Rene Russo

Rene Marie Russo is an American actress and model who gained international prominence in popular thrillers and action films during the 1990s. After beginning her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, she transitioned to acting in the late 1980s. She is widely known for her roles in films such as Lethal Weapon 3, In the Line of Fire, Ransom, and The Thomas Crown Affair, as well as her later work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the thriller Nightcrawler.

Russo was born on February 17, 1954, in Burbank, California, to Shirley, a factory worker and barmaid, and Nino Russo, a sculptor and mechanic who left the family when she was two. Raised with her sister by their mother, Russo has Italian ancestry. While attending Burroughs High School, she wore a brace for scoliosis and was nicknamed the Jolly Green Giant. Following severe bullying, she dropped out in the tenth grade and worked part-time jobs, including at an eyeglass factory and as a theater cashier, to help support her family.

In 1972, Russo was spotted at a concert by agent John Crosby and signed with the Ford Modeling Agency. She became a top model in the 1970s and early 1980s, appearing on covers for Vogue, Mademoiselle, and Cosmopolitan. As modeling work diminished in her thirties, she studied theater, taking lessons from Allan Rich. She made her television debut in the 1987 series Sable and her feature film debut in the 1989 comedy Major League.

Russo achieved breakout success in 1992 as Lorna Cole in Lethal Weapon 3. Throughout the 1990s, she starred in numerous successful films, including Freejack, In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, Get Shorty, Tin Cup, Ransom, Buddy, Lethal Weapon 4, and The Thomas Crown Affair.

In the 2000s, Russo appeared in film projects including The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Showtime, Big Trouble, and Two for the Money, which she also produced. Following the 2005 family comedy Yours, Mine & Ours, she took a five-year hiatus from acting to focus on her health and personal life.

She returned to acting in 2011 as Frigga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor, reprising the role in Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Endgame. In 2014, Russo starred in the crime thriller Nightcrawler, winning the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress and earning a BAFTA Award nomination. Her subsequent film credits include Frank and Cindy, The Intern, Just Getting Started, and Velvet Buzzsaw.

Russo married screenwriter Dan Gilroy on March 14, 1992, after meeting on the set of Freejack. They have one daughter and live in Brentwood, Los Angeles. In 2014, Russo shared that she has bipolar disorder, a condition she has managed since childhood.