Rene Russo

Rene Russo Headshot

Actress

Birth Date: February 17, 1954

Age: 70 years old

Birth Place: Burbank, California

Spouses: Dan Gilroy

With sparkling blue eyes, exquisite cheekbones and a sassy, down-to-earth attitude, Rene Russo has parlayed a successful modeling career into an equally prosperous acting one. While still a high school student, she caught the attention of agent John Crosby who arranged a contract with modeling diva Nina Blanchard. Russo was an immediate success and became one of the top models of the 1970s and early 80s, appearing on the covers of many fashion magazines including Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. Russo moved to the Eileen Ford Agency where she worked with top photographers like Richard Avedon and Francesco Scavullo and went on to be featured prominently in a series of print ads and commercials for Revlon.

Segueing to acting in the mid-80s, Russo landed the role of Eden, literary agent and romantic interest of the title character, on the short-lived adventure series "Sable" (ABC, 1987-88). It marked the first of many seemingly thankless wife of "girlfriend" roles that she went on to play, like her feature debut in David S Ward's baseball comedy "Major League" (1989) as a librarian reluctant to rekindle a romance with Tom Berenger. She played spouse to James Belushi in "Mr. Destiny" (1990) and Michael Keaton in "One Good Cop" (1991) before landing the career-making role of Detective Lorna Cole in Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon 3" (1992). As the no-nonsense Internal Affairs officer who blossoms when she interacts with Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover), Russo displayed not only her acting ability but her facility as an action heroine. Her romantic scenes with Gibson were both humorous (they compare battle scars) and sensual. Their onscreen chemistry led to a reunion as the concerned parents of a kidnapped child in "Ransom" (1996) and the unnecessary but inevitable "Lethal Weapon 4" (1998).

While she was clearly capable of more, Russo seemed content to rest in the niche of playing strong women who took a back seat to men like her competent Secret Service agent (and romantic interest for Clint Eastwood) in Wolfgang Petersen's "In the Line of Fire" (1993) and her ex-wife and fellow scientist opposite Dustin Hoffman in the thriller "Outbreak" (1995). Barry Sonnenfeld gave her a slight change-of-pace, casting her as a B-movie actress with a penchant for blonde wigs and tight skirts in "Get Shorty" (also 1995). That Russo managed to hold her own against such powerful screen presences as John Travolta, Danny DeVito and Gene Hackman, as well as displayed impeccable comic timing brought her critical praise. Continuing on a similar theme, she lent her sexy presence to the role of a small-town shrink caught between a golf pro (Don Johnson) and his buddy (Kevin Costner) in Ron Shelton's breezy but lightweight "Tin Cup" (1996).

Russo finally headlined a film, the biopic "Buddy" (1997), in which she essayed the real-life eccentric millionaire Gertrude Lintz who raised a menagerie on her estate. While she delivered a fine performance, the old adage about working with children and animals proved truthful: most of the actors were upstaged by the chimpanzees dressed like humans and the titular gorilla, Gertrude's favorite of her "collection." Critics panned the film and audiences stayed away-her attempt to carry a film and prove her bankability failed.

Still sexy and vital in her mid-40s, Russo confounded Hollywood stereotypes by delivering her most accomplished performance as an insurance investigator who romances the prime suspect in an art theft in the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1999). At first concerned over the required nudity and the frank sexuality of the character, the devoutly Christian actress reportedly prayed before accepting the role ("I don't know where in the Bible it says 'Don't be nude in motion pictures.'"). At the director's insistence, Russo also adopted a more sophisticated look, cropping her hair and dyeing it red as well as wearing a sleek wardrobe. Her onscreen chemistry with co-star Pierce Brosnan (abetted by several steamy love scenes) helped to impress reviewers and audiences, winning her new fans. Russo followed with another sultry female, Natasha Fatale, in the mixed live action-animated feature "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" (2000).

After the embarrassment of "Rocky and Bullwinkle," Russo took another misstep with the limp action comedy "Showtime" (2002), playing the producer of a reality show that pairs a showboating actor (Eddie Murphy) and an old-school cop (Robert De Niro). She then played an unhappy housewife with an unhappy daughter (Zo y Deschanel) in "Big Trouble" (2002), a ensemble comedy about a group of people brought together by a suitcase nuke at a Miami airport. The feature languished for six months because of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and was finally released with little fanfare or audience attendance-something about bombs and hijacked airplanes kept people away. Russo spent a few years away from film, but returned in 2005 to star alongside Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey in "Two For the Money," a gambling drama about a college basketball player (McConaughey) turned to sports wagering after being groomed by a consultant (Pacino) who notices his knack for predicting the right outcome for games.

She then starred opposite Dennis Quaid in the romantic comedy, "Yours, Mine and Ours" (2005), a remake of the 1968 Lucille Ball-Henry Fonda comedy about two high school sweethearts who reunite after the deaths of their spouses and rush to get married only to discover their children hate the new arrangement.

Credits

Avengers: EndgameStream

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Live with Kelly and Ryan

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Just Getting Started

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The InternStream

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NightcrawlerStream

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The Queen Latifah Show

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2013

Thor: The Dark WorldStream

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Live! With Kelly and Michael

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2012

Entertainment Studios.TV

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2012

Dish Nation

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2011

ThorStream

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2011
77%

10th Annual A Home for the Holidays With Faith Hill

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2008

Today With Kathie Lee & Hoda

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2007

Rachael Ray ShowStream

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2006

Entertainment Tonight Canada

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2005

Two for the MoneyStream

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Toni Morrow
Movie
2005
22%

Yours, Mine & OursStream

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Helen
Movie
2005
6%

Tavis Smiley

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2004

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

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2003

Big Trouble

Actor
Anna Herk
Movie
2002

Showtime

Actor
Chase Renzi
Movie
2002

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle

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Natasha
Movie
2000

The Thomas Crown AffairStream

Actor
Catherine Olds Banning
Movie
1999
69%

Lethal Weapon 4Stream

Actor
Lorna Cole
Movie
1998
52%

Buddy

Actor
Mrs. Gertrude "Trudy" Lintz
Movie
1997

The American Film Institute Salute to Clint Eastwood

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1996

Tin Cup

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Dr. Molly Griswold
Movie
1996

Ransom

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Kate Mullen
Movie
1996
74%

OutbreakStream

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Robby Keough
Movie
1995
59%

Get ShortyStream

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Karen Flores
Movie
1995
88%

In the Line of FireStream

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Lilly Raines
Movie
1993
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The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

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1992

Transferido

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1992

Freejack

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Julie Redlund
Movie
1992

Lethal Weapon 3Stream

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Lorna Cole
Movie
1992
58%

One Good Cop

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Rita Lewis
Movie
1991

Mr. Destiny

Actor
Cindy Jo Bumpers
Movie
1990

Major LeagueStream

Actor
Lynn Wells
Movie
1989
83%

Sable

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Show
1987

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