Biography - Renee Zellweger

Nearly every fan of Helen Fielding's international bestseller “Bridget Jones’s Diary” was up in arms when young American actress Renée Zellweger was cast in the titular role of the film adaptation. How could a skinny, Texas-born Hollywood starlet do justice to an iconic British character? Zellweger proved everyone wrong, giving a hilarious performance as the witty London singleton that was widely praised, earning her a first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in addition to a Golden Globe nod.

Zellweger grew up in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas, where she was born on April 25, 1969. She had always loved acting, but was more focused on cheerleading and gymnastics while in high school despite being active in the drama club. During her time as an English major at the University of Texas – Austin she rekindled her love of performing after taking an acting course. She received small roles with ease upon moving to L.A., including an uncredited part in Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused”, the Luke Perry cowboy drama “8 Seconds”, and “Empire Records”, before earning lead roles in the low-budget offerings “Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (alongside a young Matthew McConaughey) and “Love and a .45”. Her searing performance in the little-seen indie “The Whole Wide World” brought her to the attention of Cameron Crowe, who cast her as Tom Cruise’s love interest in the smash hit dramedy “Jerry Maguire”, which brought Zellweger international fame and rave reviews.

She continued to display her versatile talents in films like “A Price Above Rubies”, “One True Thing” with Meryl Streep, and the bizarre, grossly underrated Neil LaBute comedy “Nurse Betty”, which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy. She then starred with Jim Carrey (whom she went on to date before the pair broke off their engagement) in “Me, Myself, and Irene” before gaining over twenty pounds for her role in “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. Her terrific portrayal of Bridget’s adventures with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth put her atop the A-list, and she impressed in 2002 with “White Oleander” and “Chicago”, the latter of which earning her another Oscar nomination.

In 2003 she won her first Oscar for playing big-hearted drifter Ruby in Anthony Minghella’s “Cold Mountain”, which won praise for co-stars Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman as well. She has since starred in “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”, Ron Howard’s Russell Crowe vehicle “Cinderella Man”, and this year’s “Miss Potter”, for which she recently picked up her sixth Globe nomination. Zellweger was briefly coupled with country star Kenny Chesney in 2005, but after four months the couple had their marriage annulled.