ZELLWEGER, Renee 1969–

PERSONAL

Full name, Renee Kathleen Zellweger; born April 25, 1969, in Houston (some sources cite Katy), TX; daughter of Emil Erich (an engineer and in the oil refining business) and Kjellfried Irene (a nurse and midwife; maiden name, Andreassen) Zellweger; married Kenny Chesney (a singer and songwriter), May 9, 2005 (mar-riage ended). Education: University of Texas, B.A., English, 1991. Avocational Interests: Reading, playing the guitar and piano.

Addresses: Agent—Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Manager—John Carrabino, John Carrabino Management, 100 North Crescent Dr., Suite 323, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Publicist—Nanci Ryder, Baker/Winokur/Ryder, 9100 Wilshire Blvd., Sixth Floor, West Tower, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Career: Actress. Appeared in commercials. Worked as a cocktail waitress and bartender's assistant.

Awards, Honors: Independent Spirit Award nomination, best debut performance, Independent Features Project/West, 1995, for Love and a .45; National Board of Review Award, breakthrough performance—female, 1996, Blockbuster Entertainment Award, favorite supporting actress in a comedy or romance film, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, breakthrough performance, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture comedy or musical, International Press Academy, and MTV Movie Award nomination, best breakthrough performance, all 1997, all for Jerry Maguire; Best Actress Award, Mar del Plata Film Festival, 1996, and Independent Spirit Award nomination, best female lead, 1997, both for The Whole Wide World; Special Award, rising star actress, Lone Star Film and Television awards, 1997; Golden Globe Award and Golden Satellite Award, both best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, American Comedy Award nomination, funniest actress in a motion picture (leading role), and London Critics Circle Film Award nomination, actress of the year, all 2001, for Nurse Betty; Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite actress in a comedy or romance film, 2001, for Me, Myself & Irene; named one of the top twenty entertainers of 2001, E! Entertainment Television, 2001; Teen Choice Award nomination (with Hugh Grant), choice chemistry in a film, 2001, Academy Award nomination, Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination, and Empire Award nomination, all best actress, Golden Globe Award nomination and Golden Satellite Award nomination, both best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, and MTV Movie Award nomination (with Colin Firth), best kiss, all 2002, for Bridget Jones's Diary; Screen Actors Guild Award, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, Academy Award nomination, Film Award nomination, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination, all best actress, Golden Globe Award and Golden Satellite Award nomination, both best actress in a motion picture musical or comedy, Screen Actors Guild Award, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, and Phoenix Film Critics Society Award nomination, all best ensemble, all with others, and Teen Choice Award nomination, choice movie liar, all 2003, for Chicago; Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a drama, 2003, for White Oleander; Southeastern Film Critics Association Award, best supporting actress, 2003, Academy Award, Film Award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award, San Diego Film Critics Society Award, and Online Film Critics Society Award nomination, all best supporting actress, Golden Globe Award, best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture, and Screen Actors Guild Award, outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, all 2004, for Cold Mountain; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture musical or comedy, and Teen Choice Award nominations, choice movie blush scene and choice movie rock star moment, all 2005, for Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason; Visual Effects Society Award nomination (with Ken Duncan), outstanding performance by an animated character in an animated motion picture, 2005, for Shark Tale; People's Choice Award, favorite leading lady, 2005; received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2005; platinum record certification, Record Industry Association of America, for the soundtrack album from the film Chicago.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Senior, Dazed and Confused, Gramercy Pictures, 1993.

(Uncredited) My Boyfriend's Back (also known as Johnny Zombie), Buena Vista, 1993.

Jenny, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (also known as TCM4, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation), Cinepix Film Properties/Sony Pictures Classics, 1994.

Prescott Motel buckle bunny, 8 Seconds (also known as The Lane Frost Story), New Line Cinema, 1994.

Starlene Cheatham, Love and a .45, Trimark Pictures, 1994.

Tami, Reality Bites, Universal, 1994.

Gina, Empire Records (also known as Empire and Rock and Fun), Regency/Warner Bros., 1995.

Poet, The Low Life, CFP Distribution, 1995.

Dorothy Boyd, Jerry Maguire, Columbia/TriStar, 1996.

Novalyne Price Ellis, The Whole Wide World, Sony Pictures Classic, 1996.

Elizabeth Loftus, Deceiver (also known as Liar), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, 1998.

Ellen Gulden, One True Thing, Universal, 1998.

Sonia Horowitz, A Price above Rubies (also known as Price below Rubies), Miramax, 1998.

Anne Arden, The Bachelor, New Line Cinema, 1999.

Betty Sizemore, Nurse Betty (also known as Nurse Betty—Gefaehrliche Traeume), USA Films, 2000.

Irene P. Waters, Me, Myself & Irene, Twentieth Century-Fox, 2000.

Bridget Jones, Bridget Jones's Diary (also known as Bridget Jones and Le journal de Bridget Jones), Miramax, 2001.

Claire Richards, White Oleander (also known as Weisser Oleander), Warner Bros., 2002.

Roxie Hart, Chicago (musical), Miramax, 2002.

Barbara Novak, Down with Love (also known as Down with love—Zum Teufel mit der Liebe!), Twentieth Century-Fox, 2003.

Ruby Thewes, Cold Mountain, Miramax, 2003.

Bridget Jones, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (also known as Bridget Jones—On the Edge, Bridget Jones 2, and Bridget Jones: L'age de raison), Universal, 2004.

Voice of Angie, Shark Tale (animated; also known as Sharkslayer), DreamWorks, 2004.

Mae Braddock, Cinderella Man, Universal, 2005.

The Eye, Paramount, c. 2006.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Barbara Von Busch, Murder in the Heartland, ABC, 1993.

(In archive footage) The 100 Greatest Musicals, Channel 4 (England), 2003.

(In archive footage) Roxie Hart, Broadway: The American Musical, PBS, 2004.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Mary Lou, A Taste for Killing, 1992.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Herself, Canned Ham: Me, Myself & Irene, Comedy Central, 2000.

Herself, Canned Ham: Nurse Betty, Comedy Central, 2000.

Presenter, VH1 Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin, VH1, 2001.

The Barbara Walters Special, ABC, 2003.

In the Shadow of "Cold Mountain," 2003.

A Journey to "Cold Mountain," 2003.

100% NYC: A Concert Celebrating the Tribeca Film Festival, MTV, 2003.

Oscar Countdown 2003, ABC, 2003.

Herself and voice of Angie, Shark Tale: Gettin' Fishy with It, HBO, 2004.

Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, multiple networks, 2005.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Presenter, The 1997 MTV Movie Awards, MTV, 1997.

Presenter, MTV Video Music Awards, MTV, 1999.

Presenter, The 71st Annual Academy Awards Presentation, ABC, 1999.

Presenter, The 57th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2000.

Presenter, The 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, MTV, 2000.

2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000.

Presenter, The VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards, VH1, 2000, 2001.

Presenter and host of technical awards banquet, The 73rd Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2001.

The 58th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2001.

Presenter, The 59th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2002.

Presenter, The Orange British Academy Film Awards, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

The 74th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2002.

Presenter, The Ninth Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TNT, 2003.

Presenter, The 75th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2003.

Presenter, The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2003.

Presenter, The 58th Annual Tony Awards, CBS, 2004.

Presenter, The 76th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2004.

Presenter, The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2004.

Presenter, 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, TNT, 2004.

Presenter, The 77th Annual Academy Awards, ABC, 2005.

Presenter, The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, NBC, 2005.

The 31st Annual People's Choice Awards, CBS, 2005.

Television Guest Appearances; Episodic:

Susan, "Shake, Rattle and Rock!," Rebel Highway, Showtime, 1994.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1996, 2000, 2001.

Voice of Tammy Duvall, "Ho, Yeah!," King of the Hill (animated), Fox, 2001.

Guest host, Saturday Night Live (also known as NBC's "Saturday Night," Saturday Night, and SNL), NBC, 2001.

Rove Live, 10 Network (Australia), 2001, 2004.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, 2001, 2004, 2005.

The Frank Skinner Show, Independent Television, 2002.

"Down with Love," HBO First Look, HBO, 2003.

"Ewan McGregor," The South Bank Show, Independent Television, 2003.

Extra (also known as Extra: The Entertainment Magazine), syndicated, 2003.

Inside the Actors Studio, Bravo, 2003.

"Missistae mittaa," 4Pop, 2004.

"Shark Tale," HBO First Look, HBO, 2004.

"Suomen Bridget Jones," 4Pop, 2004.

"Wetten, dass …? aus Leipzig," Wetten, dass …?, 2004.

(In archive footage) Celebrities Uncensored, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

Eigo de shabera-night, 2004.

Film '04, BBC, 2004.

Mioch versus Goderie, 2004.

The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah), syndicated, 2004.

Parkinson, BBC, 2004.

This Morning (also known as This Morning with Richard and Judy), Independent Television, 2004.

Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2004, 2005.

"Cinderella Man," HBO First Look, HBO, 2005.

Corazon de …, Television Espanola (Spain), 2005.

GMTV, Independent Television, 2005.

Magacine, [Spain], 2005.

Appeared in Behind the Movie, VH1.

Herself, "The 40 Hottest Rock Star Girlfriends … and Wives," The Greatest (also known as The Greatest: The 40 Hottest Rock Star Girlfriends … and Wives), VH1, 2005.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

Herself, Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Independence, Inc., 2003.

The Making of "Down with Love," Twentieth Century-Fox Home Entertainment, 2003.

Climbing "Cold Mountain," Miramax Home Entertainment, 2004.

Albums:

Chicago (film soundtrack), Sony, 2003.

OTHER SOURCES

Books:

Newsmakers, Issue 1, Gale, 2001.

Periodicals:

Cosmopolitan, April, 2003, pp. 191-93.

Detour, September, 1998, pp. 130-34, 136.

Empire, issue 94, 1997, p. 76.

Entertainment Weekly, September 8, 2000, p. 51; September 15, 2000, p. 38; February 22, 2002, p. 44; February 21, 2003, p. 34; February 6, 2004, pp. 64-65.

Hello!, October 16, 2001, pp. 58-62; December 24, 2002, pp. 86, 88.

HQ, January, 1999, pp. 40-44.

Interview, June, 2003, pp. 64-73.

Maclean's, February 3, 1997, p. 63.

Mademoiselle, October, 1998, p. 111.

Out, February, 2003, pp. 44-49.

Parade, May 27, 2001, pp. 8-9.

People Weekly, July 17, 2000, p. 105; January 8, 2001, p. 71; May 14, 2001, p. 194; January 12, 2004, p. 69; November 22, 2004, p. 79; January 10, 2005, p. 21; May 16, 2005, p. 65; May 23, 2005, p. 60; June 13, 2005, p. 71; July 4, 2005, p. 24.

Premiere, January, 1997, pp. 74-75; April, 2001; November 1, 2003, pp. 56-62, 118.

Reader's Digest, January, 2004, pp. 82-88.

Redbook, March, 1998, pp. 86-89, 138.

Sydney Morning Herald, October 28, 2004.

Total Film, September, 1997, p. 122; October, 2000, pp. 38-39.

Urban Cinefile, July 19, 2001.

USA Today, June 23, 2000, p. 1E.

Vanity Fair, September, 1997, pp. 262-67, 320-22; July, 2000, pp. 74-79, 129-31.

Variety, March 10, 2003, pp. SS54-60.

W, December, 2001, pp. 268-71, 294.