As she grew up, Paltrow's burgeoning beauty and developing acting talent began to win her small film roles, beginning with Shout and Hook in 1991. After a well-received spot opposite her mother in the television mini-series Cruel Doubt (1992), Paltrow decided to abandon her art history studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara to pursue acting full time. 

     The decision paid off--Paltrow won a string of roles in films like Malice (1993), co-starring Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin, Flesh and Bone (1993), and Jefferson in Paris (1995), co-starring Nick Nolte. In 1995, Paltrow appeared in the controversial Seven with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. A romance with the latter helped propel Paltrow into the headlines, just as she began to win starring roles in The Pallbearer (1996), Emma (1996), Great Expectations (1998), and A Perfect Murder (1998) with Michael Douglas. Paltrow confirmed her superstar status with an inspired performance in 1998's Shakespeare in Love, as the immortal Bard’s purported muse. The role won her a Best Actress Oscar and made her one of Hollywood’s most sought-after female performers.

          The willowy blonde has also made a name for herself in the gossip columns with much-publicized relationships—and break-ups—with both Pitt and Ben Affleck, the Oscar-winning co-screenwriter of Good Will Hunting(1997). Affleck also appeared (in a relatively small role) in Shakespeare in Love. He and Paltrow, who broke up amicably in early 1998 after a yearlong romance, are still “good friends.” 

     In 1999, Paltrow stars with Matt Damon in director Anthony Minghella’s lush production of The Talented Mr. Ripley, a novel by Patricia Highsmith. Her projects in 2000 include Duets, directed by Bruce Paltrow, and Bounce, opposite Affleck.