Reese Witherspoon bio, career, relationships, and more

Who is Reese Witherspoon?

Reese Witherspoon is an Academy Award-winning actor. However, she is a producer and has her own production company. You may know her as Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. She was also in the box-office hit movie Sweet Home Alabama. 

She has also been enlisted as Time magazine’s most influential people in the World twice in 2006 & 2015. In addition, she has also been listed in the World’s 100 most powerful women in Forbes magazine.

Due to her successful acting career, Reese Witherspoon is also one of the highest-paid actors. She has done many movies, especially in romance, drama, and comedy. She earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2010, too.

Reese Witherspoon

Quick facts

Full nameLaura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
NicknameReese
BirthdayMarch 22, 1976
Age 47 years old
Sun signAries
TraitsPositive: Energetic, enthusiastic, and giving nature
Negative: Short-tempered, selfish, and vanity
BirthplaceNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Currently residingNew Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
NationalityAmerican
ParentsJohn Draper Witherspoon,
Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Witherspoon
GrandparentsDorothea Draper Witherspoon (grandmother)
SiblingsJohn Witherspoon
Marital statusMarried
Spouse Jin Toth (husband)
Ryan Phillippe (ex-husband)
ChildrenAva Phillippe,
Deacon Phillippe,
Tennessee Toth
EducationBachelors in Stanford University,
High school in Harpeth Hall School,
Middle School in Harding Academy
Profession Actor, producer, entrepreneur, and businesswoman
Net worthUSD 240 million
Social mediaInstagram
Facebook
Twitter
ControversyArrested for disorderly conduct

Interesting facts

  • Reese spent the first five years of her life in Germany with her family.
  • She was a cheerleader for football and wrestling matches.
  • Reese got suspended for selling hair accessories in third grade.
  • Witherspoon dropped out of Stanford University after a year.
  • Reese loves to read books and states reading is her favorite hobby.
  • She published a cookbook named “Whiskey in a teacup” in 2018.
  • She has her own clothing company called “Draper James.”
  • Reese has a tattoo of two birds framing a star.
  • The names of her three dogs are Hank, Pepper, and Lou.
  • She played Jill Green in the famous 90s show Friends.
  • She welcomed her daughter Ava when she was 23 years old.
  • Reese hosted SNL when she was 25 years old.
  • She is a fan of old embroidery and also collects antique linens.

Reese Witherspoon parents

John Draper Witherspoon (father)

Reese wither spoon with her father and mother
Reese Withers spoons with her father and mother.

Reese Witherspoon is the second child of John Draper Witherspoon and Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Witherspoon. John was born in Georgia. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve. He worked as an otolaryngologist and retired in 2012. 

Furthermore, Reese is also a descendant of Scottish-born John Witherspoon, who signed the United States Declaration of Independence.

Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Witherspoon (mother)

Mary Elizabeth is a very talented woman herself and has three degrees. She has a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing and worked as a professor at Vanderbilt University. Unfortunately, her parents have been separated since 1996.

James and Dorothea Witherspoon (grandparents)

Jimmy and Dorothea Witherspoon grandparents of Reese
Jimmy and Dorothea Witherspoon, grandparents of Reese

Reese’s grandfather, William James Witherspoon, was in the US Army. He married Dorothea. They both loved and cared a lot for each other. They had two sons, and both of them followed their father and served their country; one joined Air Force and the other US Navy.

John D. Witherspoon (brother)

John Witherspoon brother of Reese
John Witherspoon, brother of Reese

Reese has only one sibling, John D. Witherspoon. However, she shared a rare picture of him on her Instagram during national sibling day. In addition, the throwback picture was of young Reese and her brother, and they looked adorable.

Before this, Reese had also posted a picture of her brother at a cafe in Nashville. They were enjoying doughnuts together. Deacon, Reese’s son, looks very much like his uncle John.

Relationships of Reese Witherspoon

Reese dated actor Jeremy Sisto in 1992. She then dated Chris O’Donnell 1993, who is also an actor. Reese and Mark Wahlberg dated each other for two years in 1995.

She then met Ryan Phillippe, with whom she got married and had two children. Unfortunately, they got separated after seven years of marriage. 

Reese then dated actor Jake Gyllenhall for two years in 2007. She began dating Jim Toth in 2010. She married him in 2011 and had a son a year later.

Ryan Phillippe (divorced)

Ex-husband Matthew Ryan Phillippe
Matthew Ryan Phillippe, ex-husband of Reese

Matthew Ryan Phillippe is an actor who has featured in some significant Hollywood movies. Some of the movies are I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and more. At her 21st party, Reese met actor Ryan Phillippe. They began dating and got engaged in December 1998. The couple then got married on June 5, 1999. 

They starred in the movie Cruel Intention together. During this time, Reese was six months pregnant. The couple has two children together. The couple ended their marriage in October 2006.

Jim Toth

Jim Toth with his wife
Jim Toth with his wife

After her divorce from Ryan, Reese then dated Jim Toth in February 2010. Jim is a talent agent and also owns a Creative Artists Agency. Soon the couple became engaged in December and married on March 26, 2011. 

The wedding took place at Libbey Ranch in Ojai, California. They have a son together.

Reese Witherspoon children

Ava Elizabeth Phillippe

Ava and Deacon with their father Ryan Phillippe
Ava and Deacon with their father, Ryan Phillippe

Reese and Ryan Phillippe welcomed their daughter on September 9, 1999. The name of her daughter is Ava Elizabeth Phillippe. Ava has already started to work on her career in the entertainment industry.

She has been featured in Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Extra with Billy Bush, and The Insider.

Deacon Reese Phillippe

Deacon Phillippe son of Reese and Ryan
Deacon Phillippe, son of Reese and Ryan

Reese and Ryan have a son named Deacon Reese Phillippe. He was born on October 23, 2003. Deacon is a music enthusiast. He is currently working on his music career.

He is 20 years old

Tennessee James Toth

Tennessee James Toth was born on September 27th, 2012 is the son of Reese and Jim Toth. He is the youngest son and the third child of, Reese.

Related: Read about Tennessee James Toth

Controversies

Reese Witherspoon and her husband Jim were arrested in 2013. A police officer noticed that Jim’s car drove on and off the lane. After that, he was asked for the vehicle to be pulled over.

During the conversation, Reese was rude to the policeman and was charged with disorderly conduct. She then pleaded no contest to obstruction. Unfortunately, she had to pay some fines.

Reese also apologized to the officer for her manner and said she was deeply ashamed of it. In addition, she explained that she was afraid for her husband, which led to such a response and behavior.

Reese Witherspoon career

Reese Witherspoon receiving awards
Reese Witherspoon receiving awards

Witherspoon came to the entertainment industry when she was just seven years old. Reese started modeling and was successful in landing a few commercials. She won the Ten-State Talent Fair when she was 11.

Witherspoon was 14 years old when she began her acting career. She wowed the audience through her performance in The Man In The Moon movie. The movie was released in 1991. She did two films in 1993, Jack the Bear & A Far off Place.

She then did several movies such as Fear, Freeway, Election, Cruel Intentions, etc.

Reese was in the movie Legally Blonde that came out in 2001. Her character of Elle Woods is still talked about to this day. Therefore, you will be happy to hear that its third sequel, Legally Blonde 3, will be released in 2022.

After that, Reese’s movie Sweet Home Alabama was also a significant hit at the box office. In addition, Reese won an Academy Award for her role in the movie Walk the Line. Witherspoon was also nominated for Oscars for her role in the movie Wild in 2014. In addition, she said that she played the part without any makeup as she wanted the character to show her raw face. Reese worked in many TV series as well. 

Reese was in The Mindy Project. She played the role of Madeline Martha Mackenzie in Big Little Lies alongside Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, etc. The show was a hit and even had an 8.5 rating on IMDB.

Reese Witherspoon starred in Little Fires Everywhere with actress Kerry Washington. She is also on The Morning Show with famous actress Jennifer Aniston and actor Steve Carell. Moreover, Reese and Jennifer have also worked together before in the show Friends. She played Jennifer’s spoiled sister. In addition, Reese said that she was very nervous about performing live in the show.

Witherspoon has won 54 awards in total and has been nominated for 114. In addition, she has won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Awards, SAG, etc., to name a few.

production company

Reese founded her first production company, Type A Films, in 2000. She later merged the company with Bruna Papandrea’s company. Furthermore, they co-created the company Pacific Standard, in 2012. They produced movies like Gone Girl, Wild, and TV series called Big Little Lies. She became the sole owner of the company after Bruna left in 2016.

In the year 2016, Reese Witherspoon and Seth Rodsky founded an American media company called Hello Sunshine. Moreover, the company focused on stories where females played the main character.

Hello Sunshine also created a book club in the name of Reese. The book club is called Reese’s Bookclub x Hello Sunshine. Moreover, she recommends a new book every month on the book club’s Instagram page in her book club.

The account has over 2 million followers on Instagram and more than 250k likes on Facebook. The main goal is to bring forward the stories of women and let them be heard.

Films and TV shows:

YearMovie TitleRole
1991The Man In the MoonDani Trant
1993Jack, the BearKaren Morris
1996FearNicole Walker
1999Cruel IntentionsAnnette Hargrove
2000American PsychoEvelyn Williams
2000FriendsJill Green
2001Legally BlondeElle Woods
2002Sweet Home AlabamaMelanie Smooter
2003Legally Blonde 2Elle Woods
2005Walk the LineJune Carter
2007RenditionIsabella Fields El-Ibrahimi
2009Monsters Vs. AliensSusan Murphy
2010How Do You KnowLisa
2011Water for ElephantsMarlena
2012This Means WarLauren
2014WildCheryl
2016SingRosita
2017-2019Big Little LiesMadaline Martha Mackenzie
2019-2021The Morning ShowBradley Jackson

The Net worth of Reese Witherspoon

Reese has earned quite a lot during the past couple of years. Being in the entertainment industry for many decades, Reese has become one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. As of 2021, she is estimated to have a net worth of 240 million dollars.

Social media

Reese Witherspoon is on social media- Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

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