Jennifer Connelly made her screen debut in the 1984 epic crime film ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ directed by Sergio Leone. The film was panned by critics and was a commercial failure. Following her debut, she went on to star in films like ‘Phenomena’ (1985), ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ (1985), ‘Labyrinth’ (1986), ‘Some Girls’ (1988), ‘Etoile’ (1989), ‘The Hot Spot’ (1990), ‘Career Opportunities’ (1991), ‘Of Love and Shadows’ (1994), ‘Higher Learning’ (1995), ‘Mulholland Falls’ (1996), ‘Inventing the Abbotts’ (1997), ‘Dark City’ (1998), and ‘Pollock’ (2000). In 2001, she portrayed ‘Alicia Nash’ in the American biographical drama film ‘A Beautiful Mind’ directed by Ron Howard. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a financial success, grossing over $316.8 million on a budget of $58 million. Connelly also won several awards, including the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘BAFTA Award,’ for her portrayal of ‘Alicia Nash’ in the film. In 2003, she starred as ‘Elizabeth "Betty" Ross’ in the American superhero film ‘Hulk’ directed by Ang Lee. The film received mixed reviews from critics but managed to gross over $245.4 million on a budget of $137 million. She was next seen in films such as ‘Dark Water’ (2005), ‘Little Children’ (2006), ‘Blood Diamond’ (2006), ‘Reservation Road’ (2007), ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ (2008), ‘Inkheart’ (2008), and ‘He's Just Not That Into You’ (2009).
In 2009, she played the role of ‘Emma Darwin’ in the British biographical drama film ‘Creation’ directed by Jon Amiel. The film opened to a mixed reception and holds a 46% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Connelly continued to star in films such as ‘Virginia’ (2010), ‘The Dilemma’ (2011), ‘Salvation Boulevard’ (2011), ‘Stuck in Love’ (2012), ‘Winter's Tale’ (2014), ‘Noah’ (2014), ‘American Pastoral’ (2016), ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017), ‘Only the Brave’ (2017), and ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ (2019). In 2020, she joined the cast of the American post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller television series ‘Snowpiercer’ as ‘Melanie Cavill.’ The series was renewed for a fourth season in 2021. She was last seen in the 2022 American action drama film ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ directed by Joseph Kosinski. The film garnered praise from critics and was a massive commercial success, grossing over $1.442 billion on a budget of $170 million.