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Renée Zellweger Wins Best Actress Oscar for ‘Judy’

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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Renee Zellweger won best actress at the Academy Awards on Sunday for her portrayal of Judy Garland in “Judy,” a historical drama about the singer’s emotional and professional struggle towards the end of her life.

In 2004, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in Cold Mountain, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She’s also had two Best Actress nominations in the past, for Bridget Jones’ Diary (2002) and Chicago (2003).

The 50-year-old actress won the prestigious award at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night, February 9, beating out Charlize Theron, Cynthia Erivo, Scarlett Johansson, and Saoirse Ronan.

In her award speech, Zellweger, who was less than two months old when Garland died in London in June 1969, lavished praise on the renowned performer.

“When we celebrate our heroes, we’re reminded of who we are as one people, united. And though Judy did not receive this honor at the time, I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy that began on our film set. And it is also representative of the fact that her legacy of unique exceptionalism and inclusivity and generosity of spirit transcends any one artistic achievement.

Judy is primarily set in Garland’s final year of life, as she tries to resurrect her career with a series of London performances. Finn Wittrock and Rufus Sewell (as Garland’s husbands Mickey Deans and Sidney Luft, respectively) and Michael Gambon (as promoter Bernard Delfont) also feature in the film.

Intimidated by the prospect of portraying one of America’s most legendary show business characters 50 years after her death, Zellweger went to great lengths to prepare for the part.

She took voice lessons for a year and worked with a choreographer to replicate Garland’s demeanor. The film is set during a time when the star of “The Wizard of Oz” battled misuse and abuse, despair, sleeplessness, financial insecurity, and a custody fight.

Zellweger’s Oscar win follows a near-perfect awards season, in which she won the EE BAFTA Award for Best Leading Actress, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, among numerous other honors. Most award experts did not expect her to win Best Actress at the Oscars on Sunday night. “Judy” was also nominated for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling, but lost to “Bombshell.”

“Judy,” directed by Rupert Goold and based on Peter Quilter’s stage play “End of the Rainbow,” has been hailed as a return for Zellweger since its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado in 2019. With the exception of a 2016 remake of her legendary comedy part in “Bridget Jones’s Baby” and a recent stint on Netflix’s soapy series “What/If,” Zellweger has largely been out of the spotlight for the previous decade.