Born on April 25, 1969, in Katy, Texas, Renee Kathleen Zellweger developed an early interest in acting as a member of her high school's drama club. After graduating from the University of Texas, Renee was hesitant to tackle Hollywood, so she grabbed small roles in feature films -- Reality Bites (1994) and Empire Records (1995) -- that were shot in the Lone Star State.

After meeting fellow Texan Matthew McConaughey on the set of Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994), Renee decided to move to Los Angeles. Success soon followed when she landed a series of leads in such films as The Whole Wide World (1996), Jerry Maguire (1996) and Me, Myself & Irene (2000), proving herself equally adept at drama and light comedy.

It was Renee's tour-de-force performance in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and later in Chicago (2002) that propelled her into the front rank of Hollywood's leading ladies. ... - from Netflix