Robin Wright

Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) She has also directed ten episodes of the series as well as two episodes of the Netflix crime series Ozark in 2022.

Early life and education Robin Wright was born on April 8, 1966, in Dallas, Texas. Her parents divorced when she was two, which led to her relocating to San Diego, California, with her mother.

Career Wright began her career as a model, when she was 14. From age 18 to 22 she played Kelly Capwell in the NBC Daytime soap opera Santa Barbara, for which she received several Daytime Emmy Award nominations.

1980s–2000s: Transition into feature films

Wright transitioned into feature film work with a role in Hollywood Vice Squad in 1986, followed by her breakthrough role as Princess Buttercup in the cult film The Princess Bride in 1987. She gained critical acclaim in her role as Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump (1994), receiving Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

Wright starred in a leading role of the film adaptation of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders (1996), for which she received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama. She appeared in independent films, including Loved (1997), She's So Lovely (1997), Nine Lives (2005) and Sorry, Haters (2006), and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for her role in She's So Lovely, a film in which she co-starred with her then-husband Sean Penn. Wright starred with Kevin Costner in Luis Mandoki's 1999 film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' novel Message in a Bottle. In 2000, she starred in the supernatural thriller Unbreakable. She received her third Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role in the television film Empire Falls (2005). She had supporting roles in the sports drama Moneyball (2011) and the thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

2013–2018: House of Cards From 2013 to 2018, Wright appeared in the Netflix political drama streaming television series House of Cards in the role of Claire Underwood, the ruthless wife of political mastermind Frank Underwood. On January 12, 2014, she won a Golden Globe for the role, becoming the first actress to win the award for a streaming television series. She was nominated for the same award in 2015. She received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award in 2013 and 2014 for the same role.

Following Season 4 in 2016, Wright stated that she felt Claire Underwood was the equal of Frank Underwood and demanded equal pay for her performance as her co-star Kevin Spacey. Netflix acquiesced. - earning her final nominations for the role at the Screen Actors Guild and Primetime Emmy Awards in 2019. For the latter, she became one of seven women to be nominated for the category six or more times for the same show, the first in 10 years since Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Further film and directorial work In 2015, Wright appeared as part of the ensemble cast in the adventure film Everest. In 2017, she directed a short film, The Dark of Night, which starred Sam Rockwell and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Wright played General Antiope in Wonder Woman in 2017, and its 2020 sequel alongside Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. The film earned positive reviews and emerged as a financial success, grossing $822.8 million at the box office. She appears in the Blade Runner sequel Blade Runner 2049 alongside Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Jared Leto, directed by Denis Villeneuve.

Her feature film directorial debut in the film Land was announced in April 2019. Wright starred as its lead, Edee Mathis, a lawyer who retreats in grief to the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. Sales for the film start at Cannes in May 2019.

Land premiered in January 2021 at the Sundance Film Festival to generally positive reviews, with specific praise towards the direction and the performances. Peter Debruge in a review for Variety wrote: "So bless Wright for paring “Land” down to a beautiful haiku, and for delivering a performance that's ambiguous and understated in all the right ways," and "in a directorial debut so pure and simple it speaks to enormous self-confidence, has better instincts than to reveal outright."

In 2022, Wright directed the final two episodes of the first part of season 4 of the Netflix show, Ozark. The episodes were titled: "Sangre Sobre Todo" and "Sanctified". Kayla Cobb for Decider praised Wright's direction in the latter episode as "powerful" with the pairing of her direction, the script and actress Julia Garner's performance as a "masterful collaboration."

In 2023, Wright starred in and produced Ben Young's thriller Devil's Peak, an adaptation of the book Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy.

In 2024, Wright starred in the Netflix fantasy film Damsel directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and co-starring Millie Bobby Brown, Angela Bassett and Shohreh Aghdashloo. Despite receiving mixed reviews, the film was a commercial hit, receiving 143 million views and becoming the most viewed movie on the streaming platform in the first half of 2024. Later that year, Wright starred in a Sony Pictures Classics and Miramax adaptation of Richard McGuire's Here in a Forrest Gump reteam with director Robert Zemeckis, actor Tom Hanks and writer Eric Roth.

In 2025, Wright received critical acclaim for her directorial and acting work in The Girlfriend, a limited series centered around a power struggle between a mother and her son's girlfriend (played by Olivia Cooke). Proma Khosla for IndieWire wrote: "Wright hits the exact right note of desperate determination [...] she lets loose with an unhinged turn that will guarantee viewers stay through the end." Wright received Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award nominations for her performance.

Personal life

From 1986 to 1988, Wright was married to actor Dane Witherspoon, whom she met in 1984 on the set of the soap opera Santa Barbara.

In 1989, Wright became involved with actor Sean Penn following his divorce from Madonna. Wright was offered the role of Maid Marian in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, but turned it down because she was pregnant. Their daughter, Dylan Penn, was born in April 1991. She backed out of the role of Abby McDeere in The Firm (1993) due to her pregnancy with her second child. Their son, Hopper Jack, was born in August 1993.

After breaking up and getting back together, Wright and Penn married in 1996. Their on-and-off relationship seemingly ended in divorce plans, announced in December 2007. The divorce petition was withdrawn four months later at the couple's request. In February 2009, Wright and Penn attended the 81st Academy Awards together, at which Penn won the Best Actor award. Penn filed for legal separation in April 2009, but withdrew the petition in May. In August 2009, Wright filed for divorce, declaring she had no plans to reconcile. The divorce was finalized in July 2010.

In February 2012, Wright began dating actor Ben Foster. Their engagement was announced in January 2014. The couple called off their engagement in November 2014, but reunited in January 2015. In August 2015, they announced they were ending their second engagement.

In 2017, Wright began dating Clément Giraudet, an Yves Saint Laurent executive. They secretly wed in August 2018 in La Roche-sur-le-Buis, France. Wright filed for divorce from Giraudet in September 2022.

Robin is currently dating British-Australian architect Henry Smith. The couple moved to England, and Wright described Smith as "a sweet guy and a decent, good adult." Although she is happy in the relationship, the actress considers marrying again unnecessary.

Philanthropy and activism Wright is the honorary spokesperson for the Dallas, Texas-based non-profit The Gordie Foundation.

In 2014, she co-partnered with two California-based companies: Pour Les Femmes and The SunnyLion. The SunnyLion donates a portion of its profits to the Raise Hope For Congo movement.

Wright is an activist for human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is the narrator and executive producer of the documentary When Elephants Fight, which highlights how multinational mining corporations and politicians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo threaten human rights, and perpetuate conflict in the region.

She is a supporter of Stand with Congo, the human rights campaign behind the film. In 2016, Wright spoke publicly in support of the campaign at a film-screening at the Tribeca Film Institute in New York City, in media interviews, with journalists, and across her social media accounts.

Filmography Film

Year Title Role Notes 1986 Hollywood Vice Squad Lori Stanton 1987 Home Valerie Kane 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 film 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 Ellen Also executive producer Beowulf Queen Wealtheow Voice and motion-capture roles, 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 Voice and motion-capture roles, last credit as Robin Wright Penn 2010 I'm Still Here Herself Mockumentary film 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 Until We Could Narrator Short film, Voice role 2015 When Elephants Fight Executive producer only Everest Peach Weathers 2017 Vans Claire The Dark of Night Short film, Director and executive producer only Blade Runner 2049 Lieutenant Joshi Wonder Woman General Antiope Justice League Uncredited cameo 2018 André the Giant Herself Documentary film 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 Young

Television Denotes series that have not yet been released 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 1 episode 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 role 2022 Ozark Director only, episodes: "Sangre Sobre Todo" and "Sanctified" 2025 The Girlfriend Laura Sanderson Main role, executive producer (6 episodes) and director (3 episodes)

Awards and nominations