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Rene Russo's glamour and success
would fool many into thinking that her life has been nothing but perfect,
but Rene's early life was far from that. Born on February 17, 1954, in a
low-income neighborhood in Burbank, California, Rene was raised by her
single mother. Her starving artist father took off when Rene was only 2
years old, leaving his wife and two daughters to fend for themselves.
Already harboring feelings of loneliness, Rene's present insecurities grew
when she was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 10. Not only did she
have to wear a full-body cast during her developing years for her spinal
condition, but she was also insecure about her awkward height. Her
nickname, "the Jolly Green Giant," did not help her ever-present shyness.
A loner throughout her school years, Rene dropped out from Burroughs High
School during the tenth grade. Not only was she a social outcast, but she
also wanted to help her single mother who was already working two jobs to
support her family. Wanting to alleviate her mother's financial burden,
Rene's job at an eyeglass factory was one of the many full-time jobs she
took on.
Her luck changed after she attended a Rolling Stones concert. When she was
leaving the concert, talent scout John Crosby was mesmerized by Rene's
beauty and wanted to meet with her to take snapshots. These pictures and
her meeting with John Crosby is what turned the once awkward girl into a
glamorous model.
Rene's modeling career began with a move to New York and a contract with
the Ford Modeling Agency. Her first line of work was doing ads for Revlon
cosmetics, during which she still remained insecure. Soon becoming a cover
girl for fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, Rene was one
of the top fashion models in the 1970's and early 80's. When she appeared
on the cover of Vogue at the age of 19, Rene's estranged father even tried
to come back into her life.
Her huge success prompted her to buy a house for her mother, in addition
to one for herself. Having the intelligence to know that a modeling career
does not last forever, Rene knew that she needed a career change when she
found herself doing a shoot for a maternity catalog.
In the tradition of models turning into actresses, Rene decided to pursue
an acting career after a lot of self-examination and becoming a devout
Christian. She regained contact with her former manager John Crosby who
helped launch her acting career. Her first role was a short time stint on
the ABC series Sable. She moved to the big screen for the first time in
the film Major League, as Tom Berenger's wife.
Roles as the wife of leading men quickly followed in films such as One
Good Cop and Mr. Destiny. Her role in the 1992 film Freejack can be
considered her life altering one, as it was where she met her future
husband Danny Gilroy.
Then came the big budget films. Her role as the wise talking, kick boxing
detective opposite Mel Gibson opened the doors to other big time roles
with other big time actors. Roles in In the Line of Fire with Clint
Eastwood, Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman, a comedic turn in Get Shorty with
John Travolta, and Tin Cup with Kevin Costner soon filled up her resume.
After being reunited with Mel Gibson in Ransom and Lethal Weapon 4, Rene
co-starred with Pierce Brosnan in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair.
Rene then went on to film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle with
Robert De Niro. Next, Rene can be seen in Big Trouble, including co-stars,
Tim Allen, Janeane Garofalo, and Sofia Vergara to name a few. She
presently lives with her husband Danny Gilroy and their daughter, Rose, in
Brentwood, California. |
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On her nude scenes in The
Thomas Crown Affair (1999): "It never really dawned on me that, gee,
I'm 45 and I'm taking off my clothes. For me it was a matter of
living inside the character."
"All of us are broken - some of use more than others. It might be a
nurturing, mother thing. I do think there is that, "Oh my God,
you're hurting. I know what that feels like and I'd like to be there
and support you in that.""
"That's a really good question - what is it like living with a
writer? I guess it depends on the writer. You know what? They live
in a fantasy world a lot of the time. My husband lives in a fantasy
world. It's really hard for him to be in the world, because if his
head isn't in a script, I guess to write what he does, he has to
sort of twist the world a little bit and live in a fantasy. And I
think he doesn't live in reality - in my reality, let's put it that
way. He's much more "Everything's fine fine fine and everything's
good good good," and I'm like, "What, are you nuts? Everything's
rotten and sucks."" |
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Yours, Mine and Ours (2005)
.... Helen North
... aka Yours, Mine & Ours (USA: promotional title)
Two for the Money (2005) .... Toni Morrow
Big Trouble (2002) .... Anna Herk
Showtime (2002) .... Chase Renzi
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000) .... Natasha
... aka Abenteuer von Rocky und Bullwinkle, Die (Germany)
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) .... Catherine Banning
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) .... Lorna Cole
... aka Lethal 4 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Buddy (1997) .... Mrs. Gertrude 'Trudy' Lintz
Ransom (1996) .... Kate Mullen
Tin Cup (1996) .... Dr. Molly Griswold
Get Shorty (1995) .... Karen Flores
Outbreak (1995) .... Robby Keough
Major League II (1994) (uncredited) .... Lynn
In the Line of Fire (1993) .... Secret Service Agent Lilly Raines
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) .... Lorna Cole
Freejack (1992) .... Julie Redlund
One Good Cop (1991) .... Rita Lewis
... aka One Man's Justice (Europe)
Mr. Destiny (1990) .... Cindy Jo Bumpers/Burrows
Major League (1989) .... Lynn Wells
Meanwhile in Santa Monica (1988)
"Sable" (1987) TV Series .... Eden Kendell (unknown episodes) |
