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Robin Virginia Gayle Wright Penn (born April 8, 1966) is an American film actress who first became famous on television, playing Kelly Capwell on the soap opera Santa Barbara. She shot to stardom after her roles as Buttercup in The Princess Bride and Jenny in Forrest Gump, the latter role garnering her a Golden Globe Award nomination for best supporting actress.

She’s 41!

She was born in Dallas, Texas, to Freddie Gayle Wright (a pharmaceutical executive) and Gayle Gaston (an Independent Executive National Sales Director for Mary Kay). She was raised in San Diego, California.

She began modeling when she was 14, working out of both Paris and Tokyo. Following high school, she made up her mind to pursue acting as a profession. In 1984, she landed the role of Kelly Capwell on the NBC daytime soap opera Santa Barbara. She remained with the series until 1988, and received three Daytime Emmy nominations during her run with the show.

Wright married actor Dane Witherspoon in 1986; their marriage would end in divorce two years later. She made her big-screen debut playing Lori Stanton in the 1986 feature Hollywood Vice Squad, but would have to wait until her next film to receive widespread notice. In 1987, she played Buttercup in the title role of The Princess Bride, which became a major box-office hit.

Following her departure from Santa Barbara in 1988, Wright landed the role of Lucrezia in the 1989 television miniseries A TV Dante and costarred with Jason Patric in the 1990 feature Denial. The pair became romantically involved until she met Sean Penn on the set of her next film, State of Grace, later that same year.

Wright had her first child with Penn, a daughter named Dylan Frances, on April 13, 1991. She had been offered the role of Maid Marian in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), starring Kevin Costner, but bowed out after learning that she was pregnant. She returned to the big screen in 1992 after Annette Bening passed on the role of Tara Maguire in The Playboys, and gave one of the best performances of her career. She was next seen in the comedy Toys (1992), starring Robin Williams.

Personal Style:

Matching her down-to-earth personality, Robin Wright’s fashion sense is decidedly understated. Nonetheless, she looks terrific whether she’s sporting a simple black dress or a sweater and blue jeans. It’s unlikely we’ll ever see her wearing anything too flashy or colorful, unless it’s part of a character’s onscreen wardrobe. Back in the ’90s, she half-jokingly said her favorite designers were Levi Strauss and Fruit of the Loom. No matter what (or who) she’s wearing, Robin manages to make it look classy and elegant.

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