Engineer Emil Erich Zellweger and his wife, former nurse Kjellfrid Irene Andreassen, had both never imagined that they would in the future become the parents of a celebrity. Thank God that they have had baby girl Renee Kathleen Zellweger born on April 25, 1969. The Katy, Texas occupant would later as she grew up, become an actress, best known for her role as Dorothy Boyd in 'Jerry Maguire' (1996) and Bridget Jones in 'Bridget Jones's Diary' (2001).

Renee was a cheerleader and gymnast when she attended Katy High School. She was also participating in her high school drama club to enhance her acting capacity. The actress, who was in the bathroom when her winning of the 2000 Golden Globe in 'Nurse Betty' announced, later continued her study at University of Texas, majored in English and graduated in 1991. After completing her education and before starting her career in movie industry, Renee worked as a cocktail waitress in a strip club 'Sugar's Go-Go Bar' in Austin.

Her acting career was started from small films, including 'Reality Bites', '8 Seconds', and 'The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. She eventually got her breakout role alongside Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. in 'Jerry Maguire' (1996). After her astounding role in the flick, Renee restated her success as she starred in the adaptation of novel by Helen Fielding's 'Bridget Jones's Diary', leading her to receive an Academy Award nomination. For the movie, in which she co-starred with the chick magnet Hugh Grant, Renee must gain 20 pounds. Furthermore, her impressive achievement had, too, made her listed in several votes. In 2001, she was chosen as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People Magazine and was also listed on E! "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001." Next, she was billed to star in the musical 'Chicago' (2002), for which she learned how to perform by watching co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones.

As a result of her remarkable acting skills, Renee, who is accompanied by her long time agent John Carrabino to many award shows, ultimately won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Ruby Thewes in the 2003 Civil War drama 'Cold Mountain'. Due to her notable role as Bridget Jones, a sequel was made under the title 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' (2004) where she was required to fatten up once again. Later that year, she gave a break from appearing on screen to lend her voice for Angie, the not-so-beautiful-but-loyal fish in 'Shark Tale'.

Renee, was once married to country music singer Kenny Chesney. She has inspired Kenny to write his 1999 hit 'You Had Me From Hello' after seeing her comeback-role in 'Jerry Maguire'. Renee and Kenny told their family and friends about their wedding just one day before the big day. The couple met in January at a tsunami relief benefit concert and later were married on May 9, 2005. Sadly, it lasted only four months as the couple at last decided to have their marriage annulled and legalized on December 20th the same year with no explanation given on what had caused it. By then, she has achieved a credited status for one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, demanding around $12 to $15 million per film. She also received her Walk of Fame star on May 24, 2005.

Throughout the ordeal, Renee was filming 'Cinderella Man' opposite Russell Crowe who played her boxer husband in the middle of economy crisis. The American actress went back using her British accent in 'Miss Potter' (2006), a film based on the life of author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. This brought her a nomination for 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical' at 2007 Golden Globe Awards. The year also saw her back filling voice for animated flick 'Bee Movie' where she played Vanessa Bloome, a human who saved a bee, played by Jerry Seinfeld. She just completed a drama thriller 'Case 39', comedy 'Leatherheads' which also starred George Clooney and is filming for an Ed-Harris directed pic 'Appaloosa'. For 2009, she is booked for another romance comedy 'Chilled in Miami'.