Rene Russo(I)
- Actress
- Producer
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.
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.