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Renée Kathleen Zellweger (/rəˌneɪ ˈzɛlwɛɡər/ rə-NAY ZEL-weg-ər; born April 25, 1969) is an acclaimed American actress. She has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, and was among the world's highest-paid actresses by 2007.
Born and raised in Texas, Zellweger studied English literature at the University of Texas at Austin. Initially aspiring to a career in journalism, she developed a passion for acting after performing in college theater productions. She began with minor roles in Dazed and Confused (1993) and Reality Bites (1994) before landing her first lead role in the horror film The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995). Her breakthrough came with Jerry Maguire (1996), followed by acclaimed performances in One True Thing (1998) and Nurse Betty (2000), for which she won a Golden Globe.
Zellweger gained further recognition with her role as Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), earning an Academy Award nomination, and as Roxie Hart in Chicago (2002). She won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Cold Mountain (2003) and reprised her role as Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) after a career hiatus.
In 2019, she starred in the Netflix series What/If and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Judy Garland in Judy. More recently, she played Pam Hupp in the NBC miniseries The Thing About Pam (2022).
Early Life
Renée Zellweger was born on April 25, 1969, in Katy, Texas. Her father, Emil Erich Zellweger, was a Swiss mechanical and electrical engineer, while her mother, Kjellfrid, was a Norwegian nurse and midwife of Kven and Sámi descent. Raised in a family she described as “lazy Catholics and Episcopalians,” Zellweger attended Katy High School, where she was active in cheerleading and sports.
In 1986, she won third place in the Houston Post High School Natural Science Essay Contest. She later attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 1992 with a degree in English literature. A drama elective in college sparked her interest in acting, leading her to take small roles in local productions.
During college, she worked as a cocktail waitress to support herself after her father lost his job. She later recalled the experience as an important life lesson, saying, "I learned as much in that club as I did in my classes." Zellweger earned her Screen Actors Guild card after appearing in a Coors Light commercial and landed her first film role with a minor part in My Boyfriend’s Back (1993), though her scene was ultimately cut.
Career
1992–1995: Early Roles
While in Texas, Zellweger appeared in independent and low-budget films such as A Taste for Killing (1992) and Murder in the Heartland (1993). She also had a small role in Dazed and Confused (1993) and appeared in Reality Bites (1994) and 8 Seconds (1994).
Her first leading role came in The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995), starring alongside Matthew McConaughey. Although the film received little attention, critics praised her performance, with Variety calling her “the most formidable scream queen since Jamie Lee Curtis went legit.”
She followed this with Love and a .45 (1994), playing a woman involved in a robbery. While the film had a limited release, Zellweger won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. Encouraged by her success, she moved to Los Angeles, though she initially hesitated, believing she lacked the talent to compete in Hollywood. Her next film, Empire Records (1995), received mixed reviews but helped her gain industry recognition.
1996–2000: Breakthrough
Zellweger’s major breakthrough came in Jerry Maguire (1996), where she starred opposite Tom Cruise as a single mother who falls for a sports agent. The film grossed over $273 million worldwide, and critics praised her chemistry with Cruise. Roger Ebert noted, “She plays a woman who believes in the man she loves, reminding us that true love is about idealism.” Zellweger received a Screen Actors Guild nomination for her performance.
She then starred in A Price Above Rubies (1998) and One True Thing (1998), where she played a woman caring for her terminally ill mother, played by Meryl Streep. The latter film was well-received, with Variety stating, “Zellweger is outstanding, projecting gravity and impatience with great skill.”
After the romantic comedy The Bachelor (1999), she starred in the Farrelly brothers’ hit Me, Myself & Irene (2000) alongside Jim Carrey, followed by Nurse Betty (2000), in which she played a waitress with a delusional obsession with a soap opera character. Her performance in Nurse Betty won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy.
2001–2007: International Stardom
In 2001, Zellweger took on the role of Bridget Jones in Bridget Jones’s Diary, opposite Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Despite initial controversy over her casting—due to her being American and not naturally plump—she gained 20 pounds for the role and perfected an English accent. Her performance won over critics, with The New York Times calling it “entirely endearing and utterly real.” She earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and the film grossed $281 million worldwide.
She followed up with Chicago (2002), where she played Roxie Hart. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Zellweger received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She won her second Golden Globe and a SAG Award for her performance.
Her next major film, Cold Mountain (2003), earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then reprised her role in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and starred in Cinderella Man (2005) alongside Russell Crowe.
Zellweger also portrayed Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter (2006), which she co-produced. Seattle Post-Intelligencer praised her performance, saying she struck “just the right chord of inspiration and eccentricity.”
2008–2014: Career Shift and Hiatus
Following a string of mixed-reviewed films, including Leatherheads (2008) and Appaloosa (2008), Zellweger took a step back from acting. She later explained that she needed time to recharge creatively.
2016–Present: Career Resurgence
Zellweger made a triumphant return with Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016), which was a box office success. In 2019, she starred in Netflix’s thriller series What/If before taking on the role of Judy Garland in Judy (2019). Her portrayal won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, marking a major career comeback.
Most recently, she starred in the true-crime miniseries The Thing About Pam (2022), portraying convicted killer Pam Hupp.
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