novel to Lawrence and Ciarrocchi after reading it in his book club.
Who Is Jennifer Lawrence Married To?
Jennifer Lawrence is married to Cooke Maroney, a gallery director, according to Wikipedia. They married on October 19, 2019, at the Belcourt of Newport in Rhode Island. They have 2 sons, born in 2022 and 2025.
What Charity Work Does Jennifer Lawrence Do?
Jennifer Lawrence supports 3 main charitable causes, according to Wikipedia:
- Jennifer Lawrence Foundation: founded in 2015, supports the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics
- Kosair Children’s Hospital: $2 million donation in 2016 for a cardiac intensive care unit in Louisville
- RepresentUs: board membership at the anti-corruption nonprofit
What Are the Key Dates in Jennifer Lawrence’s Life?
The table below lists 15 key dates in Jennifer Lawrence’s life. The first column gives the date, and the second column describes the event.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 15, 1990 | Born in Kentucky |
| 2006 | Television debut in the unsold pilot Company Town |
| 2007 | Began The Bill Engvall Show, which ran to 2009 |
| 2008 | Film debut in Garden Party and Marcello Mastroianni Award at Venice |
| 2010 | Winter’s Bone released |
| 2012 | The Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook released |
| 2013 | Won the Academy Award for Best Actress at age 22 |
| 2015 | Founded the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation and ranked highest-paid actress by Forbes |
| 2018 | Founded Excellent Cadaver |
| October 19, 2019 | Married Cooke Maroney |
| 2022 | First son born |
| May 17, 2025 | Die My Love premiered at the Cannes Film Festival |
| November 7, 2025 | Die My Love released in the United States and Canada |
| 2025 | Second son born |
| 2026 | Golden Globe nomination for Die My Love |
What Are People Also Asking About Jennifer Lawrence?
How old is Jennifer Lawrence?
Jennifer Lawrence is 36 years old as of October 2026, born on August 15, 1990.
Where was Jennifer Lawrence born?
Jennifer Lawrence was born in Indian Hills, Kentucky, near Louisville.
Which movie won Jennifer Lawrence an Oscar?
Jennifer Lawrence won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook.
How many Oscars does Jennifer Lawrence have?
Jennifer Lawrence has 1 Academy Award from 4 nominations.
Who is Jennifer Lawrence married to?
Jennifer Lawrence is married to gallery director Cooke Maroney.
How many children does Jennifer Lawrence have?
Jennifer Lawrence has 2 sons, born in 2022 and 2025.
What character does Jennifer Lawrence play in The Hunger Games?
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen in all 4 Hunger Games films.
What is Jennifer Lawrence’s production company?
Jennifer Lawrence founded the production company Excellent Cadaver in 2018.
Who Is Jennifer Lawrence in Summary?
Jennifer Lawrence is an American actress and producer born on August 15, 1990, in Kentucky. She gained recognition in Winter’s Bone in 2010, played Katniss Everdeen in 4 Hunger Games films, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2013 at age 22. She founded Excellent Cadaver in 2018 and earned a 2026 Golden Globe nomination for Die My Love. This Jennifer Lawrence biography shows a career that spans acting, producing, and philanthropy.
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