Real Name: Renee Kathleen Zellweger

Nationality: American

Height: 5'4

Hair: Dark Blonde

Eyes: Blue

Born: April, 25 1969 in Katy, Texas, USA.

Discovered: Renee got interested in acting in high school while working in the drama club. She also took an acting class at the University of Texas (Austin), where she began looking towards acting as a career. After graduation, she wanted to continue acting, but because Hollywood is so tough to break into, she decided to stay in Texas, and auditioned for roles around Houston, where she managed get parts in such films as Reality Bites (1994) and Empire Records (1995).

She then took a role in the sequel The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994), where she met Matthew McConaughey, another Hollywood up-and-comer. He was working on a project at the time that RenÃe was interested in, auditioned for, and won the role in the film Love and a .45 (1994), which earned her enough critical praise that she decided to move to Los Angeles. That also led her to her big break. Cameron Crowe was busy casting his next film, Jerry Maguire (1996), starring Tom Cruise. Crowe was considering such actresses as Cameron Diaz, Bridget Fonda, Winona Ryder, and Marisa Tomei, when he heard of Zellweger. He auditioned Zellweger and was sure he'd found his Dorothy Boyd.

Resume: Piece of My Heart (2005)

Cinderella Man (2005)

Bridget Jones: The Edge of

Reason (2004)

Shark Tale (2004)

Cold Mountain (2003)

Down with Love (2003)

Chicago (2002)

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

Nurse Betty (2000)

The Bachelor (1999)

One True Thing (1998)

A Price Above Rubies (1998)

Deceiver (1997)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

The Whole Wide World (1996)

The Low Life (1995)

Empire Records (1995)

The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994)

Known For: Gaining 30 lbs. for her Bridget Jones role.

Romance: Married (in a surprise wedding on May 9, 2005) and recently divorced singer Kenny Chesney.

Dated White Stripes singer Jack White for two years, the pair split in 2004.

Rumors: That she is upset over former boyfriend, Jack White's baby news (with British model Karen Elson).

Quotes: "I learned how little in the way of material goods we really need, and how beautiful a simple life can be. In Romania people work with their hands every day, and you'll see an 80- year-old woman still chopping wood because she's been looking after herself all her life, and she still has the strength to do it." - Renee Zellweger Regarding the lifestyle of the people of Romania.

"It saddens me every day when people come up and say, 'OK, how did you lose that weight?' I can't speak about it because I am not an authority on weight loss. I am just not. I am not challenged with a medical situation that's weight-related and that I need to pay attention to." - Renee Zellweger on the weight she lost after Bridget Jones's Diary

"It was very exciting for me to fill out Bridget's dresses. It felt really great. I didn't feel any different. I didn't feel uncomfortable, and I didn't feel as if it changed my life. I got such positive responses from the fellows in my life while I looked like Bridget Jones. I had a lot of friends who said I should think about keeping some of the weight on. I have to say I agreed, because there were certain things about it I liked very much. But, of course, I'm a girl, and I thought, 'Ugh, no.' Like anybody, I want to look my best." - Renee Zellweger

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