Majored in English Literature at Stanford University; on leave from her studies as of 1998.
Shortly after she started acting she had an audition for a role in Cape Fear (1991). She was supposed to meet with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese for the auditon, but at the time didn't really know who they were. On the plane she was talking to the man next to her about her audition, and the man started to rave to her about De Niro and Scorsese. This made her so nervous that she completely blew the audition and the role eventually went to Juliette Lewis.
daughter Ava Elizabeth Phillippe born [9 September 1999]
Refused the lead roles in two horror movies, Scream (1996) and Urban Legend (1998).
Was considered for the role of Juliet in Romeo + Juliet (1996).
One of her ancestors, John Witherspoon, signed the Declaration of Independence.
Her mother, Betty, has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing and her dad, John, is a surgeon.
Named one of People Magazine's '25 Most Intriguing People of 2001'.
Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001".
Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.
Went to Harpeth Hall School, a private school for girls in Nashville, Tennessee
She runs a production company called "Type A Films" with Debra Siegal
Appears in Entertainment Weekly's Most Powerful List sitting at #22
At the young age of 11 she won the "Ten State Talent Award"
She was a cheerleader in high school and a debutante.
Reese is her mother's maiden name.
Has moved her current Production Company "Type A Films" to Universal Pictures. Has signed a 2 year first-look production pact with Universal. They have already picked up a romantic comedy pitch Sports Widow (2006) for Reese to star in and produce.
She appeared in a television commercial when she was 7 for a local Nashville Florist.
Has been named one of Rolling Stones' "People of the Year" along with Eminem and Kelly Osbourne.
She lived in Wiesbaden, Germany as a young child.
Her GAP ad appeared on a 6-storey high building on Sunset Blvd
Named one of E! 2002 Entertainers of the year.
Her daughter, Ava, is named after Ryan's grandmother.
Steve Dontanville from the William Morris Agency - is still her agent. They got together after The Man in the Moon (1991).
She can trace her family all the way back to Scotland, UK.
Her wedding ring is an early 1990s Neil Lane, Asscher-cut-diamond, and there are only a few like it in the world.
Has an older brother, John D. Witherspoon
Ranked #1 on E!'s Hollywood's Hottest Blondes (2003)
Son Deacon Phillippe was born [October 23rd, 2003]
As extra credit for a high school class, she worked as an office production assistant for the film Devil in a Blue Dress (1995). Director Carl Franklin paid homage to her by featuring Legally Blonde (2001) in the film Out of Time (2003/I).
She collects antique linens and is crazy about old embroidery.
Ryan proposed to her in December of 1998 while the couple was vacationing at The Planter's Inn in Charleston, South Carolina.
Used to model in the Sunday paper, modelling kids track suits and such. She said it was creative for her when she was a kid. She was paid $50 a day.
Started childrens acting classes at a community college at the age of 7. By the age of 9 she was taking adult acting classes.
Her son is named after former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Deacon Phillippe, a distant relative of her husband Ryan Phillippe.
Gymnast for 7 years
Named 'Favorite Female Film Star' by People Magazine (2004)
Is a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
Neither she nor her husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, use their real first names - Reese's first name is Laura, Ryan's first name is Matthew.
Was the first person to host "Saturday Night Live" (1975) after the September 11th terror attacks.
Auditioned for a role in Mallrats (1995)
Was approached by a few companies to record music after she provided her own singing voice for Walk the Line (2005).
Has appeared in four movies bearing the names of songs: Jack the Bear (1993), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Just Like Heaven (2005) and Walk the Line (2005).
Reese Witherspoon Detailed Biography
Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was the second child born to Dr. John and Betty Witherspoon. Her father was a military surgeon specializing in the ear, nose and throat. Her mother was a Registered Nurse who would later become a Ph.D in pediatric nursing. Reese spent the first four years of her life in Wiesbaden, Germany where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserves. Shortly after, John moved the family back to the States, settling in Nashville, Tennessee.
Reese was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very early age. At age 7, she began modeling. This led to appearances on several local television commercials. At age 11, she placed first in a Ten-State Talent Fair.
In 1990, she landed her first major acting role in Robert Mulligan's The Man in the Moon (1991). Her role as a 14-year old tomboy earned her rave reviews. Roles in bigger films such as Jack the Bear (1993) and A Far Off Place (1993) followed shortly after.
Following high school graduation in 1994 from Harpeth Hall, a Nashville all girls school, Reese decided to put her acting career on hold and attend Stanford University where she would major in English literature. However, her collegiate plans were shortly dashed when she accepted roles to star in two major motion pictures: Fear (1996) alongside Mark Wahlberg and Freeway (1996) with Kiefer Sutherland. Although neither film was a huge box-office success, they did help to establish Reese as a rising starlet in Hollywood and open the door for bigger and better film roles. Those bigger roles came in movies such as Pleasantville (1998), Election (1999) and Cruel Intentions (1999).
Her biggest role to date came as Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde (2001). The movie was huge box-office smash and established Reese as one of the top female draws in Hollywood. In 2002, she had a follow-up hit with Sweet Home Alabama (2002) which went on to gross over $100 million dollars at the box office.
Off the screen, she has been married to Ryan Phillippe since 1999. They met at her 21st birthday party and subsequently worked together in Cruel Intentions (1999). They have two children: a daughter, Ava Elizabeth (born 9 September 1999) and a son, Deacon (born 23 October 2003).
