Renée's path to glamour

Renée's path to glamour

Renee Zellweger as Roxie in Chicago

Actress Renée Zellweger has wowed filmgoers and critics worldwide with an eclectic range of roles.

From the weight-obsessed, wine-soaked Bridget Jones to Chicago's incarcerated killer Roxie Hart, the Texan star's abilities have made her one of Hollywood's most sought after stars.

The 33-year-old made her way into the public eye thanks to years of hard work on unflattering roles - including playing a murder victim in 1994's Return of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

She started acting in a club at high school, and took acting classes at the University of Texas, where she decided to take it up as a full-time career after graduating in 1991.

But she stayed in Houston and refused to change her "difficult" name - inherited from her Swiss father - despite the advice of several agents.

I figured that this was a film that would be made in Britain and that it would be played by a British actress - and that was that

Renée Zellweger on Bridget Jones's Diary

So she took a number of smaller roles, including parts in 1994's Reality Bites and Empire Records.

Thriller Love And A .45 led to enough critical acclaim to persuade her to move to Los Angeles, where she was unexpectedly cast in the critically acclaimed independent movie The Whole Wide World.

The role of the outspoken girlfriend to pulp-fiction writer Robert E Howard was meant for Olivia d'Abo but d'Abo pulled out when she found she was pregnant.

Neurotic

It was this role that brought Zellweger to the attention of Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe.

Zellweger's first Ocsar nomination was for her role as Bridget Jones

The role, opposite Tom Cruise, threw her into the limelight, and she was praised for her down-to-earth skills.

The same praise came her way when she later acted alongside big stars Meryl Streep and William Hurt in One True Thing.

A high-profile romance with screen funnyman Jim Carrey raised her into Tinseltown's higher ranks when they starred together in comedy Me Myself And Irene.

Yet no one was more surprised than Zellweger when she landed the role of Bridget Jones - the neurotic British heroine of Helen Fielding's novels.

"It never occurred to me that I should even think about the part. I figured that this was a film that would be made in Britain and that it would be played by a British actress. And that was that."

But the slim actress mastered Jones's middle class English accent and mannerisms - and put on two stones in weight. "I felt voluptuous for the first time in my life," she said at the time.

Zellweger's relationship with Jim Carrey kept her in the spotlight

She found the role's real appeal was its difficulty.

"I wasn't sure I could pull it off so I had to see what would happen. It required so much work, I couldn't not try it."

Globe win

Comedy thriller Nurse Betty followed, which helped her win her first major prize, a Golden Globe.

Chicago, directed by Rob Marshall, came as a chance for Zellweger to show off her newly-regained svelte figure, and to demonstrate some new talents - as she had never danced or sung on film before.

"Before Chicago, I wouldn't sing for anyone but my dog," she said.

"I didn't understand the Chicago script and I have no background in musicals.

But my manager called me and said, "You have to meet Rob Marshall. He's extraordinarily bright and he seems like a wonderful guy. Someone you'd have as a friend.

Zellweger's awards form

2003: Won Golden Globe for Chicago (above, with co-star Richard Gere)

2003: Bafta-nominated for Chicago

2002: Nominated for Golden Globe for Bridget Jones's Diary

2002: Oscar nominee for Bridget Jones's Diary

2002: Bafta-nominated for Bridget Jones's Diary

2001: Won Golden Globe for Nurse Betty

"So I met with Rob and that was it. I didn't care if I couldn't sing a note, if I fell down on my face and broke my ankles."

The effort was worth it as she scooped a best actress Golden Globe for her troubles, and was nominated for a Bafta in the UK.

Zellweger will soon be seen in sex comedy Down With Love alongside Ewan McGregor - a homage to the 1960s movies starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

As further proof of her versatility, she also stars in Anthony Minghella's wartime drama Cold Mountain, with Jude Law and Nicole Kidman - and is providing a voiceover for Dreamworks animation Sharkslayer.