Jennifer Ann Connelly grew up in Brooklyn Heights, just across the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, except for
the four years her family spent in Woodstock, New York. Back in Brooklyn Heights, she attended Saint Ann's
school. Her father was in the garment industry, and a close friend of the family was an advertising executive. When
Jennifer was 10, the friend suggested that her parents take her to a modelling audition. She began appearing in
newspaper and magazine ads (such as Seventeen magazine) and soon moved on to TV commercials. A casting
director saw Jennifer and introduced her to Sergio Leone, who was seeking a young girl to dance in his gangster
epic "Once Upon a Time in America."
Jennifer enrolled at Yale, then transferred two years later to Stanford. Her first appearance on celluloid (uncredited)
was on a British TV series called"Tales Of The Unexpected". Her first movie appearance was in "Once Upon a
Time in America" (1984). In an interview to Entertainment Weekly, Jennifer said she owed that role to the fact that
her nose matched co-star Elizabeth McGovern's. Jennifer has also appeared in a rock video: "I Drove All Night", a
Roy Orbison Song, co-starring Jason Priestly. There is a rumor that she appeared briefly in a Duran Duran video.
She also appeared in a Miller Beer commercial. During the mid-eighties Jennifer released a single called
"Monologue Of Love" in Japan, in which she sings in Japanese a charming little song with a semi classical
instruments arrangement.
Jennifer is trained in classical theatre and improvisation, having studied with the late drama coach Roy London and
with Howard Fine and Harold Guskin. She did TV commercials in Japan (see above). At one point she was
"engaged" in an unconventional sense (i.e. no real plans to marry), to Bill Campbell, her co-star in "The
Rocketeer". They were together on and off for about 5 years. Jennifer currently lives in New York. She's five feet
eight (about 1.72 m), speaks fluent Italian, French and semi-fluent Japanese. She was also a member of Gold's
Gym in Venice Beach for a year or two, but is no longer active. She enjoys physical activities such as swimming,
gymnastics, bike riding, and roller skating. She is an outdoors person - into camping, hiking and walking.
Jennifer is interested in Quantum Physics and philosophy. She is fairly level headed and grounded as a person, and
is not overly seduced by the Hollywood fantasy. She likes horses. With music she likes Pearl Jam, SoundGarden,
Jesus Jones, and 'whatever sounds nice on the radio'. Occasionally Jennifer wears a small picture of the Dalai Lama
on a necklace. Her favorite colors are cobalt blue, hunter green, and "a very pale green/gray - sort of like the color
of the sea". She likes to draw.
For more information, visit The Jennifer Connelly Biography. (in case the site goes down, I have reproduced the
information here)
Biography from "Labyrinth" production notes (circa 1986)
Jennifer Connelly was chosen by director Jim Henson from hundreds of young actresses he interviewed and
auditioned on both sides of the Atlantic. "I knew she was right for the role of Sarah as soon as she walked into my
office in New York", said Henson. "I wanted a girl who looked and could act that role and that age. And Jennifer
was perfect."
Co-star David Bowie was just as enthusiastic: "Jennifer was absolutely right for the part of Sarah. She's extremely
pretty, with looks rather like those of the teenage Elizabeth Taylor. She's also a damn good actress and was a joy to
work with.
Jennifer was born on December 12, 1970, in the Catskill Mountains in New York State. When she was a baby, the
family lived in New York City where, with the exception of two years, she attended the same school.
At ten she began doing modeling work through the Ford Agency, in New York, followed by TV commercials.
These led to movie auditions and she made her acting debut in "Once Upon A Time In America" in 1983, at the
age of twelve. Next came an Italian film, "Phenomena" (1984), followed by "Seven Minutes Into Heaven" (1986).
Then came "Labyrinth". "Jim Henson was wonderful to work with," she says. "He is a very gentle and considerate
person as well as a wonderful director. And David Bowie was just great and it was wonderful watching him shoot,
varying his performance from take to take."
The ballroom sequence in the film was her "own personal favorite," she recalls. "I wore a beautiful silver ballgown,
which was a refreshing change from the blue jeans I wore in almost every other scene. It was really a gorgeous set,
with masses of huge chandeliers and thousands of flickering candles, hundreds of silken cushions and curtains, and
masses of people in strange masks and ornate dresses. There was the thrill of dancing with David Bowie to one of
the songs he composed especially for the film. There wasn't enough room, for technical reasons, to really dance
around properly, but we just drifted slowly and gracefully (I hope!) to David's music, and he looked fabulous! It's
all a sort of magical fantasy sequence inside a huge bubble."
During the filming of "Labyrinth", Jennifer attended school lessons at the studio, as required by law. After
twenty-one weeks of film work, she returned to New York City -- and school. "It's like the end of a chapter of my
life," she sighed.
Jennifer still lives in New York City with her parents and a big sheepdog called Petunia. In her spare time, she
enjoys music, writing, reading poetry, cycling, going out with friends, and exploring the city.
Trivia
She was an influence for the appearance of Jasmine (in Disney's Aladdin).
Mother of one child, Kai, born in July 1997. But according to the production notes on the DVD rerelease of
Labyrinth, she is the mother of two children. Can anyone clear this up? Please email me.
Her father, Gerard Connelly, is a clothing manufacturer, and her mother, Eileen Connelly, is an antique
dealer.
Still fiddles with returning to finish her last year at Stanford College.
She is left handed.
Her "engagement to Bill Campbell was made up." They were together for about two years.
Cut a single in Japan called "Monlogue of Love", which she sang in phonetic Japanese. She says her agent
made up the idea that she is semi-fluent in the language. She did learn some Japanese while there in 1987-88.
Personal Quotes
"I try to stay focused on my life and do try not to be brought into the Hollywood fantasy."
"Don't ever leave school for anything is what I think, it's not worth it."
"I began working when I hadn't yet come into my own, when I was this walking puppet. Some of the movies
I did. . . I look back and cringe. For better or for worse, I feel responsible now. In Requiem for a Dream, I'm
a heroin addict, and I thought it was being made for a reason--it wasn't about shock value. It has something to
say about hunger and a void."
As an older actress, you're allowed to be a human being. As a young actress, you're the girlfriend or the friend
of the guy or the one who has the good figure."
Other works
Music video (with Jason Priestley) for Roy Orbison: "I Drove All Night"
Latest News - Updated June 25, 2000
The new US release date for "Requiem for a Dream" is October 6th. Here is some information on the film.
Jennifer will be in a new TV show in the US this fall:
Quoting from an article on eonline.com:
"The $treet: Sex and the City creator Darren Star's dramatic take on Wall Street, full of hot young stars,
including Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!), Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), Jennifer
Connelly (Inventing the Abbotts) and Christian Campbell (Trick)"
Here is a short description and cast picture
Here is a review of Jennifer's latest film,"Waking the Dead". Visit the official "Waking the Dead" website.
Jennifer has signed on to the cast of Ed Harris' "Pollock", the film about the life of artist Jackson Pollock. As
the artist's last lover before his death, Connelly joins Harris, who stars, and Val Kilmer.
