Blythe Katharine Danner (born February 3, 1943) is an Emmy- and Tony Award-winning American actress. She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.

Early life

Danner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Katharine and Harry Earl Danner, a bank executive.Blythe Danner Biography (1944?-) She has two brothers: opera singer/actor Harry Danner and violin maker William Moennig (half-brother). Danner, of part Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry, attended George School, a private Quaker secondary school in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Bard College, where she graduated in 1965.

Career

Danner first appeared on stage with the Theater Company of Boston and the Trinity Square Repertory Company (now Trinity Repertory Company) in Providence, Rhode Island. She first gained national attention at age 25 by winning the Theatre World Award for her performance in the Lincoln Center Rep's production of The Miser. In 1970, she appeared in her first film role, in a television production of Dr. Cook's Garden. She was the toast of Broadway when she created the adorable ingenue in Butterflies are Free for which she won a Tony Award in 1970 (a role Goldie Hawn played in the film).