Renee Zellweger made her screen debut in the 1992 American made-for-television thriller drama film ‘A Taste for Killing’ directed by Lou Antonio. The following year, she made her first big-screen appearance in the Bob Balaban-directed American zombie film ‘My Boyfriend's Back.’ The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. In 1993, she starred as ‘Nesi White’ in the Richard Linklater-directed American coming-of-age comedy film ‘Dazed and Confused.’ Even though the film was praised by critics, it failed to perform at the box office. Nevertheless, it gained cult status in subsequent years. She was next seen in films such as ‘Reality Bites’ (1994), ‘Love and a .45’ (1994), ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation’ (1995), ‘Empire Records’ (1995), ‘The Low Life’ (1995), and ‘The Whole Wide World’ (1996). In 1996, she played the role of ‘Dorothy Boyd’ in the American romantic comedy-drama sports film ‘Jerry Maguire’ directed by Cameron Crowe. The film opened to a positive reception and was a box office success, grossing over $273.6 million on a budget of $50 million. She continued to star in films such as ‘Deceiver’ (1997), ‘A Price Above Rubies’ (1998), ‘One True Thing’ (1998), ‘The Bachelor’ (1999), ‘Me, Myself & Irene’ (2000), and ‘Nurse Betty’ (2000).
In 2001, she played the role of ‘Bridget Jones’ in the romantic comedy film ‘Bridget Jones's Diary’ directed by Sharon Maguire. The film was praised by critics and was a major box office success, grossing over $282 million on a budget of $25 million. Zellweger also received several award nominations, including the ‘Academy Award’ and ‘Golden Globe Award’ nominations, for her portrayal of Bridget Jones in the film. She was next seen in films like ‘White Oleander’ (2002), ‘Chicago’ (2002), and ‘Down with Love’ (2003). She became a recipient of the ‘Academy Award’ for her performance as ‘Ruby Thewes’ in the 2003 Anthony Minghella-directed epic period war film ‘Cold Mountain.’ The film was a critical and commercial success and grossed over $173 million at the box office. She next starred in films such as ‘Shark Tale’ (2004), ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’ (2004), ‘Cinderella Man’ (2005), ‘Miss Potter’ (2006), ‘Bee Movie’ (2007), ‘Leatherheads’ (2008), ‘Appaloosa’ (2008), ‘New in Town’ (2009), ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ (2009), ‘My One and Only’ (2009), ‘My Own Love Song’ (2010), ‘Bridget Jones's Baby’ (2016), ‘The Whole Truth’ (2016), ‘Same Kind of Different as Me’ (2017), and ‘Here and Now’ (2018). Zellweger won her second ‘Academy Award’ for her portrayal of ‘Judy Garland’ in the 2019 biographical drama film ‘Judy’ directed by Rupert Goold. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and grossed over $45.8 million on a budget of $10 million. She last appeared in the 2022 American true crime comedy-drama television miniseries ‘The Thing About Pam.’
