Guests

Renee Zellweger

Season 9, Episode 912

Original Airdate: May 9, 2003

Renee Zellweger was born in 1969 in Katy, Texas, near Houston. The town was so small that it had neither a movie theater nor cable TV. She remained in Texas throughout her childhood and the early part of her career. Her parents were immigrants her father Swiss, her mother Norwegian.

Renee's interest in acting began in high school and continued at the University of Texas, where she took an acting class and graduated in 1991 with a degree in Radio/Film/Television. Following graduation she auditioned for roles around Houston.

She landed small roles in made-for-TV movies in 1992 and 1993, then made her feature film debut with a bit part in 1993's Dazed and Confused. She worked steadily in 1994, landing roles in seven films, including a small part in Reality Bites and leading roles in the sequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Love and a .45, which earned Zellweger an Independent Spirit Award nomination and the confidence to move to LA.

Her breakthrough role came two years later, opposite Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, for which she won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and was nominated for MTV Movie and Screen Actors' Guild Awards. A variety of roles followed, including One True Thing in 1998, with Meryl Streep and William Hurt; Nurse Betty in 2000, for which she earned a Golden Globe Award; and Me, Myself & Irene opposite Jim Carrey, with whom she subsequently became engaged. They eventually separated later that year, shortly before the planned wedding. 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary, for which she gained 20 pounds to play a British woman struggling to take control of her life, earned her further critical and commercial success. Her performance earned her an Oscar nomination, as well as a second Golden Globe nomination.

She earned a Golden Globe Award and a second Oscar nomination for her starring role opposite Richard Gere in 2002's highly acclaimed Chicago. Upcoming films include Down With Love, a romantic comedy with Ewan McGregor, and Cold Mountain, a drama with Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. Both films are due to be released in 2003.