Date of Birth: April 25, 1969
Place of Birth: Katy, Texas, USA
Sign:Sun in Taurus, Moon in Leo
Relations:Companion: Jim Carrey
Education:University of Texas, BA in English
IT WAS NOT until she starred with Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire (1996) that Renee Zellweger made a name for herself in Hollywood. Up until then, she was mostly known outside Tinsletown and in independent film circuits.
The beauty, absurd amount of cuteness and natural ability that she exhibited as Cruise’s love interest sparked the attention of critics as well as audiences.
Although she won no Oscar for her performance in the movie, she did win various other awards including “best breakthrough performer” by the National Board of Review.
The willowy strawberry blonde actress was born in such a small town, Katy, Texas, that she had no access to cable television or a movie theater.
As a result, Renee did not see her first art film until she was a student at the University of Texas in Austin.
Her years at UT were exceptional; she was regularly on the dean’s list and graduated a year early with a BA in Radio, Film and Television.
It was in UT that Renee discovered her knack for acting.
Following her graduation, Renee made her film debut in a bit part in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993). She got her first real role playing a looney, wacked-out waitress in Love and a .45 (1994), for which she won her first independent Spirit Award nomination. Her second nomination came when she got a part in The Whole Wide World (1996), earning additional acclaim at various film festivals.
And then her breakthrough film came along.
After Jerry Maguire, Zellweger went on to prove herself as a versatile actress who is able to perform various different roles.
Her most recent role was Me Myself and Irene, where she starred with real life boyfriend funny man Jim Carrey.
Rumors are flying around that the two will marry, but we just have to wait and see about that. It would be Carrey’s second marriage and Zellweger’s first.
Coming up for release is The Diary of Bridget Jones, where Renee is a young single woman living it up in London.
Movies:
2000 The Diary of Bridget Jones
2000 Nurse Betty
2000 Me, Myself and Irene
1999 The Bachelor
1998 One True Thing
1998 A Price Above Rubies
1997 Deceiver
1996 Jerry Maguire
1996 The Whole Wide World
1995 Empire Records
1995 Love and a .45
1994 8 Seconds
1994 The Low Life
1994 The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1993 Dazed and Confused
1993 My Boyfriend's Back
TV:
1994 Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1993 Murder in the Heartland
1992 A Taste for Killing
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
