Before They Were Famous Guess Who? 01/26/2009

This Academy Award winning actress was voted "Best Looking" in high school.

She was named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people in the world in 2001.

He mother is Norwegian and her father is Swiss.

After graduating college with an English degree, she worked as a cocktail waitress in a strip club while trying to catch her "big break" in acting.

In one of her first film roles she appeared with another up-and-coming actor - Matthew McConaughey.

Her first high-profile romance was with actor/comedian Jim Carrey.

She once gained 20 pounds for a film role after being told she was too skinny.

*She is one of five actresses to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance.

The first time she won a Golden Globe Award (she has currently won three), she was in the bathroom when she was announced as the winner.

Who is she?

Continue reading for the answer.



Renee Zellweger appeared in the 1994 film "The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with Matthew McConaughey.

In 2000, she starred opposite Jim Carrey in "Me, Myself & Irene," and soon after began dating Carrey. The two denied their relationship at first, but finally gave in and admitted it.

During casting for "Bridget Jones's Diary," Zellweger was told she was too skinny to play the chubby Bridget, so she very quickly embarked on gaining the required weight and learned an English accent. She gained 20 pounds in order to complete her transformation to Bridget Jones.

In 2004, she won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress in the film "Cold Mountain."

*The other four actresses are Julia Roberts for Erin Brockovich (2000), Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (2005), Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006) and Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006).

She won her first Golden Globe Award for her role in "Nurse Betty," but was in the bathroom when Hugh Grant announced her name. She later said, "I had lipstick on my teeth!"