Oscar-winning actress from beloved film franchise looks unrecognizable in yearbook photos... can you guess?

An award-winning star looks unrecognizable in middle school and high school yearbook photos before her successful career in the entertainment industry kicked off. 

The actress is known for taking on the leading role in a beloved film franchise - but has also starred in a multitude of other projects in both the drama and comedy genre.

She has worked alongside a number of A-list celebrities, including Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and also Morgan Freeman. 

Throughout the course of her career thus far, the beauty has garnered a variety of accolades, including two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes. 

The American-born actress is slated to appear on the big screen once again just in time for Valentine's day. 

But can you guess who it is? 

It is Renee Zellweger, 55 - who is known for playing the role of Bridget Jones in the movie franchise. 

She has also appeared in other movies including Jerry Maguire (1996), Nurse Betty (2000), Chicago (2002), Cold Mountain (2003) and Judy (2019). 

The Hollywood star was born in 1969 in the town of Katy, Texas - and attended schools in the state through her college graduation. 

Her mother Kjellfrid is from Norway and her father Emil was born in Switzerland. Renee's parents first met on a ship heading to Denmark and the pair later immigrated to the United States. 

In both junior high and her years in high school, Zellweger was a cheerleader and active in other sports such as powderpuff football and basketball.

She could be seen wearing her cheer uniform in an assortment of yearbook snaps, including one of her running down a field holding red and white-colored pompoms with teammates in 1985. 

That same year, Renee flashed a cheerful smile in a black and white photo while standing next to a fellow classmate.  

Another picture was taken of the star as she posed in the front row with the Katy Hight School track team in 1986. 

When it came to her senior year in 1987, the actress looked glammed up in a class photo while wearing a pear necklace. 

In another image, she held a smile on her face as she posed with a date while attending a high school Christmas dance. 

Zellweger was also part of the Homecoming court her senior year and could be seen in a red dress during a ceremony at school. 

She also had a passion for academics and in 1986, her paper titled The Karankawas And Their Roots won third place for the Houston Post High School Natural Science Essay Contest.  

During an interview with Marie Claire earlier this month, the star reflected on growing up in Texas and said of her mother: 'She lived through [World War II] and was on her own since she was 14. She's a wonderful woman.' 

Renee added, 'I had a really blessed childhood. It was a lucky environment to grow up in where what your parents are aspiring to establish for their family is simplicity and love, not the acquisition of things, but experiences.' 

'My dad is a really practical guy – there's nothing he couldn't and wouldn't do, and there was nothing he would do that he didn’t want us to come and learn how to do...'

Zellweger attended the University of Texas in Austin where she graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. 

However, while talking to the outlet, the star called herself a 'failed journalist' and expressed: 'Writing was something that just came really naturally to me. I love to write. I always just assumed that that's what I was going to do.' 

She developed an interest for acting after taking a drama class as an elective during her time at college. 

Renee reflected, 'It was a remarkable time in that town, when you know you have a blessed existence, but you don't know just how special that moment in time is until you look back at it.' 

'It was that confluence of art, music and film – all of these creative people and these mediums and the boundaries were malleable.'

She added, 'If you needed a model or an actor, you’d just ask someone to come in. You made music. Everybody was working together and you were just doing the thing that was your passion at the time...' 

In her early years in acting, she had an uncredited role in the 1993 movie Dazed And Confused and also appeared in the 1995 horror film The Return Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 

The following year, she garnered critical acclaim for her performance in Jerry Maguire with Tom Cruise. 

In 2001, she took on the leading role in Bridget Jones's Diary - which earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.  

She later starred in the sequels Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (2004) and Bridget Jones's Baby (2016). 

Renee won two Academy Awards for her roles in Cold Mountain (2003) and the biopic Judy (2019) - which was based on Judy Garland. 

The star has also received two BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and also four SAG Awards. 

Zellweger is reprising the character of Bridget Jones in the new film Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy - which is set to hit theaters on February 14. 

The premise is: 'Bridget Jones navigates life as a widow and single mum with the help of her family, friends, and former lover, Daniel.'

'Back to work and on the apps, she's pursued by a younger man and maybe - just maybe - her son's science teacher,' per IMDB.  

Other stars that were cast in the romantic comedy include Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson. 

The film - which was made on a budget of $50 million - is slated to be a box office success after surpassing Barbie (2023) in ticket presales.