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Reese Witherspoon

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Reese Witherspoon, known for creating unforgettable characters, has become a favorite of both audiences and film critics alike. She follows Just Like Heaven with a starring role opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line, which depicts the rise to fame of music legends Johnny and June Carter Cash.

For her performance as the relentlessly driven high school senior Tracy Flick in Alexander Payne's 1999 satire Election, Witherspoon received Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award and American Comedy Award nominations, as well as Best Actress Awards from the National Society of Film Critics and the Online Film Critics. She earned her second Golden Globe nomination for the 2001 comedy smash Legally Blonde, in which she starred as the indomitable Gemini vegetarian Elle Woods, who doesn't compromise her fashion sense on the way to earning a Harvard Law degree.

In 2002, Witherspoon again proved to be a formidable box office draw with the romantic comedy hit Sweet Home Alabama. The following year, she stepped back into Elle Woods' pumps to star in the successful sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, in which Elle takes on Capitol Hill. Witherspoon also executive produced the film, marking her producing debut. She has since formed her own production company, Type A Films, which has a broad slate of films in development.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Witherspoon made an auspicious feature film debut in 1991 in Robert Mulligan's coming-of-age drama The Man in the Moon, garnering acclaim for her performance as a young girl who faces heartbreak and tragedy with her first love. She went on to star in A Far Off Place; Jack the Bear; Fear, opposite Mark Wahlberg; Cruel Intentions, with Ryan Phillippe; and Robert Benton's thriller Twilight, with Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon and Gene Hackman. She discovered her gift for comedy with the independent film Freeway, for which she won Best Actress Awards at two international film festivals, and explored it further in Gary Ross' fantasy comedy Pleasantville, with Tobey Maguire. Witherspoon has also donned corsets to star in two British period films: the big-screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde's romantic farce The Importance of Being Earnest, and Mira Nair's voluptuous take on the William Makepeace Thackeray classic Vanity Fair.


Reese Witherspoon Facts

Birth NameLaura Jean Reese Witherspoon
OccupationActress
BirthdayMarch 22, 1976 (32)
SignAries
BirthplaceLouisiana, Louisiana, USA
Height5' 2" (1m57)
Awards2006 Academy Awards: Best Actress (for Walk the Line)
2006 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (for Walk the Line)
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Female Actor in a Leading Role (for Walk the Line)
2006 BAFTA Awards: Actress in a Leading Role (for Walk the Line)
2002 MTV Movie Awards: Best Comedic Performance (for Legally Blonde)

Selected Filmography

American Psycho
Penelope
Sweet Home Alabama
Twilight
Legally Blonde
The Importance of Being Earnest
Return to Lonesome Dove
Just Like Heaven
Walk the Line
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