Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Renée Zellweger. Check it out!
Renée Kathleen Zellweger was born on April 25, 1969, in Katy, Texas, Her mother, Kjellfrid Irene (Andreassen), is a Norwegian-born former nurse and midwife, of Norwegian, Kven (Finnish), and Swedish descent. Her father, Emil Erich Zellweger, is a Swiss-born engineer. The two married in 1963. Renée has a brother named Drew Zellweger, a marketing executive born on February 15, 1967. Renée got interested in acting in high school while working on 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 Hollywood is a tough town to break into, so Renée decided to stay in Texas, and auditioned for roles around Houston, where she managed to grab roles in such films as Reality Bites (1994) and Empire Records (1995).
Interesting Facts about Renée Zellweger
- Was considered for the role of Jessica Kimble in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), which went to Kari Keegan.
- With no dance or voice training, she learned how to perform for Chicago (2002) by watching co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones. She endured a grueling training regime of vocal coaching and dance training for 10 months to rise to professional standards.
- She became the first performer to win two individual (excluding best acting ensemble) SAG Awards in film categories.
- She had “a couple of lines” as a beauty shop customer in My Boyfriend’s Back (1993) but the scene was cut.
- December 4, 1993 is a date Renée remembers clearly as the day she moved to Hollywood at age 24.
- Named one of E!’s “top 20 entertainers of 2001”.
- Married country singer Kenny Chesney on the resort island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Honored as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year for 2009 on February 5, 2009.
- She wore a gown designed by her favorite designer, Carolina Adriana Herrera, for her wedding to Kenny Chesney.
- Was in the bathroom when this was announced that she won the Golden Globe for her role in Nurse Betty (2000).
- Is one of 27 actresses to have received an Academy Award nomination for their performance in a musical; hers being Chicago (2002). The others, in chronological order, are: Bessie Love for The Broadway Melody (1929), Grace Moore for One Night of Love (1934), Jean Hagen for Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Marjorie Rambeau for Torch Song (1953), Dorothy Dandridge for Carmen Jones (1954), Deborah Kerr for The King and I (1956), Rita Moreno for West Side Story (1961), Gladys Cooper for My Fair Lady (1964), Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins (1964), The Sound of Music (1965), and Victor Victoria (1982), Debbie Reynolds for The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), Peggy Wood for The Sound of Music (1965), Carol Channing for Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), Kay Medford for Funny Girl (1968), Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl (1968), Liza Minnelli for Cabaret (1972), Ronee Blakley for Nashville (1975), Lily Tomlin for Nashville (1975), Ann-Margret for Tommy (1975), Lesley Ann Warren for Victor Victoria (1982), Amy Irving for Yentl (1983), Nicole Kidman for Moulin Rouge! (2001), Queen Latifah for Chicago (2002), Catherine Zeta-Jones for Chicago (2002), Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006), Penélope Cruz for Nine (2009), Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables (2012), Meryl Streep for Into the Woods (2014), and Emma Stone for La La Land (2016).
- Inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 10, 2011 in Austin, Texas.
