Date of Birth : February 17, 1954
Place of Birth : Burbank (L.A.) California
Relations : Husband : Danny Gilroy (Screenwriter)
Daughter: Rose
Educations : John Burroughs High School, Burbank, CA
Fan Mail Address : C/O Progressive
Artists Agency
440 S. Beverly
Dr., Suite 216
Beverly Hills, CA
90212 USA
An Actress and Model. While a high school student at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, she was discovered by John Crosby, an agent, who had her sign with modeling agent Nina Blanchard. A side note: She went to school with actor/now director Ron Howard. Rene was an immediate success (big surprise) and became one of the top models of the 1970s and early 80s. She appeared on the covers of Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and other high fashion magazines. Russo then moved to the Ford Agency where she worked with top fashion photographers She has also appeared in a series of print ads and commercials for Revlon cosmetics.
Russo began acting in mid 1980 with her first role a TV series "Sable" playing the character Eden. The show failed after 1 season on ABC circa 1987-88. It marked the first of many "girlfriend" roles that she went on to play. Rene's first Motion Picture role was in the comedy Major League (1989) as a librarian reluctant to rekindle a romance with the lead. She was a wife to James Belushi in Mr. Destiny 1990, and again a wife in One Good Cop starring Michael Keaton in 1991. She met her husband Dan Gilroy while they were both working on the film Freejack in 1992 much to dismay of her single male fans :-)
He was a writer on the film and she was acting in it. They married soon after this chance meeting, as neither was supposed to be invloved with the film at first.
Her "big break" came as the Mental Health/Detective/love interest Lorna Cole in Lethal Weapon 3 back in 1992. She will again star in a Lethal Weapon movie this summer when Lethal Weapon 4 come out in July 1998. She followed the lethal weapon detective role with that of a Secret Service agent and romantic interest with Clint Eastwood in the film In the Line of Fire in 1993.
Somthing about Rene has her a wife or ex-wife as the case was in 1995. Playing opposite Dustin Hoffman in the movie Outbreak. (The movie about the chemical/virus outbeak.) More popularly, her sex-appeal shines bright in Get Shorty. The film with John Travolta and Danny DeVito. Then on to Kevin Costner's luck in Tin-Cup two years ago in 1996. She was a girlfriend stolen away from the hunky rich guy to end up paring with Costner's character. And we can't forget the thriller with Mel Gibson and rene in 1996. That would be Ransom, where she played a wealthy parent whose child is kidnapped.
Filmography
Big Trouble (2001) .... Anna Herk
Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, The (2000) .... Natasha
Thomas Crown Affair, The (1999) .... Catherine Banning
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) .... Lorna Cole
... aka Lethal 4 (1998) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
Buddy (1997) .... Trudy Lintz
Salute to Clint Eastwood, A (1996) (TV) .... Host
... aka 24th American Film Institute Life Achievement Award: A Salute to Clint Eastwood, The (1996) (TV) (USA: complete title)
Ransom (1996) .... Kate Mullen
Tin Cup (1996) .... Dr. Molly Griswold
Get Shorty (1995) .... Karen Flores
Outbreak (1995) .... Robby Keough
Major League II (1994) (uncredited) .... Lynn
In the Line of Fire (1993) .... Lilly Raines
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) .... Lorna Cole
Freejack (1992) .... Julie Redlund
Mel Gibson's Video Diary 2: Lethal Weapon 3 (1991) (TV) .... Herself
One Good Cop (1991) .... Rita Lewis
Mr. Destiny (1990) .... Cindy Jo
Major League (1989) .... Lynn Wells
"Sable" (1987) TV Series .... Eden Kendell
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