Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress. Her films have grossed over $5.5 billion worldwide, and she was the highest-paid actress in the world in 2015 and 2016. She appeared in Time’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and in the Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2014 and 2016.

During her childhood, Lawrence performed in church plays and school musicals. At age 14, Lawrence was in New York City when a talent scout spotted her.

Lawrence was educated at the Kammerer Middle School in Louisville.  She did not enjoy her childhood due to hyperactivity and social anxiety and considered herself a misfit among her peers.  Lawrence has said that her anxieties vanished when she performed on stage and acting gave her a sense of accomplishment, thus never finishing high school or acquiring a GED.

She then 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 (2007–2009).  Lawrence made her film debut in a supporting role in Garden Party (2008), and had her breakthrough playing a poverty-stricken teenager in the independent drama Winter’s Bone (2010). She achieved wider recognition for starring as the mutant Mystique in X-Men: First Class (2011), a role she reprised in later installments of the series.

Lawrence’s fame continued to grow with her starring role as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series (2012–2015), which established her as the highest-grossing action heroine of all time.

Lawrence is known in the media as an advocate for feminism and gender equality. She is the founder of the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, through which she supports various charitable organizations.