Renée Zellweger, American actress and producer
Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. She was one of the world's highest-paid actresses by 2007.
Born and raised in Texas, Zellweger studied English literature at University of Texas at Austin. Initially aspiring to a career in journalism, she was drawn to acting following her brief work on stage during college. Following her minor roles in the coming-of-age comedy film Dazed and Confused (1993), and the romantic comedy-drama film Reality Bites (1994), her first starring role came with the slasher film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994). Receiving praise for her performances in the independent films Love and a .45 (1994) and The Whole Wide World (1996), she rose to prominence with starring roles in the romantic comedy-drama sports film Jerry Maguire (1996), the drama film One True Thing (1998), and the 2000 black comedy films Me, Myself and Irene and Nurse Betty, winning a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Betty Sizemore.
For her portrayals of Bridget Jones in the romantic comedy film Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), and Roxie Hart in the musical black comedy crime film Chicago (2002), she gained consecutive nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing a loquacious farmer in the epic period war film Cold Mountain (2003). Her other notable films include the drama White Oleander (2002), the romantic comedy Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), the biopic sports drama Cinderella Man (2005), the biopic drama Miss Potter (2006), and the romantic comedy Bridget Jones's Baby (2016). In 2019, she starred in her first major television role in the Netflix series What/If, and portrayed Judy Garland in the biographical drama film Judy, winning numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. She also received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for the film's accompanying soundtrack album.