Reese Witherspoon Biography

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon or better known as Reese Witherspoon was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her father, Dr. John Witherspoon, was a surgeon in the military and her mother, Betty Reese, was a nurse who later got a PhD. in pediatric nursing. Reese spent the first four years of her life in Germany, because her father was stationed there as lieutenant colonel. They later moved back to America and settled in Nashville, Tennessee.

Growing up, Reese was very good student in school. She always got good grades, and loved to read books. But the modeling bug bit her when she was just 7 years old. She appeared in several local commercials and loved the whole experience. To further her acting skills, she took acting lessons and took part in the Ten-State talent fair when she was 11. She finished her schooling from Harding High and finished her high-school education from Harpeth Hall School. Reese also attended the Stanford University as a major in English literature, but later dropped out to pursue a career in acting.

Lady luck was smiling on Reese when she and a few friends went for an audition. The film was The Man in the Moon, and Reese was auditioning only for a small part. But the people in casting loved her so much that they cast her in the lead role. She played a 14-year-old girl who falls in love with her 17 year old neighbor. With her debut itself, she garnered some positive reviews and her career took off. Reese also made her television debut that same year in the Diane Keaton directed Wildflower (1991).

Many films came Reese’s way, and a couple of them were TV movies. A few did well, but none of them were breakthrough performances. Still, Reese chose to put her head down and work hard. If she wanted, she could have done many films, but she remained choosy. Her patience paid off, as two good films came her way: Freeway and Fear. She played a supporting role in Fear and was the lead in Freeway. Both the films were not commercial successes, but Reese got praise for work. It helped establish her as a rising star.

Reese always got critical praise, but the commercial success was still missing. But not for long, her next movie was Cruel Intentions. The film also starred future husband Ryan Philippe and Sarah Michelle-Gellar. It was a major box-office success, and Reese finally had a super hit film to her credit. In the same year, she received her first Golden Globe nomination, but for another film. The film was Election (1999) with Matthew Broderick, and it was adapted from a novel of the same name. It was a hit and got Reese many award nominations for her portrayal of a Tracy Flick, an ambitious student running for the student body president. It was one of her best performances till date. After this, the floodgates of fame opened up for her.

After a couple of guest appearances in movies and sitcoms, Reese starred in Legally Blonde. She played the role of Elle Woods, who enrolls into Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend, but in her quest, she finds out that she is smart and becomes a good lawyer instead. The film was a big box-office success, earning close to $100 million. The film was a sort of a path-breaking film, as it changed the image of blonde women, and Reese was lauded at being the one heralding the image change.

The wheels were turning in her direction, and Reese cashed in on it. Her next release, Sweet Home Alabama was another major hit. Although, the critics panned the film, the audiences flocked to the theatres to see their favorite blonde. The film made close to a $130 million at the box-office, and became one of Reese’s biggest hits. Now came the sequel to Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (2003). But sadly, this time the film was not as good as the first one. The film did do well commercially, but it received bad critical reviews. The saving grace of the film was Reese, who probably was the reason for its success. For Legally Blonde 2, Reese took a massive salary of $15 million, making her one of the highest paid actresses.

In 2004, Reese starred in Vanity Fair (2004) directed by Mira Nair. The film was a hit, and it was a double joy for Reese as she was pregnant during the making of the film. The year was good for her, as she was gearing up for her best performance till date. She was cast to play the June Carter Cash in the film Walk the Line. June Cash Carter was the wife of country music singer Johnny Cash. Reese did all her own vocals for the movie, and even sang live on stage. The film was a hit, and got Reese the coveted Oscar Award for Best Actress. She even won the BAFTA, Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award. What made the role even harder for her to do was that, she could not meet June Cash Carter as she died while Reese was filming Vanity Fair.

Reese slowed down on the number of films she did to take care of her child. Her first film, which she did post her Oscar win was Penelope (2008) with Christina Ricci in the lead. The film’s release was delayed several times, and it was finally released in 2008. In-between a couple of her films released, but they were not that good. In 2009, she lent her voice in the 3D animation flick Monster vs. Alien. The movie was huge hit and earned close to 400 million at the box-office. Her last film How Do You Know (2010), with a stellar cast like Jack Nicholson, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd, was an utter failure at the box-office.

Lately, Reese has been in the news mostly because of her personal life. Be it her failed marriage to Ryan Philippe, or her unsuccessful relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, personally it has not been easy for her. But she has bounced back from it all and is currently engaged to talent agent Jim Toth. Reese has two children with Ryan, of whom both share custody. Their names are Eva Elizabeth and Deacon Reese.