Actress Reese Witherspoon was born March 22nd, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her full name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. She spent most of her childhood growing up in Tennessee though she did live for a short while in Germany because her father worked as a doctor for the military. Witherspoon was raised with Southern values and a sense of tradition. She was a model student and cheerleader who later went to Stanford University to study literature. However, left after just one year so she could pursue acting.
Witherspoon's first roles were as a teen in the early 1990s. She was cast in the film "The Man in the Moon" and received praise for her role. She was cast in several small roles before being offered major parts in big budget films in 1996. The first one was the movie "Fear" and the other Freeway. These movies established Witherspoon as an up and coming star.
Witherspoon began dating Ryan Phillipe around this time and they later starred in the hit film "Cruel Intentions" together. In 1999, the couple was married and they later had two kids together.
Early in 2000, Witherspoon was in several movies which helped her to gain international recognition as an actress. These included "Legally Blonde", "The Importance of Being Earnest", "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Vanity Fair". The next year, 2005, Reese Witherspoon was cast in the film "Walk the Line" about Johnny Cash's career. Her role won her many awards including an Academy Award and Golden Globe.
In 2006, Witherspoon and Phillipe divorced after seven years of marriage. The separation receive a large amount of media scrutiny. Afterwards, Witherspoon dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal for some time. Reese Witherspoon has been named one of the "100 Most Beautiful" by "People" magazine four times.
