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IMDbPro

Rene Russo(I)

  • Actress
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000485
Rene Russo in Big Trouble (2002)
A two-hander action comedy in the vein of Midnight Run about an ex-FBI agent (Jones) and an ex-mob lawyer in the witness protection program (Freeman) having to put aside their petty rivalry on the golf course to fend off a mob hit.
Play trailer2:09
Just Getting Started (2017)
36 Videos
99+ Photos
Rene Russo was born in Burbank, California, to Shirley (Balocca), a barmaid and factory laborer, and Nino Russo. Her father, a sculptor and mechanic, left the family when Rene was just two, and thus her mother raised Rene and her sister, Toni, as a single mom. Her father was of Italian descent, and her mother was of Italian and German-English-Irish ancestry.

In junior high school, Rene was plagued with scoliosis and had to wear a full-torso brace. She was already a tall girl, which earned her the nickname "Jolly Green Giant" from her classmates. She entered Burroughs High School, along with classmate Ron Howard, and even though her brace had been removed, she was still somewhat of a loner. Unable to deal with academics and the school social scene, Rene dropped out of school in the tenth grade. Since money was tight, she began to take a variety of part-time jobs over the next 18 months, many for the free benefits. She sold refreshments at a movie theater, where she could see free movies; worked as a restaurant hostess, where her meals were free; and worked as a store cashier at Disneyland, where she had free admission. She often had two jobs at one time. Her last job, which was solely for the paycheck, was a full-time job at an eyeglass factory, inspecting contact lenses.

In 1972, the 17-year-old was attending a Rolling Stones concert when she was approached by John Crosby, a scout and manager from International Creative Management. He told her she should be a model and had test photos made of her. Within a few months, Rene signed a contract with Ford Modeling Agency and within a year had become a successful print and photographers model. Soon her modeling breakthrough came when she graced the cover of Vogue. By 1975, she had appeared on numerous magazine covers, was one of the most successful models in America, and was also starting to be seen in several TV commercials through the 1980s. She would define what a top fashion model was for years to come.

By her 30th birthday, demand for her began to dwindle, as it did for most models at that age. She did a few more commercials and then turned her back on modeling and show business for a while. Financially secure for the next several years, she began an intense period of literature and Christian theology. She also began to study theater and acting, and began appearing in theater roles at small regional theaters in Los Angeles and elsewhere in California.

Her television series debut came in 1987 with a supporting part on the short-lived TV series Sable (1987). In 1989 she made her motion picture debut with the part of the lead characters girlfriend in the film Major League (1989). Her subsequent roles were that of girlfriends and supportive wives in a few films, until her breakthrough as an Internal Affairs detective in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992). Rene Russo has been praised for her ability to hold her own against her major male co-stars, who have included Mel Gibson, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner and Pierce Brosnan. Two of her performances within the last few years have gotten her recognition as both a major dramatic actress and a talented character actress. One was as the mother of a kidnapped son in Ransom (1996). The other was as the cartoon femme fatale foreign spy in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000). Although the latter received mixed reviews among moviegoers and critics, Russo was praised for her performance of a role originally slated for Meryl Streep in 1992. Rene Russo has been married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy since 1992, and they have one daughter, named Rose. They reside in Brentwood, California.
BornFebruary 17, 1954
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornFebruary 17, 1954
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000485
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
    • 4 wins & 29 nominations total

Photos382

Rene Russo and Chris Hemsworth in Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Rene Russo in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
John Malkovich and Rene Russo in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Rene Russo and Toni Collette in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Rene Russo and Zawe Ashton in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Rene Russo and Jake Gyllenhaal in Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Tommy Lee Jones, Glenne Headly, and Rene Russo in Just Getting Started (2017)
Rene Russo in Just Getting Started (2017)
Tommy Lee Jones and Rene Russo in Just Getting Started (2017)
Glenne Headly, Rene Russo, and Joe Pantoliano in Just Getting Started (2017)
Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rene Russo in Just Getting Started (2017)

Known for

Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler (2014)
Nightcrawler
7.8
  • Nina Romina
  • 2014
Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The Thomas Crown Affair
6.8
  • Catherine Banning
  • 1999
Mel Gibson in Ransom (1996)
Ransom
6.7
  • Kate Mullen
  • 1996
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, and Chris Rock in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Lethal Weapon 4
6.6
  • Lorna Cole
  • 1998

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Don Cheadle, Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Bradley Cooper, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Brie Larson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Danai Gurira, and Karen Gillan in Avengers: Endgame (2019)
    Avengers: Endgame
    • Frigga
    • 2019
  • Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
    Velvet Buzzsaw
    • Rhodora Haze
    • 2019
  • Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rene Russo in Just Getting Started (2017)
    Just Getting Started
    • Suzie
    • 2017
  • Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway in The Intern (2015)
    The Intern
    • Fiona
    • 2015
  • Rene Russo, Oliver Platt, Marc Maron, Claire Titelman, Fabianne Therese, and Joseph Oliveira in Frank and Cindy (2015)
    Frank and Cindy
    • Cindy
    • 2015
  • Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler (2014)
    Nightcrawler
    • Nina Romina
    • 2014
  • Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Christopher Eccleston, Tadanobu Asano, Idris Elba, Ray Stevenson, Tom Hiddleston, Zachary Levi, Chris Hemsworth, and Jaimie Alexander in Thor: The Dark World (2013)
    Thor: The Dark World
    • Frigga
    • 2013
  • Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth, and Josh Dallas in Thor (2011)
    Thor
    • Frigga
    • 2011
  • Yours, Mine & Ours (2005)
    Yours, Mine & Ours
    • Helen North
    • 2005
  • Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino in Two for the Money (2005)
    Two for the Money
    • Toni
    • 2005
  • Janeane Garofalo, Rene Russo, Tim Allen, Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore, Stanley Tucci, Omar Epps, Ben Foster, Jason Lee, Sofía Vergara, Zooey Deschanel, Heavy D, Johnny Knoxville, and Patrick Warburton in Big Trouble (2002)
    Big Trouble
    • Anna Herk
    • 2002
  • Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy in Showtime (2002)
    Showtime
    • Chase Renzi
    • 2002
  • Robert De Niro, Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, June Foray, and Keith Scott in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000)
    The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
    • Natasha
    • 2000
  • Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
    The Thomas Crown Affair
    • Catherine Banning
    • 1999
  • Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, and Chris Rock in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
    Lethal Weapon 4
    • Lorna Cole
    • 1998

Producer

  • Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino in Two for the Money (2005)
    Two for the Money
    • executive producer
    • 2005

Videos36

Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition BD
Clip 1:44
Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition BD
Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition BD
Clip 1:55
Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition BD
Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition BD
Clip 0:56
Ransom: 15th Anniversary Edition BD
Yours, Mine and Ours
Clip 0:46
Yours, Mine and Ours
Yours, Mine and Ours
Clip 0:36
Yours, Mine and Ours
'Velvet Buzzsaw' Crew on Their Crazy Trailer and Being a Trending Topic
Interview 3:07
'Velvet Buzzsaw' Crew on Their Crazy Trailer and Being a Trending Topic
Trailer
Trailer 2:04
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:30
Trailer
In Theaters Dec. 8
Trailer 2:09
In Theaters Dec. 8
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:10
Official Trailer
Trailer #2
Trailer 2:30
Trailer #2
Trailer #1
Trailer 2:33
Trailer #1

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Renee Russo
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • February 17, 1954
    • Burbank, California, USA
  • Spouse
    • Dan GilroyMarch 14, 1992 - present (1 child)
  • Children
    • Rose Gilroy
  • Parents
      Nino Russo
  • Relatives
    • Toni Russo(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Print ad for Revlon (1987)
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Interviews
    • 6 Articles
    • 14 Pictorials
    • 10 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Has suffered from bipolar disorder since she was a young girl.
  • Quotes
    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."
  • Trademark
      Wavy red hair and piercing blue eyes.
  • Salaries
      The Thomas Crown Affair
      (1999)
      $5,000,000

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