Renée Zellweger

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Birthday:

25 April 1969, Katy, Texas, USA

Birth Name:

Renée Kathleen Zellweger

Height:

160 cm

Renée Kathleen Zellweger was born on April 25, 1969, in Katy, Texas, USA. Her mother, Kjellfrid Irene (Andreassen), is a Norwegian-born former nurse and midwife, of Norwegian, Kven (Finnish), and Swedish descent. Her father, Emil Erich Zellweger, is a Swiss-born engineer. The two married in 1963. Renée has a brother named Drew Zellweger, a marketing executive born on February 15, 1967. Renée got interested in acting in high school while working on the drama club. She also took an acting class at the University of Texas (Austin), where she began looking towards acting as a career. After graduation, she wanted to continue acting, but Hollywood is a tough town to break into, so Renée decided to stay in Texas, and auditioned for roles around Houston, where she managed to grab roles in such films as Reality Bites (1994) and Empire Records (1995).While on the set for the sequel, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994), she befriended Matthew McConaughey, another Hollywood up-and-comer. He was working on a project at the time that Renée was interested in, auditioned for, and won the role in the film Love and a .45 (1994), which earned her enough critical praise that she decided to move to Los Angeles. Another role in The Whole Wide World (1996) followed which led to her big break. Cameron Crowe was busy casting his next film, Jerry Maguire (1996), starring Tom Cruise. Crowe was considering such actresses as Cameron Diaz, Bridget Fonda, Winona Ryder, and Marisa Tomei, when he heard of Zellweger's performance in The Whole Wide World (1996). He auditioned Zellweger and was sure he'd found his Dorothy Boyd.Renée followed her huge success with a few small independent films and after receiving further critical praise, she felt confident enough to reenter the world of big-budget Hollywood films. She starred opposite Meryl Streep in the tear-jerker One True Thing (1998). She also took a role in Me, Myself & Irene (2000), opposite Jim Carrey, and soon after began dating Carrey. The two denied their relationship at first, but finally gave in and admitted it; today they are no longer together. Also in 2000, she starred in the title role in Nurse Betty (2000), where she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical. In 2001, she received even more critical and commercial success in the title role in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001). She received her first Academy Award nomination for her role, which was followed by her second Oscar-nominated role in the musical Chicago (2002). She then again wowed audiences with her fierce yet warm portrayal of Ruby Thewes in the film adaptation of Cold Mountain (2003), which won Zellweger an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, which was her first Academy Award. Show less «

[on Los Angeles] It opens your eyes in this town, it's amazing. It's taught me who I don't want to be.

Regarding the lifestyle of the people of Romania, she says, "I learned how little in the way of material goods we really need, and how beaut...Show more »

Regarding the lifestyle of the people of Romania, she says, "I learned how little in the way of material goods we really need, and how beautiful a simple life can be. In Romania people work with their hands every day, and you'll see an 80-year-old woman still chopping wood because she's been looking after herself all her life, and she still has the strength to do it." Show less «

[on the weight she lost after Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)] It saddens me every day when people come up and say, "Okay, how did you lose tha...Show more »

[on the weight she lost after Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)] It saddens me every day when people come up and say, "Okay, how did you lose that weight?". I can't speak about it because I am not an authority on weight loss. I am just not. I am not challenged with a medical situation that's weight-related and that I need to pay attention to. Show less «

It was very exciting for me to fill out Bridget's dresses. It felt really great. I didn't feel any different. I didn't feel uncomfortable, a...Show more »

It was very exciting for me to fill out Bridget's dresses. It felt really great. I didn't feel any different. I didn't feel uncomfortable, and I didn't feel as if it changed my life. I got such positive responses from the fellows in my life while I looked like Bridget Jones. I had a lot of friends who said I should think about keeping some of the weight on. I have to say I agreed, because there were certain things about it I liked very much. But of course, I'm a girl, and I thought, "Ugh, no." Like anybody, I want to look my best. Show less «

I see the Oscar [for Best Supporting Actress in Cold Mountain (2003)] in my bedroom, and it's like I bought it in a souvenir shop on Hollywo...Show more »

I see the Oscar [for Best Supporting Actress in Cold Mountain (2003)] in my bedroom, and it's like I bought it in a souvenir shop on Hollywood Boulevard. Show less «

My life has far exceeded what I might ever have dreamed of because I would never have been so bold as to dream that these things might happe...Show more »

My life has far exceeded what I might ever have dreamed of because I would never have been so bold as to dream that these things might happen to me. Show less «

I wanted to be self-sufficient, I wanted to take care of myself, and I wanted to learn. I wanted to travel, I wanted to see the world and ha...Show more »

I wanted to be self-sufficient, I wanted to take care of myself, and I wanted to learn. I wanted to travel, I wanted to see the world and have my eyes opened. I wanted to be consistently challenged, and I knew I needed to be creative in some way. When I got my job in a bar and I could pay for my tuition and go on auditions and sometimes get jobs that I loved and pay my rent, I knew that I would be all right. That's when my dreams came true, long before the telephone rang and someone said, "Come and meet Tom Cruise". Show less «

[on dying her hair brown] It's great to be a brunet. I can sneak around downtown Los Angeles and nobody knows it's me. I went to Starbucks t...Show more »

[on dying her hair brown] It's great to be a brunet. I can sneak around downtown Los Angeles and nobody knows it's me. I went to Starbucks to get my coffee in the morning, and they said, "What's your name?". I said, "Oh, Renée". Nobody even looked at me twice. My friends even walk past me. It's fantastic because I feel so free again. That's why I think the old adage that blonds have more fun is a presumption! Show less «

I think we can all relate to Bridget standing in a hallway wanting to know, "Do you love me or not?". She just blurts it out and maybe that ...Show more »

I think we can all relate to Bridget standing in a hallway wanting to know, "Do you love me or not?". She just blurts it out and maybe that makes her seem like she's not strong. I think she's very brave because she's speaking her mind. Ultimately, she knows that even if she doesn't get the right answer from this man, she will still get up and move forward. That's strength to me. Show less «

What I admire most about Bridget is her ever-present optimism in the face of adversity. I love how she has romantic troubles, but she gets b...Show more »

What I admire most about Bridget is her ever-present optimism in the face of adversity. I love how she has romantic troubles, but she gets back up and even laughs at herself. Me? I do my best. I keep on trying, anyway. Show less «

[on her weight gain in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)] Emotionally, gaining the weight didn't affect me. In fact, I was afraid tha...Show more »

[on her weight gain in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)] Emotionally, gaining the weight didn't affect me. In fact, I was afraid that I didn't gain enough weight. We were working six days a week, so my fear was that I'd lose a few pounds from the work, and the fluctuations in my weight would show on the screen. But they weren't noticeable. Show less «

People did suggest to me, "Oh, it might not be necessary to gain that much weight or as much as you did last time." I thought the weight was...Show more »

People did suggest to me, "Oh, it might not be necessary to gain that much weight or as much as you did last time." I thought the weight was essential in repeating the journey. If you're not going to be who she is, then what is the point? Show less «

I am very proud to be Norwegian. [1996 interview]

[on her friendship with George Clooney, her co-star in Leatherheads (2008)] We have a lovely relationship. I write him six-page emails about...Show more »

[on her friendship with George Clooney, her co-star in Leatherheads (2008)] We have a lovely relationship. I write him six-page emails about my political rage and he writes back. Show less «

[on landing Jerry Maguire (1996)] I remember driving to the audition, and I remember being very calm because I was thinking, "This is never ...Show more »

[on landing Jerry Maguire (1996)] I remember driving to the audition, and I remember being very calm because I was thinking, "This is never going to happen". Show less «

I'm not single, I'm busy. That's my line.

[on why she was in the bathroom when she won the Golden Globe for Nurse Betty (2000)] I had lipstick on my teeth!