Renee Zellweger is an American actress best known for her appearances in films such as Jerry Maguire, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago, and Cold Mountain.
She was born on April 25, 1969 in Baytown, Texas. She was athletic as a child but also dabbled in drama, especially during high school. While studying English at the University of Texas to Austin, she realized how much she loved acting, and after graduation, she started auditioning for different roles around Houston.
Her first major movie role was in 1994’s Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, alongside Matthew McConaughey. Her next movie, Love and a .45, won her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. But it was only in the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, a romantic comedy that also starred Tom Cruise, earned her international recognition. She has since appeared in films such as One True Thing and Nurse Betty, which earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
In 2001, Renee Zellweger starred in the film adaptation of Bridget Jones’s Diary, opposite Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Her performance—and the preparation she did for the role—earned praise from critics, and gave her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She received more praise in her portrayal of lead Roxie Hart in the 2002 musical Chicago; it gave her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actress, and her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Renee Zellweger finally won an best supporting actress Oscar for her performance in the film Cold Mountain, opposite Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. She also won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild award, and a BAFTA award for the performance. Since then, she has appeared in the 2004 sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and the 2005 film Cinderella Man, opposite Russell Crowe. She has also provided her voice to animated films such as Bee Movie and Shark Tale.