Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress perhaps most familiar as Elle Woods in the film Legally Blonde (2001) and its sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003).

Biography

Witherspoon was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to John Witherspoon (a surgeon) and Betty Reese (a nurse and college professor); Reese is a direct descendant of Scottish-born John Witherspoon, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and founder of Princeton University, who was also a Presbyterian minister. As her father was working for the US military in Wiesbaden, Germany, Reese lived as a small child for four years in Germany. After returning to the United States, Reese spent much of her childhood and adolescence in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. She has an older brother named John, who works as a real estate broker. After graduating high school from Nashville's prestigious Harpeth Hall School, she attended Stanford University as a literature major. After completing a year of her studies, Reese left Stanford to pursue her acting career.

Personal life

Witherspoon met actor Ryan Phillippe at her 21st birthday party in March, 1997. The pair became inseparable, and got engaged in December of 1998. Soon after, the couple starred together in the 1999 box office hit Cruel Intentions. Witherspoon and Phillippe were married at a plantation in Charleston on June 5, 1999. They now have two children together: Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, born September 9, 1999, and Deacon Phillippe, born October 23, 2003. Ava is named after Phillippe's grandmother.

Career

Reese Witherspoon is known for her versatility as an actress, playing both comedic and dramatic roles. She has won Best Actress awards from the National Society of Film Critics and the Online Film Critics Society. Among her critically-acclaimed performances are Vanessa in Freeway and Tracy Flick in Election. Witherspoon was the voice of the animated character Greta Wolfecastle in an episode of The Simpsons. She became best known for her role in 2001's Legally Blonde, but is currently being critically praised for her turn as June Carter in Walk the Line, and is rumoured to be a potential Best Actress nominee for the 2005 Oscars.

Filmography

• The Man in the Moon (1991)
• A Far Off Place (1993)

• Twilight (1998)
• Overnight Delivery (1998)
• Pleasantville (1998)
• Cruel Intentions (1999)
• Election (1999)
• Best Laid Plans (1999)
• American Psycho (2000)
• Little Nicky (2000)
• The Trumpet of the Swan (2001) (voice)
• Legally Blonde (2001)
• The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
• Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
• Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003)
• Vanity Fair (2004)
• Just Like Heaven (2005)
• Walk the Line (2005)
• Whiteout (2005) (currently announced start of production)
• Sports Widow (2006) (currently announced start of production) (also producer)
• Rapunzel Unbraided (2007) (currently announced start of production) (voice)

External links

• Reese Witherspoon at the Internet Movie Database
• Reese Witherspoon - a timelinede:Reese Witherspoon

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