Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon, born on March 22, 1976, was raised in Nashville, Tennessee. Considering that both her parents held occupations in the medical field, Reese grew up expecting to become a doctor, although she always knew in her heart that she wanted to be an actress.
Reese was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very early age, when she began modeling at age 7. 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. However, her collegiate plans were shortly dashed when she accepted roles to star in two major motion pictures: “Fear” (1996) and “Freeway” (1996). Her breakthrough role 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. The next year, she scored a follow-up hit with “Sweet Home Alabama” (2002) 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 2006. They met at her 21st birthday party and subsequently worked together in “Cruel Intentions” (1999). However, on October 30, 2006, Witherspoon and Phillippe announced that they have decided to formally separate after seven years of marriage. On November 8, 2006, Witherspoon filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
In December 2006, Witherspoon moved from Hollywood to Charleston, South Carolina. According to New York Post columnist Liz Smith, Witherspoon was thoroughly disgusted with both marriage and her life in Hollywood and wanted to return to her Southern roots.
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