Rene Russo

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Image:Russo001.jpg Rene Marie Russo (born February 17, 1954) is an American film actress and model.

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Private life
4 Selected filmography
5 Interviews
6 External links

Early life

Russo was born in Burbank, California to Italian American parents Shirley Balocca (a workwoman and barmaid) and Nino Russo, a sculptor and mechanic who left the family when Rene was 2. Russo grew up with her sister, Toni, and their single mother. She attended Burroughs High School (where her classmates included director Ron Howard), but eventually dropped out in the tenth grade. Due to financial constraints within the family, she began taking a variety of part-time jobs, working as a restaurant hostess, a Disneyland cashier, a movie theatre concession stand worker, and as a contact lens inspector at an eyeglass factory.

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Career

In 1972, Russo was spotted at a Rolling Stones concert by a scout and manager from International Creative Management. She was signed to the Ford modeling agency and began modeling shortly after, appearing on several magazine covers, including that of Vogue. Russo spent the majority of the 1970s and early 1980s modeling, but later began to study acting, and appeared in roles at regional theaters in Los Angeles.

Russo made her television series debut in 1987, with a supporting role in the TV-series Sable. Two years later, she made her debut in film as the girlfriend of the lead character in Major League. Her first major breakthrough role is generally considered to be her part as an internal affairs detective in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992).

Throughout the 1990s, Russo appeared in a number of high-profile thrillers that were successful at the box office, including In the Line of Fire, Outbreak and Ransom. She has starred in at least one major studio film per year from 1992 and 2002.

Although she did not appear in any films in 2003 or 2004, she starred in both Two for the Money and Yours, Mine and Ours in 2005.

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Private life

Russo has been married to screenwriter Dan Gilroy since 1992. They have one daughter, Rose, and reside in Brentwood, California.

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Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
2005	Yours, Mine and Ours	Helen North
2005	Two for the Money	Toni Morrow
2002	Big Trouble	Anna Herk
2000	The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle	Natasha Fatale
1999	The Thomas Crown Affair	Catherine Olds Banning
1998	Lethal Weapon 4	Lorna Cole
1997	Buddy	Mrs. Gertrude 'Trudy' Lintz
1996	Ransom	Kate Mullen
1996	Tin Cup	Dr. Molly Griswold
1995	Get Shorty	Karen Flores
1995	Outbreak	Robby Keough
1993	In the Line of Fire	Secret Service Agent Lilly Raines
1992	Lethal Weapon 3	Lorna Cole
1992	Freejack	Julie Redlund
1991	One Good Cop	Rita Lewis
1989	Major League	Lynn Wells