Renée Zellweger
Renée Zellweger | |
|---|---|
| File:Zellwegernyc.jpg Renée Zellweger in 2003 | |
| Born | Renée Kathleen Zellweger |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | Kenny Chesney (2005) (annulled) |
Renée Kathleen Zellweger, AKA "Bee Sting Face", (born April 25, 1969) is an Academy Award-, BAFTA-, SAG Award-, and Golden Globe-winning American actress, singer, dancer, and performer who has established herself as one of the highest-paid female Hollywood actors in recent years.[1] She is also known as the former wife of country musician Kenny Chesney. The couple were briefly married in 2005 before an annulment seven months later.
Early life
Zellweger was born in Baytown, Texas, an eastern suburb of Houston. Between junior school and high school her family moved to Katy, Texas, a western suburb of Houston. Her father, Emil Erich Zellweger, is a Swiss-born mechanical and electrical engineer who worked in the oil refining business.[2] Zellweger's mother, Kjellfried Irene (née Andreassen), is Norwegian-born and of Sami origin.[3][4] She is a nurse and midwife, and moved to the United States in order to work as a governess for a Norwegian family in Texas.[5][6][7] Zellweger described herself as being raised in a family of "lazy Catholics and Episcopalians".[7] She has an older brother, Andrew, who is a marketing manager working in the wine industry and has his nickname for her - Zelly.
In junior high school, Zellweger actively took part in several sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball and football.[7] She attended Katy High School, where she was a cheerleader, a gymnast, and a drama club member. Zellweger acted in several school plays and was voted the "Best Looking" of her class before graduating from high school in 1987. After high school, she went to the University of Texas at Austin to major in English language.[3] Zellweger was a good student, and made the Dean's List several times. At the beginning she took a drama class only because she needed a fine arts credit to complete her degree, but the experience made her appreciate how much she loved acting.[5] During this time, she supported herself by taking jobs as a waitress in Austin, Texas.[5][8] In 1991, Zellweger graduated from university with a BA degree in English. She considered moving to Hollywood but decided to stay in her home state, Texas to seek more experience. Her first job after graduation was working in a beef commercial, at the same time she started to audition for roles around Houston.[5]
Film career
While still in Texas, Zellweger appeared in several films. She appearend in the Bachelor as Anne.In 1993, she made a brief appearance in the comedy-drama film Dazed and Confused, then had a minor role in ABC TV mini series named Murder in the Heartland. The following year, she appeared in Reality Bites, the directorial debut of Ben Stiller and the biopic film 8 Seconds, directed by John G. Avildsen. Zellweger's first main part in a movie came with the 1994 horror movie Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in which she acted alongside Matthew McConaughey. She played Jenny, a teenager who leaves a prom early with three friends and ended up getting into a car accident, which leads to their meeting a murderous family.[5] In her next movie was Love and a .45, in which she played the role of Starlene Cheatham, a woman who plans a robbery with her boyfriend. The performance earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, winning roles in the films Empire Records, The Whole Wide World.[5] Zellweger first became widely known to audiences around the world with her role in 1996's Jerry Maguire, where she played the romantic interest of Tom Cruise's character.[5] She won the role over Mira Sorvino and Marisa Tomei. Since then, Zellweger has won acclaim in roles such as One True Thing opposite William Hurt and Meryl Streep, and in Neil LaBute's Nurse Betty opposite Morgan Freeman.[5] The role garnered the actress her first of three Golden Globe Awards, but she was in the bathroom when future co-star Hugh Grant announced her name.[5] Zellweger later protested: "I had lipstick on my teeth!"[9]
In 2001, Zellweger gained the prized lead role as Bridget Jones, playing alongside Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, in the British romantic comedy film Bridget Jones's Diary, a film that is based on the 1996 novel Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding, amid much controversy since she was neither British nor overweight.[5] During casting Zellweger was told she was too skinny to play the chubby Bridget, so she very quickly embarked on gaining the required weight. She gained 20 pounds in order to complete her transformation to Bridget Jones.[10] Her dramatic weight fluctuations became the subject of much media interest. Her performance as Bridget received praise from critics, with Stephen Holden of The New York Times commenting, "Ms. Zellweger accomplishes the small miracle of making Bridget both entirely endearing and utterly real."[10] Along with receiving voice coaching to fine-tune her English accent, part of Zellweger's preparations involved spending three weeks working undercover in a "work experience placement" for British publishing firm Picador in Victoria, London.[11][5] As a result of her considerable efforts to effect author Helen Fielding's character, Zellweger caught the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and received her first Best Actress Academy Award nomination.[5]
In 2002, she starred with Michelle Pfeiffer in White Oleander and in Rob Marshall's Academy Award for Best Picture winning film Chicago opposite Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, and John C. Reilly. Zellweger earned her second Academy Award nomination as Best Actress, as well as the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Award.[5] In 2004, Zellweger finally received an Academy Award, this time as Best Supporting Actress in Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain opposite Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. Zellweger has since starred in the sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, lent her voice to the DreamWorks animated features Shark Tale and Bee Movie, and starred in the 2005 Ron Howard film Cinderella Man opposite Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti. On May 24, 2005, Zellweger received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also appeared in Miss Potter, based on the life story of acclaimed author Beatrix Potter, with Emily Watson and Ewan McGregor, released in December 2006. This became the first and only film to date that Zellweger has produced herself. In 2008, she starred in the period comedy Leatherheads with fellow Oscar-winner George Clooney and John Krasinski from The Office.
Zellweger and Marc Forster, took part in the 2005 HIV prevention campaign of the Swiss federal health department.[12]
Personal life
Zellweger dated Josh Pate, whom she began seeing in November 1996 after the filming of Deceiver. She also was rumored to have dated George Clooney.[8] Her first high-profile romance was with actor/comedian Jim Carrey. The relationship ended in a broken engagement in December 2000. Zellweger notably poked fun at the prior relationship when she ended her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live by reading an entry from her own "diary", marked "Dear Diary, I can't believe I am dating Jim Carrey."
For two years, Zellweger dated The White Stripes singer Jack White, who is six years her junior. The pair became involved while filming Cold Mountain. They broke up two years later, after schedule demands kept them apart.[13] Friends said the split was amicable.[14]
On May 9, 2005, Zellweger married singer Kenny Chesney in a ceremony at the island of St. John. They had met in January at a tsunami relief benefit concert. Zellweger missed out on the engagement ring since the wedding was planned over a short span of time.[15] On September 15, 2005, after only four months of marriage, they announced their plans for an annulment. Zellweger cited fraud as the reason in the related papers.[16] After media scrutiny of her use of the word "fraud", she qualified the use of the term, stating it was "simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny's character. I would personally be very grateful for your support in refraining from drawing derogatory, hurtful, sensationalized or untrue conclusions. We hope to experience this transition as privately as possible."[16] The annulment was finalized in late December 2005.
Since the annulment, she has been linked to various personalities, including actor Luke Perry of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame.[17]
After selling her home in the Hollywood Hills,[18] Zellweger bought a home in Bel Air. In January 2007, she admitted that she gets scared at home alone due to security problems and fans who send or leave mail at her homes. She said that she considered buying a gun for reasons of personal security.[19]
Filmography and awards
Upcoming Films
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Appaloosa | TBA | post-production |
| 2009 | Case 39 | Emily Jenkins | awaiting release |
| Chilled in Miami | Lucy Hill | post-production |
References
- ^ Witherspoon Tops Rich List. SF Gate.com. 30 November 2007.
- ^ Renee Zellweger. Film Reference.com. 6 February 2008
- ^ a b Actress of the Week: Renee Zellweger. Askmen.com. 6 February 2008.
- ^ Lone star. Telegraph.co.uk. 28 October 2004.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Inside the Actors Studio. Bravotv.com. Season 9, Episode 912. 9 May 2003.
- ^ Agelorius, Monica. Bridget Jones's Diary LA junket. Unreel.co.uk. 17 March 2001.
- ^ a b c Renee Zellweger Biography. Tiscali.co.uk. 6 February 2008.
- ^ a b Renee Zellweger. Yahoo! Movies. 6 February 2008
- ^ Zellweger's flush of success BBC News. February 7, 2008.
- ^ a b 'Bridget Jones's Diary': 120 Pounds and 1,000,000 Cigarettes Later
- ^ Overweight and over here. Texan Renee Zellweger plays a modern British everywoman. iofilm.co.uk.
- ^ Swiss Government AIDs campaign ((Flash: click "Campaign", then choose "2005")
- ^ Jack White - White Calls Off Relationship with Zellweger. Contact Music.com. 19 December 2004.
- ^ Renee Zellweger splits with Jack White. Female First.co.uk.
- ^ Renée misses out on engagement ring. Diamond Bug. 12 May 2005.
- ^ a b Thomas, Karen. Renee Zellweger cites 'fraud' in split to Kenny Chesney. USA Today. 15 September 2005.
- ^ Zellweger Finds Love with Perry? SF Gate.com. 17 January 2007.
- ^ Johnson, Tricia. Renee's roost!. EW.com.
- ^ Renee Zellweger Says Being Home Alone Is "Scary" Sometimes. Netscape News. 9 January 2007.
External links
- Renée Zellweger at IMDb
- Template:Tvtome person
- Interview with Zellweger about her role in Miss Potter
- Renée Zellweger interview for Bridget Jones's Diary
- Renée Zellweger Norwegian/Sami family tree
- 1969 births
- American film actors
- BAFTA winners (people)
- Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winners
- Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Living people
- Norwegian-Americans
- People from Austin, Texas
- People from Houston, Texas
- Swiss-Americans
- Texas actors
- University of Texas at Austin alumni
- Sami people
- Sami