Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Jennifer Lawrence
Discover the career path of Jennifer Lawrence, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Jennifer Lawrence is a celebrated American actress and producer known for her versatile roles in both blockbuster action franchises and critically acclaimed independent dramas. Her films have generated over $6 billion globally, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in the world in 2015 and 2016. Recognized for her influence, she was featured in Time's 100 and Forbes Celebrity 100 lists. Lawrence's achievements include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Peabody Award, solidifying her status as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry.
2005: The Devil You Know
In 2005, Jennifer Lawrence filmed for the small-scale production The Devil You Know which was released in 2013.
2006: Company Town Television Pilot
In 2006, Jennifer Lawrence began her acting career with a minor role in the television pilot Company Town, which was never sold. She also guest starred in Monk.
2006: X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: Days of Future Past served as a sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand of 2006.
2007: Medium and The Bill Engvall Show
In 2007, Jennifer Lawrence had a guest role in Medium and received her first part as a series regular on the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show.
2008: Film Roles
In 2008, Jennifer Lawrence made her film debut in Garden Party, appeared in The Burning Plain, the music video for "The Mess I Made" by Parachute and starred in The Poker House.
2008: Film Debut in Garden Party
In 2008, Jennifer Lawrence made her film debut with a supporting role in the drama Garden Party.
2009: Filming of The Beaver
Filmed in 2009, Jennifer Lawrence appeared in Jodie Foster's The Beaver, alongside Foster and Mel Gibson.
2009: The Bill Engvall Show
In 2009, Jennifer Lawrence finished her role as a main cast member on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show.
2009: Young Artist Award
In 2009, Jennifer Lawrence won a Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a TV Series for her role in The Bill Engvall Show.
2010: Winter's Bone Breakthrough
In 2010, Jennifer Lawrence had her breakthrough role in Winter's Bone as Ree Dolly, a poverty-stricken teenager in the Ozark Mountains. She won the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance and received her first nominations for the Golden Globe Award, SAG Award, and Academy Award for Best Actress.
2010: Breakthrough in Winter's Bone
In 2010, Jennifer Lawrence had her breakthrough role playing a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent film Winter's Bone.
2011: X-Men Film Series
In 2011, Jennifer Lawrence gained stardom portraying the mutant Mystique in the X-Men film series.
2011: Joined Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
In 2011, Jennifer Lawrence joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
2011: Roles in Like Crazy and The Beaver
In 2011, Jennifer Lawrence took on a supporting role in Like Crazy and appeared in The Beaver.
2012: Filming of Serena
Filming took place in 2012, Jennifer Lawrence starred in Serena and George (played by Bradley Cooper) become involved in criminal activities after realizing that they cannot bear children.
2012: The Hunger Games
In 2012, Jennifer Lawrence gained further stardom portraying Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games film series.
2012: Silver Linings Playbook
In 2012, Jennifer Lawrence played Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook, winning the Golden Globe, SAG Award, and the Academy Award for Best Actress.
2012: Golden Globe Award for Silver Linings Playbook
In 2012, Jennifer Lawrence won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Comedy or Musical for Silver Linings Playbook.
January 2013: Saturday Night Live Hosting
In January 2013, Jennifer Lawrence hosted an episode of the NBC late-night sketch comedy Saturday Night Live.
2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence reprised her role as Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The film made 865 million at the box office.
2013: Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for American Hustle
In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for American Hustle.
2013: American Hustle
In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in American Hustle.
2014: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Release
In 2014, Jennifer Lawrence starred in 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1', the third film in the series. For the soundtrack, she recorded "The Hanging Tree", which charted internationally. The film grossed over $650 million worldwide.
2014: Serena and X-Men: Days of Future Past Release
In 2014, Jennifer Lawrence starred in Serena and reprised her role as Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
2014: Financial Success
In 2014, The Daily Telegraph reported that Jennifer Lawrence was earning $10 million per film. Forbes named her the most powerful actress and the second-highest-paid actress in the world with earnings of $34 million.
2014: Fundraising Contest for Special Olympics World Summer Games
Jennifer Lawrence collaborated with Omaze in 2014 to host a fundraising contest for the Special Olympics World Summer Games as part of the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
2015: Teamed with Hutcherson and Hemsworth for Prank It FWD and launched Jennifer Lawrence Foundation
During 2015, Jennifer Lawrence teamed with Hutcherson and Hemsworth for Prank It FWD, a charitable initiative to raise money for DoSomething. That year, she also launched the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, which supports charities such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics.
2015: Forbes Rankings and Entertainer of the Year
In 2015, Forbes ranked Jennifer Lawrence as the world's highest-paid actress with annual earnings of $52 million. She was also named "Entertainer of the Year" by Entertainment Weekly and recognized as the highest-grossing action heroine in Guinness World Records.
2015: The Hunger Games
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence finished portraying Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games film series.
2015: Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Founded
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence founded the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, which advocates for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Special Olympics.
2015: Joy
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence received a Golden Globe Award for portraying Joy Mangano in the biopic Joy.
2015: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Release
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence starred in 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2', the final installment of the series, which grossed over $650 million worldwide.
2015: Starring in Joy and Awards Recognition
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence starred in the biopic 'Joy'. She won a Golden Globe for her performance and received an Academy Award nomination, becoming the youngest actor to have four Oscar nominations. There was a disagreement between Lawrence and the film's director, David O. Russell, during production.
2015: World's Highest-Paid Actress
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence was recognized as the world's highest-paid actress.
2015: Golden Globe Award for Joy
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Comedy or Musical for Joy.
2015: Criticism of Gender Pay Gap
In 2015, Jennifer Lawrence wrote an essay for Lenny Letter criticizing the gender pay gap in Hollywood, and described her experiences of receiving less pay for American Hustle compared to her male co-stars.
2015: Partnership to benefit Special Olympics World Summer Games
Jennifer Lawrence partnered with Chideo in 2015 to raise funds for the Special Olympics World Summer Games by screening her film Serena (2014).
2016: Donation to Kosair Children's Hospital
In 2016, Jennifer Lawrence donated $2 million to the Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville to set up a cardiac intensive care unit named after her foundation.
2016: A Beautiful Planet, X-Men: Apocalypse, Passengers
In 2016, Jennifer Lawrence narrated the documentary 'A Beautiful Planet', played Mystique in 'X-Men: Apocalypse', and starred in 'Passengers'. She received the Favorite Movie Actress award at the People's Choice Awards. Lawrence also expressed regret over starring in 'Passengers'.
2016: World's Highest-Paid Actress
In 2016, Jennifer Lawrence was again recognized as the world's highest-paid actress.
2017: Starring in Mother!
In 2017, Jennifer Lawrence starred in Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film, 'Mother!'. The intense role was gruelling; she was put on oxygen after hyperventilating and dislocated a rib. The film received polarized reactions from audiences.
2018: Collaboration with Time's Up initiative and participation in Women's March
In 2018, Jennifer Lawrence collaborated with 300 women in Hollywood to set up the Time's Up initiative to protect women from harassment and discrimination and took part in the 2018 Women's March in Los Angeles. She also spoke out in support of retaining ranked-choice voting in Maine.
2018: Formation of Excellent Cadaver
In 2018, Jennifer Lawrence formed her production company, Excellent Cadaver.
2018: Excellent Cadaver Production Company
In 2018, Jennifer Lawrence formed the production company Excellent Cadaver.
2019: Box Office Gross
As of 2019, Jennifer Lawrence's films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide.
2019: Appearance in Dark Phoenix
In 2019, Jennifer Lawrence made her fourth and final appearance as Mystique in the superhero film 'Dark Phoenix', which was a critical and box-office failure.
2021: Return to Acting in Don't Look Up
In 2021, Jennifer Lawrence returned to acting in Adam McKay's Netflix film 'Don't Look Up'. She played an astronomer trying to warn humanity about an asteroid. 'Don't Look Up' was a success on Netflix.
2021: Don't Look Up
In 2021, Jennifer Lawrence returned to acting with the black comedy Don't Look Up.
2021: Attendance at Rally for Abortion Justice
In 2021, while pregnant, Jennifer Lawrence attended the Rally for Abortion Justice in Washington, D.C., standing alongside Amy Schumer and holding a sign that read "Women can't be free if they don't control their bodies."
2022: Causeway
In 2022, Jennifer Lawrence produced and starred in the drama Causeway.
2022: Starring in and Producing Causeway
In 2022, Jennifer Lawrence starred in and produced the independent drama 'Causeway', playing a soldier with a brain injury. This film marked her return to smaller, character-driven projects.
2023: Starring in and Producing No Hard Feelings
In 2023, Jennifer Lawrence starred in and produced the sex comedy 'No Hard Feelings', playing a woman who dates a wealthy family's introverted son. Reviewers gave favorable opinions on the film.
2023: No Hard Feelings
In 2023, Jennifer Lawrence starred in the comedy No Hard Feelings.
2024: Executive Producing Zuraswki v. Texas
In 2024, Jennifer Lawrence executive produced the documentary 'Zuraswki v. Texas'.
2025: Die, My Love
In 2025, Jennifer Lawrence received renewed critical attention for her lead role in the psychological drama Die, My Love.
2025: Starring in and Producing Die, My Love
In 2025, Jennifer Lawrence starred in and produced the thriller 'Die, My Love', which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Her performance as a mother experiencing mental health issues was acclaimed.
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