Personal Life

Paltrow is a descendent of a famous 17th century Polish rabbi, David HaLevi Segal of Krakow,through the Russian rabbinical family, Paltrowitch, which produced thirty-three rabbis over several generations.The actress has said she is very proud of being Jewish, and has attributed her father's warmth to his Jewish heritage:"My father had that incredible Jewish warmth, really bolstering us all the time. And when you're nine years old and you're hearing that you are the best person, it gets in there, and you think, 'OK, I'm not going to be afraid to try things, because I'm always loved no matter what.' That kills me, when I think about it. It totally breaks my heart, how lucky I am."She married Chris Martin of the British rock group Coldplay in a secret wedding ceremony in Southern California. Paltrow gave birth to their first child, Apple Blythe Alison Martin, five months later, on May 14, 2004, in London. She explained the unusual first name on Oprah, saying:It sounded so sweet and it conjured such a lovely picture for me – you know, apples are so sweet and they're wholesome and it's biblical – and I just thought it sounded so lovely and … clean! And I just thought, "Perfect!"