Jennifer Lawrence Biography

Summary

"Jennifer Lawrence" (born August 15, 1990, in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American film and television actress. She has had lead roles in TBS's "The Bill Engvall Show" and in the independent films "The Burning Plain" and "Winter's Bone".

Biography

Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. By the age of 14, she had decided to pursue an acting career and persuaded her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Although she had no training or experience, she received high praise from the agency for which she auditioned. She graduated from high school two years early in order to begin acting.

She starred in Guillermo Arriaga's directorial debut "The Burning Plain", opposite Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Her performance in the film earned her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young emerging actor/actress during the Venice Film Festival in 2008.

She was part of the main cast of the TBS comedy "The Bill Engvall Show" as Lauren Pearson. Written and created by Bill Engvall and Michael Leeson, the show is set in a Denver suburb and follows the life of 'Bill Pearson' (played by Engvall), a family counselor whose own family could use a little dose of counseling. The series was canceled in 2009 after having aired three seasons.

Lawrence's other film credits include a lead role in Lori Petty's "The Poker House" opposite Selma Blair and Bokeem Woodbine as well as roles in "Devil You Know" and "Garden Party". Her television credits include roles on "Cold Case", "Medium", and "Monk". She auditioned for the roles of Bella Swan and Rosalie Hale in the "Twilight" film series but was not offered either part.

Lawrence has the lead role, frequently cited as a 'breakout performance' for her, in Debra Granik's "Winter's Bone" (screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010). She portrays a seventeen-year-old girl in the rural Ozarks caring for her mentally-ill mother and her younger brother and sister when she discovers that her father put their house and land up as a bond for a court appearance to which he failed to appear.

She is featured in the music video for the song 'The Mess I Made', from the album "Losing Sleep" by Parachute. Lawrence is set to star in Mark Tonderai thriller film "House at the End of the Street". She will also co-star with Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson in "The Beaver", a dark comedy, and will play the role of Mystique in "X-Men: First Class".

Lawrence states that she has never taken drama classes or acting lessons, simply relying on her instincts when playing a role. She lived in New York City for the first few years of her career but currently resides in Santa Monica, California.