| birth name | Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon |
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| birth date | March 22, 1976 |
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| birth place | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
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| spouse | Ryan Phillippe (m. 1999–2007; 2 children) Jim Toth (m. 2011–present) |
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| yearsactive | 1991–present |
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| occupation | Actress, film producer |
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| website | }} |
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Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976), better known as
Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film ''
The Man in the Moon'' in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie ''Wildflower''. In 1996, Witherspoon appeared in ''
Freeway'' and followed that appearance with roles in three major 1998 films: ''
Overnight Delivery'', ''
Pleasantville'' and ''
Twilight''. The following year, Witherspoon appeared in the critically acclaimed ''
Election'', which earned her a
Golden Globe nomination.
2001 marked her career's turning point with the breakout role as Elle Woods in the box office hit ''Legally Blonde'', and in 2002 she starred in ''Sweet Home Alabama'', which became her biggest commercial film success to date. 2003 saw her return as lead actress and executive producer of ''Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde''. In 2005, Witherspoon received worldwide attention and praise for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in ''Walk the Line'', which earned her an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Witherspoon married actor and ''Cruel Intentions'' co-star Ryan Phillippe in 1999; they have two children, Ava and Deacon. The couple separated at the end of 2006 and divorced in October 2007. Witherspoon married her second husband, talent agent Jim Toth, in 2011. Witherspoon owns a production company, Type A Films, and she is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation. On December 1, 2010, Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Early life and education
Witherspoon was born at the former Southern Baptist Hospital (now the
Ochsner Baptist Medical Center) in
New Orleans, Louisiana, where her parents were living while her father was a student at
Tulane University medical school. Her father, John Draper Witherspoon, Sr., is a
Georgia-born
otolaryngologist who previously served as a lieutenant colonel in the
U.S. Army reserves. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth "Betty" (née Reese), is from
Harriman, Tennessee, has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing, and works as a professor of nursing at
Vanderbilt University. Witherspoon's
Scottish-born ancestor,
John Witherspoon, signed the
United States Declaration of Independence. She is also a descendant of
Reformation leader
John Knox. Because Witherspoon's father worked for the U.S. military in
Wiesbaden, Germany, she lived there for four years as a child. After returning to the U.S., she spent her childhood in
Nashville, Tennessee. She was raised as an
Episcopalian.
Witherspoon was selected as a fashion model for a florist's television advertisements at age seven, which motivated her to take acting lessons. At age eleven she took first place in the Ten-State Talent Fair. Witherspoon received good grades in school; she loved reading and considered herself "a big dork who read loads of books." On mentioning her love for books, she said, "I get crazy in a bookstore. It makes my heart beat hard because I want to buy everything." She attended Stanford University as an English literature major. After completing one year of studies, she left Stanford to pursue an acting career.
Witherspoon is proud of the "definitive Southern upbringing" she received, which, as she said, gave her "a sense of family and tradition" and taught her about "being conscientious about people's feelings, being polite, being responsible and never taking for granted what you have in your life." Witherspoon is described as a "multi-achiever" and was given the nickname "Little Type A" by her parents. On discussing her early achievements, she told ''Interview'' magazine, "I just don't see any of it as that remarkable. Maybe that's the attitude I choose to have to keep me sane and keep my feet on the ground. I grew up in an environment where women accomplished a lot. And if they weren't able to, it was because they were limited by society."
Acting career
Early work (1990–1998)
In 1990, Witherspoon attended an open casting call for ''
The Man in the Moon'' with some friends, intending to audition as a bit player. She was instead cast in the lead role of Dani Trant, a 14-year-old country girl who falls in love for the first time with her 17-year-old neighbor. Her performance was regarded as "memorably touching" by ''
Variety'' magazine, and critic
Roger Ebert commented, "Her first kiss is one of the most perfect little scenes I've ever seen in a movie." For this role, Witherspoon was nominated for the
Young Artist Award Best Young Actress. Later that year, she made her TV acting debut in the cable movie ''
Wildflower'', directed by
Diane Keaton and starring
Patricia Arquette. In 1992, Witherspoon appeared in the TV movie ''Desperate Choices: To Save My Child'', portraying a critically ill young girl. In 1993, she played a young wife in the
CBS miniseries ''Return to
Lonesome Dove'' and got a starring role as the leading character Nonnie Parker, a South African girl who must cross of the
Kalahari, in the teen-aimed
Disney film ''
A Far Off Place''. In the same year, Witherspoon had a minor role in ''
Jack the Bear'', which garnered her the Young Artist Award for Best Youth Actress Co-star. The following year, Witherspoon acted in another leading role as Wendy Pfister in the 1994 film ''
S.F.W.'', directed by
Jefery Levy.
In 1996, Witherspoon was offered parts in two major movies. She appeared in the thriller ''Fear'' alongside Mark Wahlberg (whom she dated) and Alyssa Milano, playing the role of Nicole Walker, a teenage girl with a handsome boyfriend who turns out to be a violent psychopath. She was also the leading actress in the thriller and black comedy ''Freeway'', starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Brooke Shields. Her character, Vanessa Lutz, is a poor girl living in Los Angeles, who, on the way to her grandmother's home in Stockton, encounters a freeway serial killer. The film received positive reviews from the press. Among them was the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', with Mick LaSalle commenting, "Witherspoon, who does a shrill Texas accent, is dazzling, utterly believable in one extreme situation after the other." Witherspoon's performance won her the Best Actress Award at the Cognac Police Film Festival and firmly established her as a rising star. The making of the movie also gave Witherspoon significant acting experience; as she said, "Once I overcame the hurdle of that movie – which scared me to death – I felt like I could try anything." Following completion of ''Freeway'' in 1997, Witherspoon took a break from acting in major movies for a year and began dating actor Ryan Phillippe. She returned to the screen in 1998 with major roles in three movies, ''Overnight Delivery'', ''Pleasantville'' and ''Twilight''. In ''Pleasantville'', Witherspoon starred alongside Tobey Maguire in a tale about a pair of 1990s teenage siblings who are magically transported into the setting of a 1950s television series. She portrayed the sister Jennifer, who is mainly concerned about appearances, relationships and popularity. Witherspoon's performance received good reviews and garnered her the Young Hollywood Award for Best Female Breakthrough Performance. Director Gary Ross said he firmly believed Witherspoon was going to be an outstanding movie star.
Early critical success (1999–2000)
In 1999, Witherspoon starred alongside
Alessandro Nivola in the drama thriller ''
Best Laid Plans''; she played Lissa, a woman who schemes with her lover Nick to escape a small, dead-end town. In this same year, she co-starred with
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe in the drama film ''
Cruel Intentions'', a modern take on the 18th-century French novel ''
Les Liaisons Dangereuses''. Her performance as Annette Hargrove was praised by the ''
San Francisco Chronicle'': "Witherspoon is especially good in the least flashy role, and even when called upon to make a series of cute devilish faces, she pulls it off." Coincidentally, she appeared in a music video by
Marcy Playground for the film's soundtrack. In the same year, Witherspoon and
Matthew Broderick starred in the film adaptation of the 1998 novel ''
Election'' by
Tom Perrotta. She portrayed
Tracy Flick, a competitive and ambitious over-achiever who runs for student body president. She received vast critical acclaim for her performance and won the Best Actress Award from the
National Society of Film Critics and the
Online Film Critics Society, a first
Golden Globe nomination and an
Independent Spirit Award nomination. Witherspoon also received a rank on the list of ''100 Greatest Film Performances of All Time'' by ''
Premiere''. Academy Award – winning director
Alexander Payne praised her: "She's got that quality that men find attractive, while women would like to be her friend. But that's just the foundation. Nobody else is as funny or brings such charm to things. She can do anything." In spite of her successful performance, Witherspoon noted in an interview that she struggled to find work after completing the film, due to
typecasting. When analyzing the reasons behind her difficulty to find work, Witherspoon commented "I think because the character I played was so extreme and sort of shrewish – people thought that was who I was, rather than me going in and creating a part. I would audition for things and I'd always be the second choice – studios never wanted to hire me and I wasn't losing the parts to big box office actresses but to ones who I guess people felt differently about."
In 2000, Witherspoon received a supporting role in ''American Psycho'' and made a cameo appearance in ''Little Nicky''. She also appeared as a guest star in season six of ''Friends'', playing the role of Jill Green, Rachel Green's sister. The next year, Witherspoon provided the voice of Serena in the animated film ''The Trumpet of the Swan'', produced by Crest Animation Productions.
Worldwide recognition (2001–2004)
2001 marked a significant turning point in Witherspoon's career, when she starred in the feature film ''
Legally Blonde''. She portrayed Elle Woods, a fashion merchandising major who decides to become a law student in order to follow her ex-boyfriend to
Harvard University. Speaking about Woods' character, Witherspoon said "When I read ''Legally Blonde'', I was like, 'She's from Beverly Hills, she's rich, she's in a sorority. She has a great boyfriend. Oh yeah, she gets dumped. Who cares? I still hate her.' So we had to make sure she was the kind of person you just can't hate." ''Legally Blonde'' was a box office hit, grossing US$96 million domestically. Witherspoon's performance earned her praise from critics, as the press began referring to her as "the new
Meg Ryan".
Roger Ebert commented, "Witherspoon effortlessly animated this material with sunshine and quick wit", and ''
Salon.com'' noted that "she [Witherspoon] delineates Elle's character beautifully". Meanwhile, the ''
Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' concluded, "Witherspoon is a talented comedian who can perk up a scene just by marching in full of pep and drive and she powers this modest little comedy almost single-handedly." For her work, Witherspoon garnered her second
Golden Globe Best Actress nomination and an
MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance.
Following the success of ''Legally Blonde'', Witherspoon starred in several roles. In 2002, Witherspoon provided the voice of the animated character Greta Wolfcastle in ''The Simpsons'' episode The Bart Wants What It Wants. In the same year, she portrayed Cecily in the comedy ''The Importance of Being Earnest'', a movie adaptation of the play by Oscar Wilde; she received a Teen Choice Award nomination for her performance.
Her next feature film in 2002 was ''Sweet Home Alabama'', a movie directed by Andy Tennant. Alongside Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey, Witherspoon played Melanie Carmichael, a young fashion designer who intends to marry a New York politician but must return to Alabama to divorce her childhood sweetheart, from whom she has been separated for seven years. Witherspoon regarded this as a "personal role" in that the role reminded her of experiences she had when she moved from her hometown Nashville to Los Angeles. The movie became Witherspoon's biggest box office hit to date, earning over $35 million in the opening weekend and grossing over $127 million domestically in the US. Despite the commercial success, ''Sweet Home Alabama'' was given negative reviews by critics. It was called "a romantic comedy so rote, dull and predictable" by ''The Miami Herald'', and the press widely agreed that Witherspoon was the only factor that helped the movie attract a large audience. When describing Witherspoon's role in the movie, ''The Christian Science Monitor'' concluded, "She is not the movie's main attraction, she is its only attraction."
In 2003, Witherspoon followed up the success of ''Legally Blonde'' by starring in the sequel ''Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde''. Her character, Elle Woods, has become a Harvard-educated lawyer who is determined to protect animals from cosmetics-industry science tests. The sequel was not as financially successful as the first movie and it generated mostly critical reviews. ''USA Today'' considered the movie "plodding, unfunny and almost cringe-worthy", but also noted that "Reese Witherspoon still does a fine job portraying the fair-haired lovable brainiac, but her top-notch comic timing is wasted on the humorless dialogue." Meanwhile, ''Salon.com'' concluded that the sequel "calcifies everything that was enjoyable about the first movie". Despite being panned by critics, the sequel took over $39 million in its first five days in the U.S. box office charts and went on to gross $90 million in the US. Witherspoon received a $15 million paycheck for the role – a starting point to make her consistently one of Hollywood's highest paid actresses from 2002 onwards.
In 2004, Witherspoon starred in ''Vanity Fair'', adapted from the 19th-century classic novel ''Vanity Fair'' and directed by Mira Nair. Witherspoon's character – Becky Sharp – is a woman whose impoverished childhood turns her into an ambitious person with a ruthless determination to find fortune and establish herself a position in society. Witherspoon was pregnant during the filmmaking of this movie and was therefore carefully costumed to conceal her pregnancy. This pregnancy was not a hindrance to her work, as Witherspoon believed the gestation had in fact helped her portrayal of Sharp's character: "I love the luminosity that pregnancy brings, I love the fleshiness, I love the ample bosom—it gave me much more to play with", she said. The film and Witherspoon's portrayal of Sharp received good reviews, as ''The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote, "Nair's cast is splendid. Witherspoon does justice to the juicy role by giving the part more buoyancy than naughtiness." At the same time, ''The Charlotte Observer'' called her work "an excellent performance that's soft around the edges" and the ''Los Angeles Times'' concluded that Becky is "a part Reese Witherspoon was born to play".
''Walk the Line'' and post-Oscar work (2005–2009)
In late 2004, Witherspoon began working alongside
Mark Ruffalo on the romantic comedy ''
Just Like Heaven''. Her character, Elizabeth Masterson, is an ambitious young doctor. On her way to a blind date she gets into a car accident, and is left in a coma. Her spirit returns to her old apartment where she later finds true love.
Earlier that year Witherspoon was chosen to portray June Carter Cash, the second wife of country music singer and songwriter Johnny Cash, in ''Walk the Line''. She never had the chance to meet Carter Cash, as Witherspoon was filming ''Vanity Fair'' at the time Carter Cash died. Witherspoon performed her own vocals in the movie, and her songs had to be performed in front of a live audience. When she learned that she had to perform live, Witherspoon was so worried that she asked her lawyer to terminate the film contract. "That was the most challenging part of the role," she later recalled in an interview, "I'd never sung professionally." Subsequently, she had to spend six months learning how to sing for the role. Witherspoon's portrayal of Carter Cash was well received by critics, and Roger Ebert wrote that her performance added "boundless energy" to the movie. She won several awards for her performance, including the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild, the BAFTA and the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role.
Besides critical success in the movie industry, Witherspoon and her co-star in ''Walk the Line'', Joaquin Phoenix, received a nomination for "collaborative video of the year" from the CMT Music Awards. Witherspoon expressed her passion for the movie: "I really like in this film that it is realistic and portrays sort of a real marriage, a real relationship where there are forbidden thoughts and fallibility. And it is about compassion in the long haul, not just the short easy solutions to problems." She also spoke about June Carter Cash, stating that she believed Carter Cash was a woman ahead of her time: "I think the really remarkable thing about her character is that she did all of these things that we sort of see as normal things in the 1950s when it wasn't really acceptable for a woman to be married and divorced twice and have two different children by two different husbands and travel around in a car full of very famous musicians all by herself. She didn't try to comply to social convention, so I think that makes her a very modern woman."
Witherspoon's first post-Oscar role came in the modern-day fairy tale ''Penelope'', co-starring Christina Ricci. Witherspoon played the supporting role of Annie, the best friend of Penelope, a girl who has a curse in her family. The film was produced by Witherspoon's company Type A Films and premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. After the final release date of ''Penelope'' was delayed twice, the movie eventually had a February 2008 release.
Witherspoon was back in front of the camera again in November 2006, as shooting began for the political thriller ''Rendition''. She starred alongside Meryl Streep, Alan Arkin, Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal, playing Isabella El-Ibrahim, the pregnant wife of a bombing suspect. ''Rendition'' was released in October 2007 and marked Witherspoon's first appearance in theaters in two years, since the 2005 release of ''Walk the Line''. The movie received mostly negative reviews and was generally considered a disappointment at the Toronto Film Festival. Witherspoon's performance was also criticized: "Reese Witherspoon is surprisingly lifeless", ''USA Today'' wrote, "She customarily injects energy and spirit into her parts, but here, her performance feels tamped down."
In December 2007, Witherspoon began filming the holiday comedy ''Four Christmases'', a story about a couple who have to spend their Christmas Day trying to visit all four of their divorced parents, and in which she stars alongside Vince Vaughn. The film was released in November 2008. Despite only receiving average reviews by critics, the movie became a box office success, earning more than 120 million US dollars domestically and US$157m worldwide. Witherspoon next provided the voice for Susan Murphy, the main character of the computer-animated 3-D feature film ''Monsters vs. Aliens'', which had a March 27, 2009, release from DreamWorks Animation. In 2009, she also produced a spin-off film of Legally Blonde called Legally Blondes, featuring Camilla "Milly" Rosso and Rebecca "Becky" Rosso.
"Love triangle period" and commercial struggles (2010–present)
With the exception of her animated role in ''Monsters vs. Aliens'', Witherspoon did not appear in a live action film for two years following the release of ''Four Christmases''. Witherspoon told ''
Entertainment Weekly'' that the "break" was unplanned, stating that, "I just didn’t read anything I liked...There are a lot of really, really, really big movies about robots and things- and there’s not a part for a 34-year-old woman in a robot movie." Witherspoon returned with three films in 2010, 2011, and 2012, all centered around Witherspoon as a woman caught in a love triangle between two men. In an interview with
MTV, Witherspoon jokingly referred to this trio of films as her "love triangle period".
The first film was James L. Brooks's romantic comedy ''How Do You Know'', which starred Witherspoon as a thirty-something former national softball player who struggles to choose between a philandering baseball star boyfriend (Owen Wilson) and a business executive being investigated for white collar crime (Paul Rudd). The movie was filmed over the summer and fall of 2009 in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and released on December 17, 2010. The movie was both a critical and box office failure. Despite an over $100 million budget, the film earned only $7.6 million in its opening weekend, leading the ''Los Angeles Times'' to call it "one of the year's biggest flops". The movie earned mainly negative reviews from critics, scoring 35% on Rotten Tomatoes with 111 reviews as of late December 2010.
Next up for Witherspoon was a second movie based on a love triangle, the film adaptation of the 1930s circus drama ''Water for Elephants''. Witherspoon began circus training in March 2010 for her role as Marlena, a glamorous performer stuck in a marriage to a volatile husband (Christoph Waltz) but intrigued by the circus's new veterinarian (Robert Pattinson). Filming for the movie took place between late May and early August 2010 in various locations in Tennessee, Georgia and California. It was released on April 22, 2011, and received mixed critical reviews, with many citing a lack of chemistry between Witherspoon and Pattinson.
In September 2010, Witherspoon began principal photography in Vancouver for the third film, ''This Means War'', a 20th Century Fox spy comedy directed by McG. In the film, Witherspoon stars as a woman at the center of a battle between two best friends (played by Chris Pine and Tom Hardy) who are both in love with her. The film had a "sneak-peak" release on Valentine's Day, before fully opening on February 17, 2012. The film was panned by critics (with a 25% Rotten Tomatoes rating), and fared poorly at the box office, taking fifth place on its opening weekend with sales of $17.6 million. The ''New York Times'' remarked that this "extended the box office cold streak for the Oscar-winning Ms. Witherspoon", and that while "Hollywood keeps trying to turn Reese Witherspoon into a Sandra Bullock or Julia Roberts for a new generation," the "new generation keeps refusing to take the memo."
Witherspoon's upcoming films signal a departure from the love triangle theme. In September 2011, nearly a year after beginning work on ''This Means War'', Witherspoon began filming Jeff Nichols's coming-of-age drama ''Mud'' in Arkansas. Witherspoon will star as Juniper, the former girlfriend of a fugitive, played by Matthew McConaughey, who enlists two teenage boys to help him escape capture and rekindle his romance with Witherspoon's character. It is slated for a 2013 release.
Witherspoon's next film will be ''Big Eyes'', written and directed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and produced by Tim Burton. Witherspoon will play Margaret Keane, an artist who produces wide-eyed portraits that became a sensation in the 1960s but were sold under the name of her husband Walter Keane (played by Ryan Reynolds), creating conflict between them. Filming is set to begin in the spring of 2012.
Following ''Big Eyes'', Witherspoon will begin work on Atom Egoyan's adaptation of the true crime book ''Devil's Knot'', which examines the controversial case of the West Memphis Three. Like ''Mud'', the story is set in Arkansas. Witherspoon will play Pam Hobbs, the mother of one of three young murder victims. The movie will begin filming in the Southern states in the summer of 2012. Egoyan has noted that although the role requires "an emotionally loaded journey", he "met with Reese, and...talked at length about the project, and she's eager to take on the challenge".
It has also been rumoured that Witherspoon will produce (under the Type A banner) and star in both ''Pharm Girl'', a film about a woman who takes on the pharmaceutical industry, and a Peggy Lee biopic to be directed by Nora Ephron. Witherspoon's name has also been attached to a number of other possible future films, including the upcoming Sony Pictures film ''Sex Tape'', a Universal Pictures remake of the 1939 comedy ''Midnight'', scripted by Michael Arndt, and the horror film ''Our Family Troubles'', which she would produce through Type A with Jennifer Simpson, co-producer of ''Legally Blonde 2''.
Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 1, 2010, at 6262 Hollywood Blvd.
Other projects
Witherspoon owns a production company called Type A Films. The company was at first believed by the media to have been named after her childhood nickname "Little Miss Type A." However, when asked about the company by ''
Interview'' magazine, she clarified the name's origin: "... people think I named it after myself ... It was actually an
in-joke with my family because at [age] 7 I understood complicated medical terms, such as the difference between
type A and type B personalities. But I just wished I'd named the company Dogfood Films or Fork or something. You carry that baggage all your life."
Charitable work
Witherspoon is actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She is a long-time supporter of
Save the Children, an organization that helps children around the world through education, health care and emergency aid. She also serves on the board of the
Children's Defense Fund, a child advocacy and research group. In 2006, Witherspoon was among a group of actresses who went to New Orleans, Louisiana in a CDF project to bring to light the needs of
Hurricane Katrina victims. In this trip, she helped open the city's first Freedom School, as she met and talked with the children. Witherspoon later called this an experience that she would never forget.
In 2007, Witherspoon made her first move into the world of endorsements, as she signed a multi-year agreement to serve as the first Global Ambassador of cosmetic company Avon Products. She acts as a spokeswoman for Avon's cosmetic products and serves as the honorary chair of the ''Avon Foundation'', a charitable organization that supports women and focuses on breast cancer research and the prevention of domestic violence.
Witherspoon is also committed to participating in cosmetics product development and appearing in commercial advertisements. Explaining her motives for joining the foundation, she said, "As a woman and a mother I care deeply about the well being of other women and children throughout the world and through the years, I have always looked for opportunities to make a difference."
In the media
Following the successful release of ''Legally Blonde'', Witherspoon hosted ''
Saturday Night Live'' on September 29, 2001, which was the first episode to air after New York City was devastated by the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11. In 2005, she was ranked No. 5 in ''
Teen People'' magazine's list of most powerful young Hollywood actors. In 2006, Witherspoon was listed among the
Time 100, a compilation of the 100 most influential people in the world, as selected annually by ''TIME'' magazine. Her featured article was written by friend and fellow co-star in the two ''Legally Blonde'' films,
Luke Wilson. In the same year, she was also selected as one of the "100 Sexiest Women In The World" by the readers of ''
FHM''. Witherspoon has appeared on the annual
Celebrity 100 list by ''
Forbes'' magazine in 2006 and 2007, at No. 75 and No. 80, respectively. ''
Forbes'' also put her on the top ten Trustworthy Celebrities list, according to the characters she had played on the screen. She was listed among CEOWORLD magazine's Top Accomplished Women Entertainers.
In 2006, ''Star'' fabricated a story saying Witherspoon was pregnant with her third child, which led to Witherspoon suing the magazine's parent company American Media Inc in Los Angeles Superior Court for privacy violation. She sought unspecified general and punitive damages in the lawsuit, asserting that the claim harmed her reputation because it suggested she was hiding the news from producers of her upcoming films.
Witherspoon has been featured four times in the annual "100 Most Beautiful" issues of ''People'' magazine. In 2007, she was selected by ''People'' and the entertainment news program ''Access Hollywood'' as one of the best dressed female stars of the year. A study conducted by E-Poll Market Research showed that Witherspoon was the most likable female celebrity of 2007. That same year, Witherspoon established herself as the highest-paid actress in the American film industry, earning $15 to $20 million per film. In April 2008, Witherspoon appeared as a guest star at the 2008 charitable campaign Idol Gives Back.
At the 2011 MTV Music Awards while receiving the MTV Generation Award, Witherspoon criticized stars who have produced sex tapes and explicit photos. Witherspoon was quoted to have said "I get it, girls, that it’s cool to be a bad girl but it is possible to make it in Hollywood without doing a reality show. When I came up in this business, if you made a sex tape, you were embarrassed and you hid it under your bed.”
In April 2011, she once again appeared in ''People''s annual Most Beautiful issue and ranked 3rd.
Personal life
Witherspoon met American actor
Ryan Phillippe at her 21st birthday party in March 1997. The couple became engaged in December 1998, and married in
Charleston, South Carolina, on June 5, 1999, at Wide Awake Plantation. They have two children: a daughter named Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, born September 9, 1999, and a son Deacon Reese Phillippe, born October 23, 2003. In October 2006, Witherspoon and Phillippe announced that they had decided to separate formally after seven years of marriage. The following month, Witherspoon filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In her petition she sought joint legal custody of their two children and sole physical custody, with full visitation rights for Phillippe. The couple had no
prenuptial agreement and the couple would be entitled to half of all assets gained during the marriage under California law, with Witherspoon's being the more significant. Witherspoon requested that the court grant no
spousal support for Phillippe, which he did not contest. On May 15, 2007, Phillippe filed for joint physical custody of the couple's children and made no motion to block Witherspoon from seeking support from him. Witherspoon and Phillippe's final divorce documents were granted by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 5, 2007.
Throughout 2007, there was persistent speculation in the mass media about a romantic relationship between Witherspoon and her ''Rendition'' co-star Jake Gyllenhaal. After the finalization of Witherspoon's divorce in October 2007, Gyllenhaal and Witherspoon became more open with their relationship, particularly due to the release of paparazzi pictures that showed the couple vacationing together in Rome. In March 2008, Phillippe was the first to confirm the relationship in interviews conducted during the promotion of his latest film. The couple was reported to have split in December 2009.
In early February 2010, it was reported that Witherspoon had begun dating Jim Toth. At the time, Toth was a talent agent working for the Creative Artists Agency, which represents Witherspoon; in September 2010, he was promoted to also become one of the agency’s two heads of motion picture talent. Witherspoon and Toth announced their engagement in December 2010, and married on March 26, 2011 in Ojai, California at Libbey Ranch, Witherspoon's country estate. In March 2012, it was announced that the couple are expecting a baby. The child will be the third for Witherspoon, but the first for Toth.
Filmography
| + Television
|
| ! Year
|
! Title
|
! Role
|
Notes
|
| 2000
|
''King of the Hill''
|
Debbie
|
2 episodesvoice
|
| 2000
|
''Friends''
|
Jill Green
|
|
| 2002
|
''''
|
Greta Wolfcastle
|
1 episodevoice
|
| 2003
|
''Freedom: A History of Us''
|
Various roles
|
3 episodes
|
| 2009
|
''Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space''
|
Susan Murphy / Ginormica
|
Halloween TV Specialvoice
|
| 2011-2012
|
''After Lately''
|
Herself
|
2 Episodes
|
Discography
References
External links
Category:1976 births
Category:Living people
Category:Actors from Louisiana
Category:Actors from Tennessee
Category:American Episcopalians
Category:American people of Scottish descent
Category:American child actors
Category:American film actors
Category:American film producers
Category:American philanthropists
Category:American television actors
Category:American voice actors
Category:BAFTA winners (people)
Category:Best Actress Academy Award winners
Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe (film) winners
Category:Military brats
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee
Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana
Category:Stanford University alumni
Category:Young Artist Award winners
ar:ريس ويذرسبون
an:Reese Witherspoon
az:Riz Uizerspun
bn:রিজ উইদারস্পুন
be:Рыз Уізерспун
be-x-old:Рыз Ўізэрспун
bg:Рийз Уидърспун
cs:Reese Witherspoon
cy:Reese Witherspoon
da:Reese Witherspoon
de:Reese Witherspoon
et:Reese Witherspoon
el:Ρις Γουίδερσπουν
es:Reese Witherspoon
eo:Reese Witherspoon
eu:Reese Witherspoon
fa:ریس ویترسپون
fo:Reese Witherspoon
fr:Reese Witherspoon
ga:Reese Witherspoon
ko:리스 위더스푼
hy:Ռիս Ուիթերսպուն
hi:रीज विदरस्पून
hr:Reese Witherspoon
id:Reese Witherspoon
is:Reese Witherspoon
it:Reese Witherspoon
he:ריס וית'רספון
kn:ರೀಸ್ ವಿದರ್ಸ್ಪೂನ್
ka:რიზ უიზერსპუნი
csb:Reese Witherspoon
kk:Риз Уизерспун
la:Reese Witherspoon
lv:Rīza Viterspūna
hu:Reese Witherspoon
mk:Рис Витерспун
mr:रीस विदरस्पून
ms:Reese Witherspoon
nah:Reese Witherspoon
nl:Reese Witherspoon
ja:リース・ウィザースプーン
no:Reese Witherspoon
nn:Reese Witherspoon
pl:Reese Witherspoon
pt:Reese Witherspoon
ro:Reese Witherspoon
ru:Уизерспун, Риз
se:Reese Witherspoon
simple:Reese Witherspoon
sl:Reese Witherspoon
sr:Рис Видерспун
sh:Reese Witherspoon
fi:Reese Witherspoon
sv:Reese Witherspoon
tl:Reese Witherspoon
ta:ரீஸ் விதர்ஸ்பூன்
te:రీస్ విథర్స్పూన్
th:รีส วิเธอร์สปูน
tg:Рийс Уитерспоон
tr:Reese Witherspoon
uk:Різ Вітерспун
vi:Reese Witherspoon
yo:Reese Witherspoon
zh:麗絲·韋花絲潘
![Extra floral nectaries on the petiole of a Prunus avium leaf. Although its main ingredient is natural sugar (i.e., sucrose (table sugar), glucose, and fructose),[5] nectar is a brew of many chemicals.](http://web.archive.org./web/20120423235630/http://cdn2.wn.com/pd/83/49/d58b984e38934600a1417b45f648_medium.jpg "Extra floral nectaries on the petiole of a Prunus avium leaf. Although its main ingredient is natural sugar (i.e., sucrose (table sugar), glucose, and fructose),[5] nectar is a brew of many chemicals.")
![Extra floral nectaries on Prunus africana.Although its main ingredient is natural sugar (i.e., sucrose (table sugar), glucose, and fructose),[5] nectar is a brew of many chemicals.](http://web.archive.org./web/20120423235630/http://cdn2.wn.com/pd/ea/66/fb621104d9e4fb0bcc0e08f03fe8_medium.jpg "Extra floral nectaries on Prunus africana.Although its main ingredient is natural sugar (i.e., sucrose (table sugar), glucose, and fructose),[5] nectar is a brew of many chemicals.")
