Born in 1954, Rene Russo grew up in Burbank, a Los Angeles
suburb. Her father, a sculptor and mechanic, left the family when Rene was just
2 leaving her mother, Shirly, as a single mom with Rene and her sister, Toni.
When she was 10 years old, Rene developed scoliosis and had to wear a body cast
and then a back brace for 4 years. For an already tall girl, the brace made her
look unusually skinny, and her nickname in junior high became Jolly Green Giant.
Rene attended Burroughs High School along with classmate Ron Howard. Unable to
deal with academics, and the school social scene, Rene dropped out of school in
the tenth grade. Rene began a string of part-time jobs, some for money and some
for benefits (such as food or movie tickets).
In 1972, when Rene was 17
years old, while attending a Rolling Stones concert, she was approached by John
Crosby, a scout and manager from International Creative Management. Within a few
months, Rene signed a contract with Ford Modeling Agency and moved to New York.
Rene's modeling career made a real breakthrough when she graced the cover of
Vogue in 1974. By 1975 she was one of the most successful models in America,
seen in both magazines and television commercials.
When she was finally financially secure, Rene returned to
academia. She studied literature and Christian theology, as well as theater and
acting. Rene began appearing in theater roles at small regional theaters in Los
Angeles and California. She broke into television acting with a supporting role
on the ABC television series Sable in 1987. In 1989 she made her motion
picture debut in Major League as Tom Berenger's wife. Her first movie in
which she played a lead part was Lethal Weapon 3.
Rene Russo has been married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy since
March 14, 1992. The two met on the set of Freejack (1992). Their
daughter Rose was born in August of 1993. The family resides in Brentwood,
California.
