Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 at Southern Baptist Hospital (now Memorial Medical Center) in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the second child born to Dr. John Witherspoon and Betty Reese. Her father was a military surgeon specializing in the ear, nose and throat. Her mother was a Registered Nurse who later became 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. Her role as a 14-year old tomboy earned her rave reviews. Roles in bigger films such as Jack the Bear and A Far Off Place 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 alongside Mark Wahlberg and Freeway 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, Election and Cruel Intentions.

Her breakthrough role came as Elle Woods in the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde. The movie was huge box-office smash and established Reese as one of the top female draws in Hollywood. The next year, she scored a follow-up hit with Sweet Home Alabama which went on to gross over $100 million dollars at the box office. In 2006, she took home the best actress Oscar for her role as June Carter Cash in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line.

Off the screen, she was married to Ryan Phillippe from 1999 to 2007. They met at her 21st birthday party and subsequently worked together in Cruel Intentions. They have two children: a daughter, Ava Elizabeth (born 9 September 1999) and a son, Deacon (born 23 October 2003).



Four Christmases (2008): $14,000,000
Just Like Heaven (2005): $15,000,000
Walk the Line (2005): $15,000,000
Vanity Fair (2004): $15,000,000
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003): $15,000,000
Sweet Home Alabama (2002): $12,500,000
Legally Blonde (2001): $2,500,000
Cruel Intentions (1999): $250,000
Fear (1996): $200,000

Majored in English Literature at Stanford University; on leave from her studies as of 1998. daughter Ava Elizabeth Phillippe born [9 September 1999] Was considered for the role of Juliet in Romeo + Juliet (1996). Named one of People Magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 2001" Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002. She runs a production company called "Type A Films" with Debra Siegal At the young age of 11 she won the "Ten State Talent Award" Reese is her mother's maiden name. She appeared in a television commercial when she was 7 for a local Nashville florist. She lived in Wiesbaden, Germany, as a young child. Named one of E! 2002 "Entertainers of the Year". Steve Dontanville from the William Morris Agency is still her agent. They got together after The Man in the Moon (1991). Her wedding ring is an early 1990s Neil Lane, Asscher-cut-diamond, and there are only a few like it in the world. Ranked #1 on E!'s Hollywood's Hottest Blondes (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). Ryan proposed to her in December of 1998 while the couple was vacationing at The Planter's Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. Started children's acting classes at a community college at the age of 7. By the age of 9 she was taking adult acting classes. Gymnast for 7 years Neither she nor her ex-husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, use their real first names - Reese's first name is Laura, Ryan's first name is Matthew. Was approached by a few companies to record music after she provided her own singing voice for Walk the Line (2005). Friend of Renée Zellweger. The year she won her Oscar for Walk the Line (2005) her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe appeared in the movie that won "Best Picture": Crash (2004/I) . Dyed her hair brown for her role in Walk the Line (2005) Is the second actress to win the best actress Oscar for portraying a female singer in a biography; the first was Sissy Spacek for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Distant cousin of Daniel Morton Announced on October 30, 2006 that she has separated and would file divorce papers against her husband, Ryan Phillippe, after seven years of marriage. Was originally cast in the lead role in Bunny Lake Is Missing (2012), but backed out a few weeks before shooting began. Is a vegetarian. Named the first-ever Avon Global Ambassador and will serve as the Honorary Chairman of the Avon Foundation [August 1, 2007]. In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $7 million. Campaigned for the role of Christine Collins in Changeling (2008), but lost the part to Angelina Jolie. Returned to work eight months after giving birth to her son Deacon in order to begin filming Walk the Line (2005). Is in a relationship with Jim Toth (February 2010).