The 'nepo baby' who eclipsed her parents' fame: How Gwyneth Paltrow created her own Hollywood legacy

Gwyneth Paltrow is one of Hollywood's biggest names, known for hit films including Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors and Iron Man.

Who can forget the moment she won her first Oscar in 1999 at the young age of 26, standing on stage in a pink Ralph Lauren dress?

Paltrow unexpectedly turned her back on acting for a while, which she has discussed, but is now making a comeback with Marty Supreme, opposite Timothée Chalamet.

The American star, 53, has certainly made a name for herself in the acting business. She's also gone on to become a leading entrepreneur, launching her successful beauty and wellness brand Goop in 2008.

Paltrow is now estimated to be worth a whopping $US200 million, approximately $301 million.

However, some fans may not realise the actress has two very famous parents.

Here, nine.com.au takes a look back at Paltrow's life and career, and the trials and tribulations she's endured in the spotlight.

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A Hollywood upbringing

Gwyneth's mother is actress Blythe Danner, 82, known for her work in films including Meet the Fockers and The Great Santini, while her late father Bruce Paltrow was a TV and film director and producer.

The actress also has a brother, Jake Paltrow, 50.

Paltrow's parents were still married when her father died in 2002 at the age of 58, after a battle with oral cancer and pneumonia.

He died in Rome, Italy while reportedly in the city to celebrate his daughter's milestone 30th birthday.

"I had a real aversion to Italy for a long time," Paltrow once said on the Goop Podcast, discussing her heartbreak over her father's death.

She also spoke about her heartache and grief on Holly Willoughby's By the Light of The Moon podcast, saying it was "physical" and she "thought it was gonna split me open".

She said after the funeral, she had a terrifying moment while living in London.

"I woke up in the middle of the night and I thought I was having a heart attack... Honestly, I thought I was dying. It was really, really tough," she said.

"Anyone will tell you, who loses a love of their life like that, there's just no other way but through."

When she marked what would have been her father's 80th birthday, she wrote in a tribute shared on Instagram: "I wish you were here to celebrate your 80th today."

"I miss you and love you more than ever, if that were possible.''

The movies that made a star

One of her most iconic films is 1998's Shakespeare in Love, which also stars Joseph Fiennes, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench and Geoffrey Rush.

Paltrow also shone in 1999 thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley as she starred alongside a young Jude Law and Matt Damon.

One role she seemingly has regrets over is 2001's Shallow Hal, starring Jack Black, for which she wore a fat suit.

"Disaster," she branded it in recent Netflix Q&A video.

A high-profile love life

Paltrow's relationships have also made headlines over the years.

Who could possibly forget she once dated Brad Pitt? At one point, they were even engaged.

The two actors met on the set of the film Se7en and dated from 1994 to 1997.

Despite the romance not lasting, they still are fond of each other and are believed to be on good terms.

"I had a lot of development to do, looking back in hindsight," Paltrow said on the Call Her Daddy podcast, while discussing ending her relationship with the handsome star.

"In a lot of ways, I didn't really fully start to come into myself until I was 40 years old."

She said she was "totally heartbroken" when she and Pitt broke up, adding, "It was the right thing at that time, but it was really hard."

She even once dated Ben Affleck, before going on to marry Coldplay's Chris Martin and welcomed two children: daughter Apple and son Moses.

The couple famously announced their "conscious uncoupling" in 2014.

Now, Paltrow is married to writer-director Brad Falchuk, who she tied the knot with in the Hamptons back in 2018.

An acting hiatus - and a comeback

After a seven-year hiatus, Paltrow has returned to our screens this year with the movie Marty Supreme, and she previously voiced a character in American Horror Stories in 2023.

The star has admitted she ''stepped away'' from acting to focus on her family and kids.

In 2023, she told People she decided to take a break from her Hollywood career when she welcomed daughter Apple 21 years ago.

At the time, the Golden Globe winner said she hadn't been in an entire movie since before her daughter was born in 2004.

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"When I had her, it just, everything felt redefined for me," she said.

"I thought, 'I'm not sure that I want to do this so much as a career. I definitely don't want to... I'm not going to go away for months on end.'"

But it seems now her kids have grown up, she's had a change of mind.

Her acting comeback isn't the only way Paltrow has made headlines in recent years.

In 2023, she won a court case over a 2016 ski collision against Terry Sanderson in Utah.

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