Reese Witherspoon Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Height, Net Worth, Fast Facts

Reese Witherspoon Wiki, Biography

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976, at Southern Baptist Hospital, in New Orleans, Louisiana, while her father, John Draper Witherspoon, was a student at Tulane University medical school. Her father was born in Georgia and served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve. He was in private practice as an otolaryngologist until 2012.^[7] Her mother, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” (née Reese) Witherspoon, is from Harriman, Tennessee. She was a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University and had a PhD in pediatric nursing.

Reese Witherspoon has claimed descent from Scottish-born John Witherspoon, who signed the United States Declaration of Independence;^[10][11] however, this claim has not been verified by the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence genealogists.^[12] Her parents are still legally married, although they separated in 1996.

Witherspoon was raised an Episcopalian, and has said she is proud of the “definitive Southern upbringing” she received. She has said it 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”.^[14][15][16] At age seven, she was selected as a model for a florist’s television advertisements, which motivated her to take acting lessons.^[17] At age 11, she took first place in the Ten-State Talent Fair.^[17] She received high grades in school,^[17] loved reading, and considered herself “a big dork who read loads of books”.^[4] 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.”^[18] She has been described as a “multi-achiever” and was nicknamed “Little Type A” by her parents.^[19][20] She attended middle school at Harding Academy and graduated from the all-girls’ Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, during which time she was a cheerleader. She later attended Stanford University as an English literature major,^[22] but left prior to completing her studies to pursue an acting career.

Personal life

Witherspoon met actor Ryan Phillippe at her 21st birthday party in March 1997. They became engaged in December 1998 and married on June 5, 1999, at Old Wide Awake Plantation in Hollywood, South Carolina. They have two children together, daughter Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, born on September 9, 1999; and son Deacon Reese Phillippe, born on October 23, 2003. On October 30, 2006, Witherspoon and Phillippe announced their separation. She filed for divorce on November 8, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences. In light of their lack of a prenuptial agreement, she requested that the court refuse to grant spousal support to Phillippe, and asked for joint legal custody and sole physical custody of their two children. Phillippe filed for joint physical custody on May 15, 2007, and did not seek any spousal support.^[238] The marriage officially ended on October 5, 2007, with final divorce arrangements settled on June 13, 2008, according to court documents. Phillippe and Witherspoon share joint custody of their children.

Influences

Witherspoon has cited Jodie Foster, Meryl Streep, Holly Hunter, Susan Sarandon, Frances McDormand, Debra Winger, Diane Ladd, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Goldie Hawn, Sally Field, Sigourney Weaver, Lucille Ball, Carole Lombard, Judy Holliday, Gena Rowlands, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, and Michael Keaton as influences to her acting career and work. Her favorite films include Splendor in the Grass, Waiting for Guffman, Broadcast News, Raising Arizona, and Overboard.

Filmography and accolades

Witherspoon’s most acclaimed and highest-grossing films, according to the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, include Election (1999), Legally Blonde (2001), Walk the Line (2005), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Mud (2013), Wild (2014), and Sing (2016).^[259] Witherspoon has been nominated for two Academy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards,^[45] four Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG Awards), and two British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as June Carter in the film Walk the Line (2005). In 2010, Witherspoon received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.