Renée Zellweger has been chosen as the 2009 Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year.

The Man and Woman of the Year awards are presented annually to performers who have made a “lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.” Established in 1951, the Woman of the Year award has been granted to many notable and talented entertainers, including Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Taylor, and, most recently, Charlize Theron. The Man of the Year award was established in 1963. Its past recipients include Clint Eastwood, Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins, Bruce Willis, and, in 2008, Christopher Walken.This year the award goes to James Franco!

Renée Zellweger has received nearly every major accolade in the industry, among them an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, two SAG Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Award. She is lauded for her talents as a dramatic actress in films such as the critically acclaimed “Cold Mountain,” “Cinderella Man” (with Russell Crowe), and “White Oleander,” as well as for her comedic timing in such smash hits as “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Chicago,” “Jerry Maguire,” and “Nurse Betty.”

Zellweger currently stars alongside Harry Connick Jr. in “New in Town,” which opened in theaters on Friday (Jan. 30). She also recently starred in “Appaloosa” with Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris. She will next star in “My One and Only” and has just completed production on “My Own Love Song” starring alongside Forest Whitaker.

Great pictures below!