RENEE ZELLWEGER - PARENTS' STRUGGLE MEANS ZELLWEGER CHERISHES HER AMERICAN STATUS

PARENTS' STRUGGLE MEANS ZELLWEGER CHERISHES HER AMERICAN STATUS

RENEE ZELLWEGER cherishes her American citizenship, because her parents were turned away when they first arrived in the U.S. as penniless immigrants from Norway.
The actress reveals her mum, Norwegian nurse Kjellfrid, and Swiss-born engineer dad Emil sought a new life in America, but were denied entry.
The couple was forced to spend time in Canada after they were first rejected by American officials but they were eventually able to settle in Texas, where Renee and her brother Drew were born.
Zellweger tells the New York Post, "Growing up I did not have any life of great wealth and luxury. My parents were immigrants from Norway. They couldn't get visas. My father, an engineer, worked hard and ended up in Canada. They had nothing."