An American actress and producer, Renee Zellweger, has shown immense versatility with her performances over the years. From her first main role in the horror movie Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), she has gained widespread attention and critical acclaim for excellent performances in many of her films. A recipient of many accolades, she has won Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was named Hasty Pudding`s Woman of the Year in 2009 and is actively involved in charity work.
EARLY LIFE
Born on April 25,1969 in Katy, Texas, Renee Kathleen Zellweger is of Swiss, Norwegian, Kven and Sami ancestry. Her father, Emil Erich Zellweger, was a mechanical and electrical engineer who worked in the oil refining business. Her mother, Kjellfrid Irene, worked as a governess for a Norwegian family in Texas. Her brother Drew Zellweger is a marketing executive. She attended Katy High School where she was quite active as a cheerleader, gymnast and drama club member. A drama course that she took up while her graduation at the University of Texas at Austin is what triggered an interest in acting. While in college, she worked as a waitress in Austin for financial support. She started off with some small acting parts in commercials and films.
PERSONAL LIFE
Renee Zellweger`s first relationship was in the early 1990`s with Sims Ellison, a member from a heavy metal band Pariah, but Ellison committed suicide in 1995. She was then engaged to Jim Carrey from 1999 to 2000. Post this, she was in a brief relationship with musician Jack White. Then, on May 9, 2005, she married singer Kenny Chesney, but opted for an annulment four months later. Zellweger and Bradley Cooper met on the set of Case 39 and started dating him in 2009, but separated after two years. Since 2012, she has been in a relationship with blues musician Doyle Bramhall II.
MOVIE CAREER
Renee Zellweger started off with small roles in movies such as A Taste for Killing, ABC miniseries Murder in the Heartland, Reality Bites and biographical film 8 Seconds. She got to play her first main role in the 1994 horror film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, alongside Matthew McConaughey. In the movie, she played Jenny, a teenager who met with a car accident eventually ending up with a murderous family, with the role getting her the long-awaited appreciation she deserved. In the same year, she was seen in Love and a .45, wherein she played a woman who plans a robbery with her boyfriend. The part got her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. Although she appeared in a supporting role in the coming-of-age drama Empire Records in 1995, she managed to stand out among the cast members, showing strong potential.

In the movie Jerry Maguire in 1996, she played the romantic interest of Jerry Maguire. This marked Zellweger`s big break on screen and got her worldwide popularity. She was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. She was next seen in 1998`s religious drama A Price Above Rubies, where her portrayal of a young woman struggling to adjust to the restrictions imposed on her by the community, got her critical applause. This followed with the character of Ellen in One True Thing who forcefully had to put her life on hold to look after her ailing mother. Starring alongside William Hurt and Meryl Streep, this film was directed by Carl Franklin.

In the subsequent year, she played the lead in the romantic comedy film The Bachelor, co-starring Chris O`Donnell. In 2000, she appeared as Irene Waters in the Farrelly brothers comedy Me, Myself and Irene, alongside Jim Carrey. She then played a Kansas waitress in Neil LaBute`s dark comedy Nurse Betty, co-starring Morgan Freeman. Along with critical praises for her performance in the film, Zellweger won her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Moving on, in 2001, Zellweger got a lead role as Bridget Jones in British romantic comedy film Bridget Jones`s Diary beside Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. For the role, she gained quite some weight and also learned an English accent. She won her first Academy Award for Best Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role nomination and her second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nominations.

Zellweger starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in White Oleander, released in 2002, for which she received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress - Drama. This followed with an appearance as Roxie Hart in Rob Marshall`s musical film Chicago, co-starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, and John C. Reilly, in which critics praised the actress for her dancing. She earned her second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, second Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. After this, the actress was cast in Anthony Minghella`s war drama Cold Mountain opposite Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. Then, she gave her voice for the DreamWorks animated feature Shark Tale.

Zellweger recurred with a title role in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason in 2004, again turning out to be a box office success. The part got the actress her fourth Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nomination. In the next year, she starred in Ron Howard`s film Cinderella Man paired with Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti.

In 2006`s biopic drama Miss Potter, based on the life story of renowned author Beatrix Potter, the actress played the lead role and also was an executive producer. This movie attained Zellweger, her sixth nomination for the Golden Globe Award. She was next seen in 2008 alongside George Clooney in his directorial venture Leatherheads, a period comedy that revolved around the early years of professional American football. This followed with appearance in Appaloosa along with Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen, and production of the made-for-television feature Living Proof, starring Harry Connick Jr.

In the consecutive two years, she was seen in Jonas Elmer`s comedy New in Town, Richard Loncraine`s drama My One and Only, Christian Alvart`s horror thriller Case 39 and Olivier Dahan`s road drama My Own Love Song. She also lent her voice for a supporting character in DreamWorks` animated 3D feature film Monsters vs. Aliens.

Post this, she had a five-year long break from screen acting. Her comeback movie was with Courtney Hunt`s drama thriller film The Whole Truth co-starring Keanu Reeves in 2016. Her 2016 project is Bridget Jones`s Baby, a sequel to 2004`s Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, together with Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey. Her 2020 release includes Judy.