Actress Renee Zellweger became a hit with the paparazzi on Wednesday after buying one thoughtful snapper a $100 Starbucks gift card.

The unnamed photographer spotted a parking attendant doing his rounds as he was waiting for the movie star to leave her coffee shop retreat after a shopping trip in Santa Monica, California.

The quick-thinking snapper dropped coins into her meter to make sure Zellweger didn't get a ticket - and she thanked him with a handshake, a smile and a coffee card.

A bystander tells WENN, "Renee was so grateful when she realized what the pap had done and she turned around, went back into Starbucks and returned with a gift card for him."

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