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Named as Hasty Pudding’s Women of the Year in 2009, Renee Zellweger is an American actress and film producer. Here are some interesting facts about her.
- She was born as Renee Zellweger on April 25, 1969 in Katy, Texas.
- She is a descendant of Norwegian, Finnish, Swiss and Sami ancestry.
- During her junior high school days she actively participated in various sports activity such as soccer, Basketball, Baseball and Football.
- During her time in Katy high school she was a Gymnast, cheerleader and was a member in drama clubs and teams.
- She completed her graduation in BA English from University of Texas in 1991.
- Her interesting in acting was sparked when she took drama course as an elective during her graduation days.
- In the same period she also acted in a beer commercial “Coors Light” and earned her SAG card (Screen Actors Guild).
- Her debut film should have been “My Boyfriend’s Back” during her college days. She acted a bit part as a beauty shop girl but unfortunately, the scene got cut.
- She appeared on the cover of a magazine for the first time in September 1997 on “Vanity Fair.” Later she appeared on “Vogue,” “Detour,” “Allure” and “Harper’s Bazaar.”
- In the same year she was named as “Hollywood’s Next Wave of Stars,” by Vanity Fair.
- She was chosen among the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in 2003 by People Magazine.
- She married singer Kenny Chesney on May 9, 2005. However, in September 2005 they obtained annulment.
- She cited fraud as the reason for the split and later clarified that fraud was a legal language and not about his character.
- In 2006 list of “Top 100 Celebrities” by Forbes, she was placed at #72.
- She attracts attention on all award shows for her dress, designed by her close friend of 15 years Carolina Herrera.
- She took part in HIV prevention campaign by Swiss Federal Health department in 2005.
- She is one of the founders of “The Great Initiative” that works towards gender equality.
- She joined hands with Tommy Hilfiger to raise money for Breast health Institute. They designed handbags for the cause.
- Her first main role in a movie was in 1994 horror movie “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation,” as a teenage girl Jenny.
- Although the movie was not successful, her performance was well received by many including Janet Maslin who wrote in “The New York Times” that Zellweger does show signs of what would make her famous soon.
- In the Vanity magazine Joe Leydon had stated that Zellweger is the most formidable scream queen since Jamie Lee Curtis.
- In the same year she acted in a leading role in the movie “Love and a .45.” She played the role of a Starlene Cheatham who plans a robbery with her boyfriend.
- She received Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance in the movie “Love and a.45.”
- Her breakthrough role was in the movie Jerry Meguire in 1996 alongside Tom Cruise.
- She received Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role for “Jerry Meguire.”
- Zellwege’sr role in “Jerry Meguire” was initially offered to Jabeabe Garofalo if she could lose weight. When she did trim down, it had been too late.
- Zellweger had admitted that it was too long before she was cast in this movie, during which time she did not have enough money to withdraw from ATM.
- She played the character Sonia Horowitz in the movie “Price Above Rubies” who finds it difficult to cope with the restrictions imposed by the community.
- She played the character Ellen in the movie “One True Thing” alongside Meryl Streep. Yet again she was praised for her performance.
- On her performance Todd McCarthy from Variety magazine stated “she is outstanding as a smart young woman who resents the interruption to her life’s momentum but ends up growing in ways she never would have expected.”
- For her performance in both “Price Above Rubies “ and “One True Thing” she was nominated for Best Actress at the 64th New York Film Critics Circle Awards.
- She co-starred with Jim Carrey in 2000 movie “Me, Myself and Irene” which was a commercial success grossing $149,270,999 worldwide.
- In 2000 she got engaged to Jim Carrey, but their relationship did not move further.
- She followed with another successful movie “Nurse Betty” playing the role of Betty Sizemore alongside Morgan Freeman.
- She won Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.” When her name was announced during the ceremony she was in the bathroom.
- In 2001 she was cast as Bridget Jones in the movie “Bridget Jones’s Diary” alongside Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.
- She gained 20 pounds for her roles as Bridget Jones. During the casting she was told that she was too skinny to play the chubby character.
- She worked in a British publishing firm “Picador” to enhance her English accent for the role. She worked undercover for three weeks.
- She won the nomination for Best Actress at Academy Awards, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe Award for her performance as Bridget Jones.
- She starred as Roxie Hart in the acclaimed musical movie “Chicago” co-starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly.
- The Washington Post stated that “even though Zellweger could not dance well in real life, she danced up a storm in the movie.”
- She was nominated for Best Actress at Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards and won her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
- She starred as Ruby Thewes in the war drama “Cold Mountain” co-starring Nicole Kidman and Jude Law.
- She won Best Actress at Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and British Academy Film Award for her role in “Cold Mountain.”
- She provided her voice to the animated movies “Shark Tale” and “Bee Movie.”
- She won Women in Film Crystal Award for “Bee Movie.”
- She acted in a horror thriller movie alongside Bradley Cooper in “Case 39” which was a box office failure. It was released four years after its production.
- She met Bradley Cooper in 2006 on the sets of "Case 39." Both started dating each other and eventually bought a $4 million house in Pacific Palisades in California.
- She broke up with Cooper in 2011 and is currently in a relationship with musician Doyle Bramhall II since 2012.
