Renée Kathleen Zellweger was born on April 25, 1969, in Katy, Texas, USA to parents Emil Erich Zellweger, a Swiss-born engineer who married Renée's mother Kjellfrid Irene Andreassen, a Norwegian-born former nurse and midwife in 1963. Renée also 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 and Empire Records.

She then took a role in the sequel The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where she met 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, which earned her enough critical praise that she decided to move to Los Angeles. Another role in The Whole Wide World followed which led to her big break. Cameron Crowe was busy casting his next film, Jerry Maguire, 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. 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. She also took a role in Me, Myself & Irene, 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, 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. She received her first Academy Award nomination for her role, which was followed by her second Oscar-nominated role in the musical Chicago. She then again wowed audiences with her fierce yet warm portrayal of Ruby Thewes in the film adaptation of Cold Mountain, which won Zellweger an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, which was her first Academy Award.



Cinderella Man (2005): $5,000,000
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004): $11,000,000
Cold Mountain (2003): $15,000,000
Down with Love (2003): $6,000,000
Chicago (2002): $10,000,000
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001): $3,750,000

Swiss father, Norwegian mother. She was a part of the Katy High School Bengal Brigade and Cheerleaders. Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001." Her dog, Dylan, a collie-golden retriever mix, died in November 2003. Attended University of Texas at Austin, Graduated 1991, majoring in English. Had a non-speaking role in Dazed and Confused (1993). Lived with actor Rory Cochrane for four years. Her Norwegian mother, Kjellfrid Irene Andreassen, is of Sami origin (a minority originating mainly from the northern parts of the Scandinavian peninsula often referred to as Lappland). Zellweger herself has many typical Sami features, such as strong cheekbones and slanted eyes. Is accompanied to many award shows and other functions by her long time agent John Carrabino. Ended her relationship with Jack White (they met during the filming of Cold Mountain (2003)) over the Christmas holidays in 2004. Her wedding ceremony lasted 15 minutes. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [May 24, 2005]. She wore a gown designed by her favorite designer, Carolina Adriana Herrera, for her wedding to Kenny Chesney. Dyed her hair brown for her role in Cinderella Man (2005). Fan of Chelsea FC (England soccer club). Is one of seven actresses to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich (2000), Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005), Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006), Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008), and 'Mo'Nique' for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009). She visited Argentina, in 1996, to promote, with Vincent D'Onofrio, the film The Whole Wide World (1996) in Mar del Plata Film Festival, where she won the Best Actress Award for this film. Honored as Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year for 2009 on February 5, 2009. Was in consideration for the part of Satine in Moulin Rouge! (2001) but Nicole Kidman, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead. Born at 2:41 PM (CST). Purchased a four bedroom house in the Pacific Palisades community in California at $4 million with boyfriend Bradley Cooper (December 2009).