Gwyneth Paltrow's Real Name: Gwyneth Kate Paltrow

Quick answer: Gwyneth Paltrow's real name is Gwyneth Kate Paltrow. She was born on September 27, 1972, in Los Angeles, California. She has also used married names (Martin; Falchuk) socially, but performs and brands under Paltrow.

Birth name and family

Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is the daughter of television producer-director Bruce Paltrow and Tony Award–winning actress Blythe Danner. She has a younger brother, director Jake Paltrow. The family moved from Los Angeles to New York when she was about 11; she attended a girls' school and studied acting in summer programs (Britannica; Biography.com; official site).

Her given names are not a stage invention. After marrying Coldplay's Chris Martin (2003–2016) and later producer Brad Falchuk (2018–), tabloid and legal contexts sometimes used Paltrow Martin or Paltrow Falchuk, but her professional identity remained Gwyneth Paltrow (Britannica).

Acting career and Oscar

Paltrow established herself in 1990s prestige and period films, including Emma (1996) and Shakespeare in Love (1998). For Shakespeare in Love she won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for Best Actress (official site; Britannica). Later work spanned indie drama and franchises, notably Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Iron Man and Avengers films, and a Primetime Emmy for guest work on Glee.

goop and business

In 2008 she founded the lifestyle company goop, which grew from a newsletter into a retail and media brand; she serves as founder and CEO and has authored multiple New York Times–bestselling cookbooks (official site; Britannica). She and Falchuk share two children from her marriage to Martin: Apple and Moses.

Shakespeare in Love Blu-ray/DVD Gwyneth Paltrow cookbook (e.g. It's All Good or The Clean Plate) Emma (1996) DVD/Blu-ray