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Jennifer Connelly is the spitting image of her mom in head-turning family throwback photo

The Labyrinth actress turned 53

Bryony Gooch
US Writer
December 13, 2023
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As she celebrated her 53rd birthday, Jennifer Connelly took a moment to reflect on her parents.

Taking to Instagram to celebrate the momentous day, she shared an old photo of herself with her mom and dad when she was a baby - and fans couldn't help but notice that she looked a lot like her mom. 

She captioned the photo: "Thinking about my Mom and Dad today - with me here in the Catskills so many birthdays ago. Like, at least 30".

Jennifer Connelly shared an adorable throwback with her parents© @jenniferconnelly Instagram
Jennifer Connelly shared an adorable throwback with her parents

The cute snap saw her mom and dad, Ilene and Gerard, holding a little baby Jennifer in the countryside. 

The photo was a grainy sepia toned photo to show how old it was. But with long flowing black hair and striking eyes, it took nothing to see the clear resemblance between her mom and herself. 

US actress Jennifer Connelly (R) and husband British actor Paul Bettany attend the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, December 3, 2022. (Photo by Michael Tran / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)© MICHAEL TRAN
Jennifer with husband Paul

Fans took to wish the Labyrinth actress well on her birthday, with one fan commenting: "What a sweet memory! You look like your mom."

Other fans couldn't help but comment on how young Jennifer looks for her age, with one joking: "You look 3 in that pic so . . . 26 years ago".

Actors David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly in a scene from the movie 'Labyrinth', 1986. (Photo by Stanley Bielecki Movie Collection/Getty Images)© Stanley Bielecki Movie Collectio
Jennifer Connelly got her start as a child actress

Jennifer not only glows with youth, but she remains an incredible actress. After last year's success with Top Gun: Maverick, she took on a more small scale project, starring in Alice Englert's Bad Behaviour.

In this film she plays a former child actress who checks into a retreat. As she got her start in the industry at such a young age, Jennifer clearly felt a connection with the character.

She told the Sydney Morning Herald that her experience as a child actress was "a mixed bag".

View post on Instagram
 

She expanded on this by saying: "Like most experiences we have, or ways that we grew up, there are things about it that are amazing, and things about it that are trickier."

The Oscar winner caveated this by clarifying that she "can’t complain. I love the work I do, and I feel privileged to do the job I do. Every time I’m working I’m aware of what an amazing opportunity it is, and how grateful I am to still be doing what I do, having done it for so long, you know?"

Yet while the film was less action-led than perhaps Top Gun: Maverick, Jennifer explained that there was still an element of violence that involved some stunt work: "Anything that’s a little bit stunty, where you feel like potentially someone could get hurt, I find a little frightening, a little anxiety inducing. So it gave me a little shot of adrenaline doing that scene, worrying something could go wrong. But of course, nothing did."

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