# Robin Wright
**Robin Wright** is an American actress and director, born in Dallas, Texas in 1966, known for playing Princess Buttercup in *The Princess Bride* (1987), Jenny in *Forrest Gump* (1994), and [Claire Underwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/claire-underwood) in the Netflix series *[House of Cards](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-cards-american-tv-series)* (2013–2018).[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) She should not be confused with the journalist and foreign correspondent of the same name.[2](https://commencement.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SC-Program-2015-FINAL.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966, Dallas, Texas; grew up in San Diego, California[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) |
| Television start | Kelly Capwell on the daytime soap *Santa Barbara* from 1984, earning three Daytime Emmy nominations[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html) |
| Breakout film | Princess Buttercup in Rob Reiner's *The Princess Bride* (1987), at age 21[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) |
| *Forrest Gump* (1994) | Played Jenny; earned Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Supporting Actress[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright) |
| *House of Cards* | Claire Underwood from 2013; five consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, 2013 through 2017[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) |
| Golden Globe | Won in 2014 for *House of Cards*, the first actress to win a Golden Globe for an online-only series[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) |
| Directing | Episodes of *House of Cards* and *Ozark*, the short *The Dark of Night* (2017), and the feature *Land* (2021), which she also starred in[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/robin_wright) |
| Emmy record | 8 nominations in the Television Academy database, including Lead Actress in 2019 and, as an executive producer, Outstanding Drama Series in 2017[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright) |
## Early life and start in television
Wright was born in Dallas and moved to Los Angeles and later [La Jolla](https://www.edgepedia.org/la-jolla) with her mother after her parents separated when she was 3.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html) She was a dancer by age 10, practicing as much as 10 hours a day, and took up modeling in her teens, traveling to Paris and Japan while still in high school.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html) • [1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) After graduating, she modeled in Europe, then returned to the United States, where her agent encouraged her to try acting.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html)
In 1984 she joined the NBC soap opera *Santa Barbara* as Kelly Capwell, despite having no formal acting training, and earned three Daytime Emmy nominations for the role.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html) • [1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) While on the soap she made her film debut in the low-budget thriller *Hollywood Vice Squad* (1986) and married her co-star Dane Witherspoon; the marriage ended in divorce two years later.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robin-wright/)
## Film career
**The Princess Bride and the 1990s.** [Rob Reiner](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-reiner) cast Wright as Princess Buttercup in *The Princess Bride* (1987) after she auditioned late in a search that she recalled involving roughly 500 women; the role made her a film actor at 21.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html) • [1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) Rather than take similar ingénue parts, she turned down roles in blockbusters including *Jurassic Park* and *Batman Forever*, was cast as [Maid Marian](https://www.edgepedia.org/maid-marian) in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* but withdrew due to pregnancy, choosing instead grittier material such as the 1990 crime drama *State of Grace*.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robin-wright/) • [13](https://www.deseret.com/1990/11/2/18889390/robin-hood-cast-is-expanded/)
On *State of Grace* she met [Sean Penn](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-penn), with whom she began a long relationship; they married in 1996 and divorced in 2010.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robin-wright/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/robin_wright) Their children are Dylan and Hopper.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) Her career peak of the period was Jenny in [Robert Zemeckis](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-zemeckis)'s *Forrest Gump* (1994), a role requiring her to age several decades and bringing Golden Globe and [Screen Actors Guild](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild) nominations.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robin-wright/) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright) Other credits from these years include *The Playboys* (1992), *Toys* (1992), *She's So Lovely* (1997), *Message in a Bottle* (1999), *The Pledge* (2001), *White Oleander* (2002), and *Breaking and Entering* (2006), along with Independent Spirit Award nominations for *Loved*, *Nine Lives*, and *Sorry, Haters*.[8](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/robin-wright/) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright)
**After 2010.** Following her divorce, her screen work broadened: *Moneyball* and *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo* (both 2011), *[The Conspirator](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-conspirator)* (2010), and later *[Wonder Woman](https://www.edgepedia.org/wonder-woman-2017-film)* (2017) and *Blade Runner 2049* (2017).[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/robin_wright) • [9](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-wright/) The Television Academy notes further credits as executive producer on *Houndog* and *Virgin*, the latter earning an Independent Spirit nomination for Best First Feature.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright)
## House of Cards
In 2013 Wright signed on as Claire Underwood opposite [Kevin Spacey](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-spacey) in Netflix's *House of Cards*, among the shows that launched the streaming television era.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) • [10](https://hbr.org/2022/01/lifes-work-an-interview-with-robin-wright) She received five consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series from 2013 through 2017, and in 2014 became the first actress to win a Golden Globe for an online-only series.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) In 2017 she was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series as an executive producer.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright)
**Taking over the lead.** Production paused in late 2017 after sexual misconduct accusations against Spacey; Netflix later announced that the sixth and final season, eight episodes, would proceed with Spacey gone and Wright in the lead role.[1](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright) The final season avoided showing even a still image of Spacey and built its storyline around Claire's presidency.[11](https://time.com/5441427/roseanne-house-of-cards-canceled/) Her sixth Emmy nomination for the role came in 2019.[12](https://time.com/5678557/actors-never-won-emmy/) She never won the Emmy; Time counted her among prominent actors who have not.[12](https://time.com/5678557/actors-never-won-emmy/)
## Directing and other work
Wright directed episodes of *House of Cards* and *Ozark*, the short film *The Dark of Night* (shown in the Cannes Classics section in 2017), and the feature *[Land](https://www.edgepedia.org/land-2021-film)* (2021), in which she also starred.[5](https://notablepeopleproject.org/robin_wright) • [8](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/robin-wright/) • [9](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-wright/) She served on the Cannes feature film jury in 2009, received a career tribute at the 35th Deauville Festival of American Cinema, and is a cofounder of Pour Les Femmes, a social enterprise supporting women in conflict zones.[8](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/robin-wright/) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright) • [10](https://hbr.org/2022/01/lifes-work-an-interview-with-robin-wright)
The Golden Globes database lists her with five nominations and one win, most recently a 2026 nomination for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series for *[The Girlfriend](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-girlfriend-tv-series)*.[9](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-wright/)
## References
1. [Robin Wright Biography, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/actors/robin-wright)
2. [University of Michigan Commencement Program 2015 (journalist Robin Wright)](https://commencement.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/SC-Program-2015-FINAL.pdf)
3. [Rising With the Tide, Los Angeles Times (1999)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-feb-15-ca-8246-story.html)
4. [Robin Wright, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robin-wright)
5. [Robin Wright, Notable People Project](https://notablepeopleproject.org/robin_wright)
6. [Robin Wright, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/robin-wright/)
7. [Robin Wright, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/robin_wright)
8. [Robin WRIGHT, Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/robin-wright/)
9. [Robin Wright, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/person/robin-wright/)
10. [Life's Work: An Interview with Robin Wright, Harvard Business Review (2022)](https://hbr.org/2022/01/lifes-work-an-interview-with-robin-wright)
11. [Your Star Is Canceled. Your Show Is Not. What Now?, Time (2018)](https://time.com/5441427/roseanne-house-of-cards-canceled/)
12. [These Famous Actors Have Never Won an Emmy Award, Time (2019)](https://time.com/5678557/actors-never-won-emmy/)
13. [`ROBIN HOOD' CAST IS EXPANDED](https://www.deseret.com/1990/11/2/18889390/robin-hood-cast-is-expanded/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Wh to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license