Reese Witherspoon Biography, Career, Net Worth, And Other Interesting Facts - Celebily (2024)

Reese Witherspoon is an American actress and producer born on March 22, 1976. She’s won big awards like an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Time magazine even called her one of the most important people in the world in 2006 and 2015. Forbes put her on their lists too, calling her one of the most powerful women in the world in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes said she was the highest-paid actress in the world, and by 2023, she was named one of the richest women in America with a net worth of about $440 million.

She started acting when she was young, debuting in The Man in the Moon in 1991. But she caught people’s attention with movies like Freeway and Fear in 1996. Then came her big break in 1999 with Cruel Intentions and Election. She got even more famous for Legally Blonde in 2001 its sequel in 2003, and Sweet Home Alabama in 2002. She won her Academy Award for Best Actress for playing June Carter Cash in Walk the Line in 2005. After some quieter years, she bounced back with Wild in 2014, which got her another Oscar nomination.

Lately, she’s been doing a lot of TV work, making and starring in shows based on books with her company Hello Sunshine. You might have seen her in Big Little Lies from 2017 to 2019 or The Morning Show since 2019. She’s also produced movies like Gone Girl in 2014 and Where the Crawdads Sing in 2022, and a miniseries called Daisy Jones & the Six in 2023.

But acting and producing aren’t all she does. She’s got her book club called Reese’s Book Club and a fashion brand called Draper James. Plus, she’s big on helping out kids and women, working with groups like the Children’s Defense Fund, and being a Global Ambassador for Avon Products. She’s even the honorary chair of the Avon Foundation, which helps out women in need.

Reese Witherspoon’s Early Life and Education

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her dad, John Draper Witherspoon was studying at Tulane University Medical School at the time. He’s from Georgia and used to be in the Army Reserve. He worked as an ear, nose, and throat doctor until 2012. Reese’s mom, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Witherspoon is from Tennessee and was a nursing professor at Vanderbilt University. She’s got a PhD in taking care of sick kids.

Reese Witherspoon says she’s related to John Witherspoon who signed the Declaration of Independence, but nobody’s checked if that’s true. Her parents are still married on paper, but they split up in 1996.

She grew up Episcopalian and is proud of her Southern roots. She learned a lot about family, manners, and responsibility. When she was seven, she starred in some TV ads for a flower shop, which got her interested in acting. By age 11, she was winning talent competitions. School came easy to her, and she was a bookworm. Reese Witherspoon loved books so much that she’d go nuts in a bookstore, wanting to buy everything. Her parents called her “Little Type A” because she was always on top of things.

She went to Harding Academy for middle school and graduated from Harpeth Hall School in Nashville. She cheered in high school. After that, she went to Stanford to study English lit, but she left early to chase her acting dreams.

Career

1991–2000: Early work and breakthrough

In 1991, Reese Witherspoon went to try out for a small part in a movie called The Man in the Moon. Instead, she landed the main role as a 14-year-old girl named Dani Trant who lives in the countryside and falls in love with her 17-year-old neighbor. This movie was set in Louisiana, where Reese is from. People noticed her acting right away, especially in a scene where she had her first kiss. She got nominated for an award because of her performance.

That same year, she appeared on TV for the first time in a show called Wildflower. Then, in 1992, she acted in a TV movie called Desperate Choices: To Save My Child, where she played a sick young girl.

In 1993, Reese played a character named Nonnie Parker in a TV show and also starred in a Disney movie called A Far Off Place. She also had a small role in a film called Jack the Bear, and for that, she won an award.

The next year, in 1994, Reese had another important role in a movie called S.F.W. Then, in 1996, she starred in two big movies: Fear and Freeway. In Fear, she played a girl who starts dating someone dangerous, and in Freeway, she plays a girl who encounters a serial killer. Both movies got good reviews, and Reese even won an award for her role in Freeway.

In 1998, Reese was in three major movies: Overnight Delivery, Pleasantville, and Twilight. She got a lot of praise for her role in Pleasantville, where she played a girl from the 1990s who gets transported to a 1950s TV show. She won an award for that role too.

The next year, in 1999, Reese Witherspoon acted in a thriller called Best Laid Plans and in a drama called Cruel Intentions. She got a lot of compliments for her role in Cruel Intentions. She also appeared in a music video for the movie’s soundtrack.

In the same year, Reese was in a movie called Election, which got her a lot of awards and nominations. People liked her role in that movie.

After Election, Reese had some trouble finding new roles because people thought she could only play certain kinds of characters. But she still appeared in a couple of movies in 2000, like American Psycho and Little Nicky. She also showed up in an episode of the TV show Friends as Rachel’s sister.

2001–2006: Worldwide recognition

Reese Witherspoon’s career took a big leap with the movie Legally Blonde in 2001. She played Elle Woods, a fashionable girl who decides to study law at Harvard to win back her ex-boyfriend. Witherspoon wanted to make Elle likable, even though she seemed to have it all. The movie did well, making almost $100 million in the US.

Critics loved Witherspoon’s performance, comparing her to Meg Ryan. They said she brought Elle to life with humor and charm. Some even said she carried the whole movie with her energy.

In 2002, Reese Witherspoon did some TV and starred in a comedy called The Importance of Being Earnest. Later that year, she was in Sweet Home Alabama with Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey. She played a fashion designer who goes back to her hometown to get a divorce. The movie was a huge hit, making over $35 million in its first weekend.

But even though it made a lot of money, critics didn’t like Sweet Home Alabama much. They said Witherspoon was the only good thing about it.

The next year, she did a sequel to Legally Blonde called Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. This time, Elle Woods fights for animal rights. The movie didn’t do as well, and critics didn’t like it either.

In 2004, Witherspoon was in Vanity Fair, playing a woman who wants to climb the social ladder. She was pregnant during filming, but it didn’t stop her. Some critics liked her performance, but others thought she didn’t fit the role.

Later that year, she did a romantic comedy called Just Like Heaven with Mark Ruffalo. She played a doctor in a coma who falls in love. Then, in 2005, she starred in Walk the Line as June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash’s wife. Witherspoon sang in the movie and trained hard to do it well. Critics loved her, and she won lots of awards for her role.

Reese Witherspoon said she liked how Walk the Line showed a real marriage, with all its ups and downs. She admired June Carter Cash for being ahead of her time.

After Walk the Line, Witherspoon was in Penelope, a fantasy movie about a cursed girl. She played the main character’s best friend. The movie premiered in 2006 but wasn’t released until 2008.

2007–2012: Career setbacks and romantic comedy films

Reese Witherspoon said that for a few years, her career felt stuck after her divorce in 2006. She explained in a 2014 interview that she was just trying to feel better during that time and couldn’t focus on being creative. She admitted she wasn’t passionate about the projects she was doing and noticed that audiences weren’t interested either.

During this period, she acted in a thriller called Rendition in 2007, playing a pregnant woman. However, the movie didn’t do well and critics weren’t impressed with her performance. In 2008, she starred in a comedy called Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn, which made a lot of money despite bad reviews. In 2009, she did voice work for an animated movie called Monsters vs. Aliens and also helped produce a spin-off of Legally Blonde.

After Four Christmases, she didn’t appear in any live-action movies for two years because she couldn’t find any roles she liked. She joked that there weren’t any parts for someone her age in the big movies being made.

She came back to acting with three romantic movies from 2010 to 2012, all with a similar plot of a woman torn between two men. The first one, How Do You Know, was a big flop, both critically and financially. Water for Elephants, based on a book, got mixed reviews when it came out in 2011. Her last romance, This Means War, also didn’t do well and was criticized by reviewers. In a 2012 interview, she joked that those years were her “love triangle period.“

2012–2015: Resurgence and career expansion

In September 2011, Reese Witherspoon filmed a small part in a movie called Mud in Arkansas. She played the ex-girlfriend of a guy on the run who gets help from two local boys to reconnect with her. The movie premiered in May 2012 but didn’t win any awards.

After that, Witherspoon acted in Devil’s Knot, a movie based on a true story about a controversial crime case. She played a mother whose child was a victim of a murder. Despite mixed reviews, some critics praised her performance.

In 2012, Reese Witherspoon started her own production company called Pacific Standard, now part of Hello Sunshine. She wanted to make movies and shows with strong female characters feeling there weren’t enough in Hollywood. Through her company, she produced Gone Girl and starred in Wild both well-received films.

She also acted in The Good Lie, a movie about Sudanese refugees, and Inherent Vice, based on a book. In 2014, she began filming Hot Pursuit, a comedy where she plays a cop protecting a widow. The movie was released in 2015.

2016–present: Television success

In 2016, Reese Witherspoon voiced a character in the movie Sing, which was a huge hit, making over $200 million in the US and $600 million worldwide. She also started working on her first TV project since 1993, called Big Little Lies which got a lot of praise. HBO even renewed it for a second season. Around that time she was also in a romantic comedy called Home Again.

The next year in 2018 she played Mrs. Whatsit in Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time directed by Ava DuVernay. She started hosting a talk show called Shine On with Reese, where she interviews successful women.

Currently, Witherspoon is producing and acting in The Morning Show on Apple TV+, which got a lot of attention. She’s been nominated for awards for her work on the show. They were filming season two when COVID-19 hit, so they had to pause production. They restarted later and season two premiered in 2021. She’s also producing a show called Truth Be Told on Apple TV+.

In 2020, Reese Witherspoon produced and acted in the Hulu show Little Fires Everywhere, and narrated a documentary series about female animals called Fierce Queens on Quibi.

In 2023, Witherspoon was an executive producer for the country music competition show My Kind of Country.

Aside from acting and producing her shows, Witherspoon is also executive producing six other TV series for different platforms like Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and others.

She’s set to star in and produce three Netflix films, including a science fiction drama called Pyros and two romantic comedies. She’s also producing two other films and is working on Legally Blonde 3, where she’ll reprise her iconic role as Elle Woods.

Back in 2015, she signed on to produce a live-action film about Tinker Bell for Disney, and that project is still in development.

Other ventures

Business and philanthropy

Reese Witherspoon is more than just a Hollywood star – she’s a powerhouse entrepreneur and advocate for causes close to her heart.

Back in the day, she started a production company called Type A Films. People thought it was because she was super organized and on top of things, like a “Little Miss Type A” from her childhood. But Reese set the record straight. The name came from a family joke. When she was just 7, she already knew fancy terms like “type A” and “type B” personalities. But she joked that she wished she’d named it something simpler, like “Dogfood Films” or “Fork.”

Later on, in 2012, Reese Witherspoon joined forces with Bruna Papandrea to create a new production company called Pacific Standard. They made movies and shows focused on telling women’s stories. But in 2016, Reese took full control of the company.

Pacific Standard then became part of Hello Sunshine, a company Reese co-owns with Otter Media. They’re all about sharing stories by and about women, through movies, TV, and the internet. Reese even started the Hello Sunshine book club where she recommends her favorite reads.

But Reese didn’t stop there. In 2015, she launched Draper James a fashion and home décor brand inspired by her Southern roots. It’s named after her grandparents who she looks up to. Some of the stuff they sell is made right in-house.

In 2017, Elizabeth Arden, Inc. brought Reese on board as their chief storyteller. She helps shape how people see the brand with a focus on telling stories that celebrate women.

Outside of work, Reese is big on giving back. She’s been supporting Save the Children for years, helping kids all over the world get the help they need. She’s also on the board of the Children’s Defense Fund where she fights for kids’ rights. After Hurricane Katrina, Reese went to New Orleans to help out, opening a school for kids affected by the disaster.

In 2007, Reese Witherspoon teamed up with Avon Products becoming their first Global Ambassador. She speaks up for the brand and supports the Avon Foundation which works on women’s issues like breast cancer and domestic violence.

And when COVID-19 hit in 2020, Reese showed her appreciation for teachers by giving them free dresses from Draper James. It’s just another example of how she’s always looking out for others.

Other work

Back in 2013, Reese Witherspoon sang a new version of a famous song called Somethin’ Stupid with Michael Bublé for his album To Be Loved. Then in 2018, she wrote her first book Whiskey in a Teacup, which talks about her life growing up in the southern United States.

Around the same time, in 2018, she became part of a group called Time’s Up. They work to stop sexual harassment at work and include actors, writers, and other people in the entertainment industry.

In 2017, Reese Witherspoon started something called Reese’s Book Club. She got the idea from her Instagram, where she shared pictures of books she liked. Every month, she chooses a book where a woman is the main character. The books cover different genres, like women’s fiction, thrillers, and romance. One of the most popular books she picked was “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. Witherspoon’s production company made it into a movie in 2022, which did well at the box office.

Public image

Reese Witherspoon’s career has been filled with notable achievements and recognitions. Let’s break down some of the key moments in simpler terms:

Back in 2001, Witherspoon hosted Saturday Night Live just after the September 11 attacks. She was recognized as one of the most influential young actors by Teen People magazine in 2005. Time magazine also featured her in their prestigious Time 100 list in 2006. That same year, FHM’s readers voted her as one of the “100 Sexiest Women In The World“.

Witherspoon has graced the pages of People magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful” issues four times. Forbes magazine also acknowledged her presence by including her in their Celebrity 100 list in both 2006 and 2007. She was even considered one of the top ten most trustworthy celebrities by Forbes.

In 2007, Reese Witherspoon impressed fashion critics with her choice of attire at the Golden Globe Awards, earning her recognition as one of the best-dressed stars of the year. That year, she was also hailed as the most likable female celebrity in a study by E-Poll Market Research. Additionally, she became one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood earning between $15 to $20 million per film.

However, despite her early successes, Witherspoon faced challenges in maintaining her status due to some commercially unsuccessful films. By 2011, 2012, and 2013, she was considered one of the most overpaid actors in Hollywood.

In 2013, Witherspoon took legal action against Marketing Advantages International Inc. for unauthorized use of her name and image in jewelry advertising. Although she faced setbacks in trademark claims, she continued her battle for the right to publicity.

In 2017, Witherspoon bravely spoke out about her experiences of sexual assault and harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

Despite the ups and downs, Witherspoon’s career continued to flourish. She made her second appearance on the Time 100 list in 2015 and received the American Cinematheque Award for her contributions to the film industry.

Forbes reported that Witherspoon’s earnings exceeded $198 million in 2017, making her the highest-paid primetime Emmy nominee that year. She was also recognized by Forbes as one of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019.

Personal life

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe first met at her 21st birthday bash in March 1997. They got engaged in December 1998 and tied the knot on June 5, 1999, in South Carolina. They have two kids together: Ava born in 1999 and Deacon born in 2003. But sadly, they split in October 2006 and finalized their divorce in June 2008. They share joint custody of their children.

After her divorce, Witherspoon dated Jake Gyllenhaal for a couple of years. Then in 2010, she started seeing Jim Toth a talent agent at her agency. They got engaged in December 2010 and married in March 2011 at her ranch in California. They welcomed a son named Tennessee in 2012. In 2013, Witherspoon got into trouble with the law after a DUI incident involving Toth. She faced charges of obstruction and paid some fines.

In March 2023, after 11 years together, Witherspoon and Toth announced their split. They shared the news on Witherspoon’s Instagram, just before what would have been their 12th anniversary.

Awards

Reese Witherspoon has been in some really popular movies! Like Election, Legally Blonde, Walk the Line, Monsters vs. Aliens, Mud, Wild, and Sing. She’s been recognized a lot for her acting too. She’s been nominated for a bunch of awards, like the Oscars, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

She’s even won some big ones, like the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, the British Academy Film Award for Best Actress, and even the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Walk the Line as June Carter. Plus, in 2010, she got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Net Worth

Reese Witherspoon’s Net Worth is estimated to be $440 Million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.