Jennifer Lawrence

Courtesy INFDaily

Born August 15, 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky, Academy-Award winning actress Jennifer Lawrence began acting in church plays before convincing her parents to find her an agent in New York. Lawrence’s God-given talents impressed the agency despite her having no formal training. Excited about starting an acting career, Lawrence completed high school two years ahead of schedule.

In 2006, Lawrence played eldest daughter Lauren Pearson on The Bill Engvall Show. The show was cancelled in 2009 after three seasons. She received the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a TV Series for her role in the show.

2007 offered Lawrence a string of guest-starring roles in television, including parts in The Devil You Know, Cold Case, Medium and Monk. She received her first movie role in 2008's Garden Party, and later that year she played opposite Charlize Theron in The Burning Plane and held the lead in Lori Petty's The Poker House.

Lawrence’s role as Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bones, which won Best Picture at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010, is typically cited as her breakout performance. Her performance was highly acclaimed by critics. David Denby said to The New Yorker, “the movie would be unimaginable with anyone less charismatic playing Ree.”

In 2011, she scored the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in the film adaptation of the Suzanne Collins novel of the same name, The Hunger Games. The film had the third-highest opening box-office weekend, making Lawrence the highest-grossing heroine ever.

Lawrence reprised the role previously portrayed by Rebecca Romjin of X-Men villain Mystique in the movie prequel, X-Men: First Class in 2011. She began dating co-star, British actor Nicholas Hoult. The two dated from 2011 to 2013.

In 2012, Lawrence played widow Tiffany Maxwell opposite Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook. She received widespread praise and critical acclaim, eventually becoming the second-youngest actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Lawrence has begun filming for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, set to release in November 2013. She also has a role lined up in Susanne Bier's Serena and will be reprising her role as Mystique in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past.