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Rene Russo on two moments: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) and Thomas Crown Affair (1999).
(photo credits: Steve Granitz/WireImage)
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Beautiful, chic, versatile, talented, and very, very attractive actress. Those are my words about Rene Russo.
Rene Marie Russo, or simply Rene Russo, was born in Burbank, California, on February 17, 1954. She's daughter of Shirley Balocca, a barmaid and factory laborer, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and mechanic, and also sister of Toni Lynn Russo (Toni was known as one of the wives of Bernie Taupin, a famous singer). Unfortunately, her father left the family when Rene was just two years old.
In junior high school, Rene was plagued with scoliosis and had to wear a full-torso brace, and she suffered bullying from her classmates, because of her being tall, earning the nickname of "Jolly Green Giant". When she entered high school, she removed her brace, but still was alone, and Rene dropped out of high-school when she was on tenth grade.
After that, she took lots of part-time jobs: she sold refreshments on a theater, worked as a restaurant hostess and worked a cashier in Disneyland. Her last job was a full-time job at an eyeglass factory, inspecting contact lenses.
When Rene was 17, she was attending a Rolling Stones concert and was approached by ICM (International Creative Management) scout John Crosby, who told her she should be a model and had test photos of her. And some months later, Rene signed a contract to Ford Modeling Agency and soon she became a successful model and her modeling breaktrough came when she was on the cover of Vogue magazine.
Since 1975, Rene appeared on many magazine covers, including Vogue, Elle, Harpers' Bazaar and even Cosmpolitan (she is a record holder of Cosmpolitan, and her last cover was in September 1981), was one of the most succesful models of America, and was also seen on TV comercials through the 80s.
When Rene was 30, her modeling career began to detrace, like most models at that age. She began to study theater, acting, an intense period of literature and Christian theology. And also began appearing in theater roles at small regional theaters on Los Angeles and the entire California state.
She debuted acting on TV in 1987, in the TV series Sable (1987), portraying Eden Kendell, the main character's girlfriend, but her cinema debut was in Major League (1989), and she was Lynn Wells, Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger)'s wife. Following her debut, she was Cindy Jo in the comedy Mr. Destiny (1990). One of my favorite scenes of her in that movie was when she said "Happy Birthday" to Larry (Jim Belushi) and looked very attractive. In 1991, in her first dramatic role, Rene did One Good Cop (1991), along with Michael Keaton and she portrayed Rita Lewis.
In 1992, she starred Freejack (1992), along with Emilio Estevez, and she interpreted Julie, Alex (Emilio Estevez)'s girlfriend. The movie was not a success, but Rene was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. The breakout success was also in the same year, in the movie Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), a box-office success. She was the internal affairs detective Lorna Cole, later reprising her role on Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998, now as Martin Riggs' (Mel Gibson) wife.
Between 1993 and 1996, Rene Russo had major roles in very successful movies, such as In the Line of Fire (1993), as Lilly Raines, Outbreak (1995), as Robby Keough, Get Shorty (1995), as Karen Flores, Tin Cup (1996), as Molly Griswold, and Ransom (1996), as Kate Mullen. She has been praised by her ability to hold her own against her male co-stars, such as Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta and Kevin Costner.
In 1997, she did her first main character, Trudy Lintz from Buddy (1997). And in 1999, she did the remake of Thomas Crown Affair (1999), portraying Catherine Banning (Faye Dunaway did Catherine in the 1968 original). Her acting, style, and even her chemistry with Pierce Brosnan were praised. I think Rene's Catherine Banning was the most stylish character she've ever done in her entire career. And in 2000, Rene portrayed Natasha Fatale in the cartoon-adapted movie The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000).
In 2002, Rene amended Showtime (2002) with Big Trouble (2002). In Showtime, she portrayed Chase, an executive producer from a TV show, and in Big Trouble, portrayed Anna Herk, Jenny (Zooey Deschanel)'s devoted mother.
In 2005, Rene also amended two movies: Two for the Money (2005), who worked also as an executive producer; and Yours, Mine and Ours (2005). In Two for the Money, she portrayed Toni, Walter (Al Pacino)'s wife, and begins a relationship with Brandon (Matthew McConaughey). And in Yours, Mine and Ours, Rene was Helen, Frank (Dennis Quaid)'s wife, and mother of 18 kids.
After Yours, Mine and Ours, Rene Russo had an acting hiatus of 6 years, and just come back acting in 2011.
To be continued.
2nd part of biography next Tuesday.
Hope you like it...
love u guys.
xoxoxo
ME
