Gabrielle Anwar

Anwar was born in Laleham, Surrey. Her mother was Shirley Hills, an English actress, show host, and chef. Her father is Tariq Anwar, an Indian-British film producer and editor.^[2] Her paternal grandmother, Edith Reich, was an Austrian Jew, while her paternal grandfather was an Indian Muslim.^[3]

She attended Laleham C of E Primary and Middle School from 1975 to 1982; an end-of-term St Trinian's sketch in the school concert of 1982 gave an early indication of her theatrical leanings. Anwar studied drama and dance at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

Anwar's acting debut was in the 1986 British miniseries Hideaway. She also starred in the music video to Paul McCartney's "Pretty Little Head".^[4] Her feature film début was Manifesto (1988), which was followed by more British television productions including First Born, Summer's Lease, Press Gang, and The Mysteries of the Dark Jungle. While working on films and television in London, she met American actor Craig Sheffer, and moved with him to Hollywood. Anwar and Sheffer have co-starred in a number of American films together, such as In Pursuit of Honor, The Grave, Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal, Flying Virus, Save It for Later, Water Under the Bridge, and Long Lost Son.

Her first American film was If Looks Could Kill, in which she played the daughter of a murdered British agent (played by Roger Daltrey). She also appeared in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' music video for Into the Great Wide Open. In 1992, she made a guest appearance on Beverly Hills, 90210 as competitive ice skater Tricia Kinney, who has a brief romance with Brandon Walsh. She starred in Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken (inspired by A Girl and Five Brave Horses), and one of her most memorable moments on screen was in 1992's Scent of a Woman, when she danced a tango with Al Pacino, whose character was blind. She followed that with the films Body Snatchers, For Love or Money, and The Three Musketeers. In 1994, People magazine named her one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world.^[5] In 1995, she starred in Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead.

In 2000, Anwar played Sophie in The Guilty. She also appeared in the television series John Doe (2002–2003) and acted in The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006). In 2007, she played Princess Margaret, sister of King Henry VIII, on Showtime's The Tudors. After that, she starred as Fiona Glenanne in the television series Burn Notice from 2007 to 2013. In 2008, Anwar made an appearance as Eva Sintzel, a woman trying to get pregnant through the fictitious Hudson Cryobank in the Law & Order: SVU episode "Inconceivable". She also played a role in the seventh season of Once Upon a Time.

Anwar was in a relationship with actor Craig Sheffer, with whom she has a daughter (born 1993).^[6] From 2000 to 2005, she was married to actor John Verea, with whom she has a son and a daughter.^[7] Sheffer is godfather to Anwar's two children with Verea.^[8]

In April 2010, Anwar began dating Shareef Malnik, son of Alvin Malnik.^[9] In August 2015, they were married in Montana.^[10] They live in Palm Island, Florida.^[11]

Anwar became a naturalised American citizen in 2008.^[12]

In 2023, Anwar co-founded ReThink Baby, an organization promoting the principals of early childhood educator Emmi Pikler.^[13]