Renée Zellweger » Trivia

Swiss father, Norwegian mother.

Chosen by 'People Magazine' as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. (2001)

She was a part of the Katy High School Bengal Brigade and Cheerleaders.

Was in the bathroom when it was announced that she won the Golden Globe for her performance in Nurse Betty (2000).

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.

Her dog, Dylan, a collie-golden retriever mix, died in November 2003.

While her mother is originally from Norway, her Swiss father was raised in Australia.

Attended University of Texas at Austin, Graduated 1991, majoring in English.

Worked as a cocktail waitress in a strip club while trying to catch her "big break" in acting.

Had a non-speaking role in Dazed and Confused (1993).

Prior to the filming of Chicago (2002), Renee had only sung previously in public in the last scene of Empire Records (1995) and in the comical karaoke scene in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001). However, critics were amazed how good her voice was in the movie.

Lived with actor Rory Cochrane for four years.

Gained 20 pounds for her role in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001).

Her Norwegian mother, Kjellfrid Irene Andreassen, is of sami origin (a minority originating mainly from the northern parts of the Scandinavian peninsula often referred to as Lapland). Zellweger herself has many typical sami features, such as the strong cheekbones and the squinty eyes.

She became the first performer to win 2 individual (excluding best acting ensemble) SAG awards in film catagories.