RENÉE ZELLWEGER (Claire Richards) most recently starred in the international hit romantic comedy, Bridget Jones's Diary, opposite Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. In 2000, Zellweger was honored with a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy for her comedic turn in Neil Labute's Nurse Betty, starring with Morgan Freeman and Chris Rock.

Zellweger's vulnerable performance opposite Tom Cruise in the multi-award-winning Jerry Maguire, directed by Cameron Crowe, left critics raving. For her performance she was named Best Breakthrough Performer of 1996 by The National Board of Review, received a Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy and was nominated for a SAG Award.

Additionally, Zellweger has starred in the comedy Me, Myself, and Irene, directed by the Farrelly brothers, opposite Jim Carrey; One True Thing, opposite Meryl Streep and William Hurt; A Price Above Rubies; Liar; Reality Bites, directed by Ben Stiller and Love and a .45 (for which she received her first Independent Spirit Award nomination).

For her role opposite Vincent D'Onofrio in the truth-based Depression-era independent film The Whole Wide World, she received a Best Actress Award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival and a second Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Considering she took her first acting class to ensure graduating from The University of Texas with a literature degree, Zellweger's rise to leading lady status has been as rapid as it has been unexpected. After appearing in such television projects as the USA Network telefilm A Taste for Killing and the Showtime Drive-In Classics series Shake, Rattle and Rock, she made her film debut while still in Austin in Richard Linklater's coming-of-age film Dazed and Confused.

Upcoming projects for Zellweger include Chicago, The Musical, in which she stars opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere, Cold Mountain, opposite Jude Law and Nicole Kidman and Down With Love, opposite Ewan McGregor and David Hyde Pierce.