Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide to date. She appeared in Time's 100 most influential people in the world list in 2013 and the Forbes Celebrity 100 list from 2013 to 2016. During her childhood, Lawrence performed in church plays and school musicals. At age fourteen, she was spotted by a talent scout while vacationing in New York City with her family. She moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career with guest roles on television. Her first major role was as a main cast member on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007–2009). She made her film debut with a supporting role in the drama Garden Party (2008) and had her breakthrough playing a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent mystery drama Winter's Bone (2010). Lawrence's career progressed with starring roles as the mutant Mystique in the X-Men film series (2011–2019) and Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015). The latter made her the highest-grossing action heroine of all time. Lawrence received various accolades for her three collaborations with filmmaker David O. Russell. Her performance as a troubled young widow in the romance film Silver Linings Playbook (2012) won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the second-youngest winner in the category at age 22. She won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing an unpredictable wife in the black comedy American Hustle (2013). Lawrence also received Golden Globe Awards for both of these films, and for her portrayal of businesswoman Joy Mangano in the biopic Joy (2015). A series of mixed-reviewed films and the media scrutiny of her role choices led to a small break from acting. She has since returned with the streaming films Don't Look Up (2021) and Causeway (2022). Lawrence identifies as a feminist and advocates for women's reproductive rights. In 2015, she founded the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, which advocates for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics. She formed the production company Excellent Cadaver in 2018. She is an active member of the nonpartisan nonprofit anti-corruption organization RepresentUs and has served as a spokesperson in its videos about protecting democracy. In 2012, the review website IndieWire described Lawrence's off-screen persona as "down-to-earth, self-deprecating, unaffected". Adam McKay, who directed Lawrence in Don't Look Up, considered her "a strong, funny truth-teller" woman. "No one has more beautiful anger than Jen", Mckay said, "When she unleashes, it is a sight to behold." An IGN writer described her as a "sharp", "funny" and "quirky" actress who liked to "stay grounded" despite her considerable success. Lawrence has said she finds acting "stupid" in comparison to life-saving professions like doctors and therefore does not believe in being "cocky" about her accomplishments. Lawrence has become one of the world's highest-paid actresses. The Daily Telegraph reported in 2014 that she was earning $10 million per film. In 2013, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Elle labeled her the most powerful woman in the entertainment business, and Forbes ranked her as the second most powerful actress, behind only Angelina Jolie. In 2014, Forbes named her the second-highest-paid actress in the world with earnings of $34 million, and cited her as the most powerful actress, ranking at number 12 on the magazine's Celebrity 100 list; she appeared on the list again in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Lawrence was named "Entertainer of the Year" by Entertainment Weekly—a title she also won in 2012—and was recognized as the highest-grossing action heroine in Guinness World Records for starring in the Hunger Games series. In 2015 and 2016, Forbes ranked her as the world's highest-paid actress, with annual earnings of $52 million and $46 million, respectively. In the following two years, it ranked her as the world's third and fourth-highest-paid actress, with respective earnings of $24 million and $18 million. The Hollywood Reporter listed Lawrence among the 100 most powerful people in entertainment from 2016 to 2018. As of 2019, her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide.