Robin Wright facts for kids
Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is a talented American actress. She has won many awards, including a Golden Globe Award. She has also been nominated for eight Primetime Emmy Awards.
Robin Wright first became famous for playing Kelly Capwell in the TV show Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1988. She then moved into movies, starring in the fantasy film The Princess Bride (1987). She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in the popular movie Forrest Gump (1994).
Wright also starred in the romantic movie Message in a Bottle (1999) and the thriller Unbreakable (2000). She received praise for her work in independent films like Loved (1997) and Nine Lives (2005). Later, she took on supporting roles in movies such as Moneyball (2011), Wonder Woman (2017), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
On television, Wright starred in the miniseries Empire Falls in 2005. From 2013 to 2018, she played Claire Underwood in the Netflix political drama House of Cards. Her acting in this show earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2016, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in the U.S. She earned $420,000 per episode for House of Cards. She also directed ten episodes of House of Cards and two episodes of the Netflix show Ozark in 2022.
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Early Life and Beginnings
Robin Wright was born on April 8, 1966, in Dallas, Texas. Her mother, Gayle, was a cosmetics saleswoman. Her father, Fred, worked for a pharmaceutical company. She has an older brother named Richard.
When she was two, her parents divorced. She moved to San Diego, California with her mother. She grew up in Southern California. She went to La Jolla High School and Taft High School.
Career Highlights
Wright started her career as a model when she was 14 years old. At 18, she began acting in the soap opera Santa Barbara. She received several awards nominations for this role.
Moving to Movies: 1980s–2000s
Robin Wright began acting in feature films with Hollywood Vice Squad in 1986. Her big breakthrough came in 1987 as Princess Buttercup in the popular movie The Princess Bride.
She earned great praise for her role as Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump (1994). For this film, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 1996, she starred in Moll Flanders. She was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Actress. She also starred with her then-husband Sean Penn in She's So Lovely (1997).
Starring in House of Cards: 2013–2018
From 2013 to 2018, Wright played Claire Underwood in the Netflix political drama House of Cards. Claire Underwood was the strong wife of a political leader. On January 12, 2014, Wright won a Golden Globe for this role. She was the first actress to win this award for a streaming TV series. She was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award multiple times for this role.
After the fourth season of House of Cards in 2016, Wright felt her character was as important as the main male character. She asked for equal pay as her co-star Kevin Spacey, and Netflix agreed. For her performance in the fifth season, she received her fifth Emmy nomination.
In 2017, Kevin Spacey was removed from the show. Robin Wright became the main star for the final season. Her performance was highly praised. She received more nominations for her role in 2019. She became one of only seven women to be nominated for the Emmy category six or more times for the same show.
Directing and Future Projects
In 2017, Wright directed a short film called The Dark of Night. It premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. She also played General Antiope in Wonder Woman (2017) and its sequel Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). These films were very successful. She also appeared in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) with Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.
Her first feature film as a director was Land. It was announced in 2019. Wright also starred in the movie as Edee Mathis, a lawyer who goes to live in a forest. The film premiered in January 2021 and received positive reviews. Critics praised her directing and acting.
In 2022, Wright directed two episodes of the Netflix show Ozark. Her directing was called "powerful" by critics.
Wright will next star in and produce the thriller Where All Light Tends to Go. In 2022, she joined the cast of the Netflix fantasy film Damsel. She will also be in the movie Here with Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis. This reunites the team from Forrest Gump.
Personal Life

From 1986 to 1988, Robin Wright was married to actor Dane Witherspoon. They met while working on the show Santa Barbara.
In 1989, Wright started a relationship with actor Sean Penn. She was offered a role in the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves but turned it down because she was pregnant. Her daughter, Dylan Penn, was born in April 1991. She also turned down a role in The Firm (1993) because she was pregnant with her second child. Her son, Hopper Penn, was born in August 1993.
Wright and Penn married in 1996. Their relationship had ups and downs, and they divorced in July 2010.
In 2012, Wright began dating actor Ben Foster. They were engaged in 2014 but ended their engagement in 2015.
In 2017, Wright started dating Clément Giraudet, a fashion executive. They married in August 2018 in France. Wright filed for divorce from Giraudet in September 2022.
Helping Others: Philanthropy and Activism
Robin Wright is a spokesperson for The Gordie Foundation. This non-profit group is based in Dallas, Texas.
In 2014, she partnered with two companies, Pour Les Femmes and The SunnyLion. The SunnyLion donates some of its money to the Raise Hope For Congo movement.
Wright is also an activist for human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She narrated and produced the documentary When Elephants Fight. This film shows how large mining companies and politicians in Congo affect human rights. It also shows how they cause conflict in the area. She supports Stand With Congo, a human rights campaign. In 2016, Wright spoke publicly to support this campaign.
Filmography
Movies
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | Hollywood Vice Squad | Lori Stanton | |
1987 | The Princess Bride | Buttercup | |
1990 | Denial | Sara / Loon | |
State of Grace | Kathleen Flannery | ||
1992 | The Playboys | Tara Maguire | |
Toys | Gwen Tyler | ||
1994 | Forrest Gump | Jenny Curran | |
1995 | The Crossing Guard | Jojo | |
1996 | Moll Flanders | Moll Flanders | |
1997 | Loved | Hedda Amerson | starts being credited as Robin Wright Penn |
She's So Lovely | Maureen Murphy Quinn | ||
1998 | Hurlyburly | Darlene | |
1999 | Message in a Bottle | Theresa Osborne | |
2000 | How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog | Melanie McGowan | |
Unbreakable | Audrey Dunn | ||
2001 | The Pledge | Lori | |
The Last Castle | Rosalie Irwin | Uncredited | |
2002 | Searching for Debra Winger | Herself | Documentary |
White Oleander | Starr Thomas | ||
2003 | The Singing Detective | Nicola / Nina / Blonde | |
Virgin | Mrs. Reynolds | Also executive producer | |
2004 | A Home at the End of the World | Clare | |
2005 | Nine Lives | Diana | |
Sorry, Haters | Phoebe Torrence | ||
Max | Mother | Short film | |
2006 | Breaking and Entering | Liv | |
Room 10 | Frannie Jones | Short film | |
2007 | Hounddog | Stranger Lady | Also executive producer |
Beowulf | Queen Wealtheow | Motion-capture role (credited as Robin Wright-Penn) | |
2008 | What Just Happened | Kelly | |
New York, I Love You | Anna | ||
2009 | State of Play | Anne Collins | |
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee | Pippa Lee | ||
A Christmas Carol | Fan Scrooge / Belle | Motion-capture role, last credit as Robin Wright Penn | |
2010 | The Conspirator | Mary Surratt | |
2011 | Moneyball | Sharon Beane | |
Rampart | Linda Fentress | ||
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Erika Berger | ||
2013 | The Congress | Robin Wright | Also producer |
Adoration | Roz | ||
2014 | A Most Wanted Man | Martha Sullivan | |
2015 | Everest | Peach Weathers | |
2017 | Wonder Woman | General Antiope | |
Blade Runner 2049 | Lieutenant Joshi | ||
Justice League | General Antiope | Uncredited cameo | |
2018 | André the Giant | Herself | Documentary |
2020 | Wonder Woman 1984 | General Antiope | |
2021 | Land | Edee Holzer | Also director and executive producer |
Zack Snyder's Justice League | General Antiope | ||
2023 | Devil's Peak | Virgie | Also producer |
2024 | Damsel | Queen Isabelle | |
Here | Margaret |
Television Shows
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1983–1984 | The Yellow Rose | Barbara Anderson | 2 episodes |
1984–1988 | Santa Barbara | Kelly Capwell | 538 episodes |
2005 | Empire Falls | Grace Roby | Miniseries, only television credit as Robin Wright Penn |
2011 | Enlightened | Sandy | 2 episodes |
2013–2018 | House of Cards | Claire Underwood | Main role; executive producer (seasons 4–6) and director (10 episodes) |
2020 | First Ladies | Narrator | 6 episodes; voice |
2022 | Ozark | N/A | Director only; episodes: "Sangre Sobre Todo" and "Sanctified" |
Awards and Nominations
See also
In Spanish: Robin Wright para niños