Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Lawrence suffered from hyperactivity and social anxiety as a child. At the age of 14, she was spotted by a talent scout in New York City, who arranged for her to audition for roles. She soon moved to Los Angeles and began her acting career by playing guest roles in television shows. Her first major role came as a main cast member on the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007–09). She made her film debut with a supporting role in Garden Party (2008), following which she had her breakthrough with the acclaimed role of a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent drama Winter’s Bone (2010).

Lawrence achieved wider recognition for playing the mutant Mystique in X-Men: First Class (2011), a role she reprised in later installments of the X-Men franchise. Her starring role as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series (2012–15) established her as the highest-grossing action heroine of all time. Lawrence has earned several accolades from her collaborations with the director David O. Russell. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing a depressed widow in the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012), making her the second-youngest Best Actress Oscar winner. She received the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for portraying a troubled wife in the black comedyAmerican Hustle (2013). She also won three Golden Globe Awards for her roles in the two aforementioned films and for starring as the eponymous inventor in the biopic Joy (2015).

Lawrence is one of the highest-paid and most-successful actresses in the world, with her films grossing over US$5 billion worldwide thus far. She is the youngest actress to accrue four Academy Award nominations. Lawrence is also a vocal advocate of feminism and gender equality, and is the founder of the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation through which she supports various charitable organizations.