Paltrow was born in Los Angeles, California, to the late film director Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner. He is the younger brother of Gwyneth Paltrow, nephew of Harry Danner, cousin of Hillary Danner and Katherine Moennig, brother-in-law of Chris Martin, and uncle of Apple Martin (b. May 14, 2004) and Moses Martin (b. April 8, 2006). He is currently in a relationship with photographer Taryn Simon.

Paltrow's most prominent job was directing some NYPD Blue episodes, such as: Andy Appleseed (2003), Brothers Under Arms (2000) and Big Bang Theory (1999), following in his father's footsteps as a tv director. In 2006, he made his debut as a film director with the movie The Good Night which featured his sister Gwyneth. The movie was released at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Paltrow has produced short films about actors for the New York Times.

The Good Night (2006)