The owner of the success ranging from being a waitress to winning the Oscar awards: Who is Renée Zellweger?

Her full name is Renée Kathleen Zellweger, she was born on April 25, 1969 in Katy, Texas. Emil Erich Zellweger, whose father was a mechanical and electrical engineer working in the oil refining business, is of Swiss origin. Kjellfrid Irene Andreassen, whose mother is a nurse and midwife, is a Norwegian of Kven and Sámi descent.

Attending Katy High School, Zellweger became a cheerleader, gymnast, and debate team member. In addition, she was also interested in football and powder football. After high school, Zellweger started at the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated in 1992 with a BA in English Literature. Her interest in acting increased with the drama lessons she took as an elective while she was at university.

In her third year of college, her father lost his job and was unable to support her in college. That's why she started working as a waitress in Austin, Texas. Her acting career began with minor roles and was awarded a Screen Actors Guild card for appearing in a "Coors Light" commercial. Her first job after graduation was to appear in a meat commercial while simultaneously auditioning for roles in Houston, Texas.

While still in Texas, Zellweger starred in several independent and low-budget films or TV shows, such as "A Taste for Killing" (1992) and "Murder in the Heartland" (1993). In 1994, she starred in Ben Stiller's directorial debut romantic comedy-drama "Reality Bites" and in the biographical drama film "8 Seconds" directed by John G. Avildsen. Her first main role came in the horror movie "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation" (1994) with Matthew McConaughey. Joe Leydon of Variety magazine lauded Zellweger's performance, calling it "the scariest scream queen" ever.

Her next film was in the crime comedy drama road movie "Love and a.45" (1994) as a couple planning a heist with Gill Bellows. Despite a limited theatrical release, the film was praised by critics, particularly for the performances of the actors. She won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Performance for her performance. After moving to Los Angeles, Zellweger starred in the coming-of-age comedy-drama film "Empire Records" (1995). Despite the soundtrack and Zellweger's strong performance, the film received mixed reviews.

The following year, she gained wider recognition for her role in the romantic sports comedy-drama film "Jerry Maguire" (1996) in which she portrayed a single mother and the romantic interest of a flamboyant sports agent (Tom Cruise). The film was a massive hit worldwide, garnering positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances and screenplay. It was the ninth highest-grossing film of the year. The movie, which became a cult in time, also led to the production of many slogans. It was also praised by many critics, who acknowledged Zellweger and Cruise's chemistry. Her performance earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

Zellweger starred in the religious drama film "A Price Above Rubies"(1998) as a young woman struggling to conform to the restrictions imposed on her by society. While the film failed at the box office, Zellweger's performance was rated as "a brutally powerful performance". In the same year, she co-starred with William Hurt and Meryl Streep in the drama film "One True Thing" adapted from the writer Anna Quindlen. In the film, Zellweger played the role of a woman who has to put her life on hold to care for her mother, who is dying of cancer. While the film was a modest commercial success, it also received positive critical response.

In 2000, Zellweger took the lead role with Jim Carrey in the black comedy film "Me, Myself & Irene" (2000), directed by the Farrelly brothers. The film was a commercial success, grossing US$149 million worldwide. That same year, she starred in the black comedy "Nurse Betty" (2000), directed by Neil LaBute and starring Morgan Freeman, as a Kansas waitress who has a nervous breakdown after witnessing her husband's murder. She won her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy Film for her performance.

In 2001, she appeared in the British romantic comedy film "Bridget Jones's Diary" based on the novel of the same name, with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth in the award-winning lead role of Bridget Jones. During casting, it was rumored that Zellweger was too skinny and non-smoking to play the chubby and persistent smoker Bridget. So Zellweger had to quickly gain weight and learn to speak with a British accent while smoking herbal cigarettes. Her performance earned her a second Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress—Musical or Comedy Motion Picture, and her first Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations for Best Actress. Additionally, the film was a huge commercial success, grossing worldwide.

The following year, Zellweger played the role of a former actress acting as stepmother with Michelle Pfeiffer in the drama film "White Oleander"(2002). She earned a nomination for a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress - Drama for her performance. She also played Roxie Hart in the musical black comedy crime film "Chicago" (2002), directed by Rob Marshall and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly. The film, which won the Best Picture award at the 75th Academy Awards, was evaluated as the best motion picture musical since 1972. Her performance earned her Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominations for Best Actress. Additionally, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy Film and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

In 2003, she played the role of a woman who helps a farmer after her father's death in Anthony Minghella's war drama film "Cold Mountain" with Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. Zellweger won Best Supporting Actress at the 76th Academy Awards, 61st Golden Globe Awards, 10th Screen Actors Guild Awards and 57th British Academy Film Awards.

The following year, Zellweger reprized the lead role in the romantic comedy "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," which grossed US$262 million worldwide. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Feature. In 2005, she starred alongside Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti as the wife of world heavyweight boxing champion James J. In May 2005, Zellweger was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to the motion picture and film industry.

Along with Emily Watson and Ewan McGregor, Zellweger played the character of writer Beatrix Potter in the biographical drama comedy film "Miss Potter" (2006). She also served as executive producer at the same time. The film, which received generally positive reviews, also achieved moderate success at the box office. For her performance, she earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy. In 2007, she voiced in the animated family comedy "Bee Movie," for which she won the Women in Film Crystal award.

The following year, she played the role of a Chicago Tribune newspaper reporter in George Clooney's period sports comedy "Leatherheads" (2008), about the early years of professional American football. The film, which received largely mixed reviews, was described by critics as "disappointing". Zellweger's performance likewise received mixed reviews. That same year, she played the role of a deceptive widow in the western movie "Appaloosa" (2008), with Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen.

Zellweger played the role of a social worker assigned to a mysterious girl in the 2006 supernatural horror thriller "Case 39." The long post-production film was not released in theaters in the United States until 2010. That's why it didn't do well both critically and at the box office.

Later, Zellweger took a six-year hiatus from acting. She said in an interview that she took a break, saying she was tired and needed time to rest between projects. After the hiatus, she returned to her career in the third romantic comedy film "Bridget Jones's Baby" (2016) with Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey. The critically acclaimed film was a success, grossing US$211.9 million worldwide. That same year, she played the role of Loretta Lassiter, the mother of a teenager suspected of murdering her wealthy father, in "The Whole Truth," a crime thriller drama film directed by Courtney Hunt and co-starring with Keanu Reeves. The film was released in select theaters and video-on-demand on October 21, 2016, and met with average reviews.

She starred with Djimon Hounsou, Olivia Holt and Jon Voight in the drama film "Same Kind of Different as Me"(2017), a film adaptation of the autobiographical book of the same name. The film was a moderate commercial success, receiving mixed reviews from critics. The following year, she appeared in the independent romantic drama film "Here and Now" (2018) with Sarah Jessica Parker.

Zellweger made her major television role as Anne Montgomery, a mysterious venture capitalist, in the Netflix thriller mini-series "What/If"(2019). Despite mixed reviews from critics for the series, Zellweger's performance was praised. Her next role was as Judy Garland in the biographical drama film "Judy"(2019), based on a play and chronicling the final years of Judy Garland's life shortly before her death in 1969. While the film received positive reviews, some critics rated it as the best performance of her career. She also garnered great attention with her performance in the film, which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Zellweger has won numerous awards for her performance, including a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and an Academy Award. Zellweger's success made her the seventh actress to win an Oscar in both acting categories. She also became the fourth actress to win Best Actress, after Best Supporting Actress. The soundtrack earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Two and a half years later, in 2022, she made her network television debut as Pam Hupp in the NBC crime comedy-drama TV miniseries "The Thing About Pam." The series and its performance garnered mixed reviews from critics.

Personal life

From 1999 to 2000, Zellweger was engaged to Jim Carrey and briefly dated musician Jack White in 2003. In May 2005, Zellweger married singer Kenny Chesney. But four months later, Zellweger made an annulment. She met Bradley Cooper on the set of the movie in 2006. The couple started dating in 2009 and broke up in 2011. She was in a relationship with musician Doyle Bramhall II from 2012 to 2019. 

In 2005 Zellweger joined the Swiss federal health department's HIV prevention campaign. She is also one of the patrons of the gender equality foundation The GREAT Initiative. In April 2011, she collaborated with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger to design a handbag to raise money and raise awareness for the Breast Health Institute.

Zellweger has appeared in front of the camera on the covers of many magazines and photo shoots throughout her career. Additionally, she is often noted for her style at award ceremonies and red carpet events. She was named "Hollywood's New Star Wave" by Vanity Fair magazine in April 1997. She was included in the "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001" list of the 'E!'channel. She was named one of the "50 most beautiful people in the world" by People magazine in 2003. Also in 2006, she appeared at number 72 on Forbes magazine's "100 Best Celebrities" list. The following year, she was listed in the 20th place among the "20 richest women in the entertainment world" by the same magazine.

Zellweger's hobbies include snowboarding, skiing, windsurfing, swimming and basketball. Country is her favorite type of music.