Reese Witherspoon
Born: 1976-03-22 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2006 and 2015, and Forbes listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest earning actress, and in 2023, she was named one of the richest women in America with an estimated net worth of $440 million. Witherspoon began her career as a teenager, making her screen debut in The Man in the Moon (1991). Her breakthrough came in 1999 with a supporting role in Cruel Intentions, and for her portrayal of Tracy Flick in the black comedy Election. She gained wider recognition for playing Elle Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) and its 2003 sequel, and for starring in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama (2002). She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying June Carter Cash in the musical biopic Walk the Line (2005). Following a career downturn, during which her sole box-office success was the romantic drama Water for Elephants (2011), Witherspoon made a comeback by producing and starring as Cheryl Strayed in the drama Wild (2014), which earned her a second nomination for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. She has since worked primarily in television, producing and starring in several female-led literary adaptations under her company Hello Sunshine. These include the HBO drama series Big Little Lies (2017–2019), the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show (2019–present), and the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere (2020). For the first of these, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. She has also produced the film adaptations Gone Girl (2014) and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), and the miniseries adaptation Daisy Jones & the Six (2023). Witherspoon also owns Reese's Book Club and a clothing company, Draper James. She is involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chair of the charitable Avon Foundation dedicated to women's causes.
Filmography
2027
- The Nightingale ... (Producer)
2026
- Outcome ... (Thanks)
- Lucky ... (Executive Producer)
- Elle ... (Executive Producer)
- The Rise: The Inaugural Season of the PWHL ... (Executive Producer)
2025
- You're Cordially Invited as Margot
- F1: The Academy as Executive Producer
- Family Recipe Showdown as Guest Judge
- The Rise ... (Executive Producer)
- All We Ever Wanted ... (Producer)
2024
- The Pasta Queen ... (Executive Producer)
- Influenced ... (Executive Producer)
- Side Hustlers ... (Executive Producer)
- Meet Me in Rome ... (Executive Producer)
2023
- The Last Thing He Told Me ... (Executive Producer)
- Daisy Jones & the Six ... (Executive Producer)
- Your Place or Mine as Debbie
- Tiny Beautiful Things ... (Executive Producer)
- My Kind of Country as Self
- Surf Girls ... (Executive Producer)
- Being Mary Tyler Moore as Self (voice)
- June as Self
- Meet Me in Paris ... (Executive Producer)
- Love in Fairhope ... (Executive Producer)
- Wynonna Judd: Between Hell and Hallelujah ... (Executive Producer)
2022
- Surface ... (Executive Producer)
- Where the Crawdads Sing ... (Producer)
- From Scratch ... (Executive Producer)
- Minions & More 2 as Rosita (voice)
- Something from Tiffany's ... (Producer)
- Fair Play ... (Executive Producer)
2021
- Sing 2 as Rosita (voice)
- Friends: The Reunion as Self
- Come Home as Rosita (voice)
2020
- The Drew Barrymore Show as Self
- Little Fires Everywhere as Elena Richardson
- Get Organized with The Home Edit
- Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish) as Self
- Becoming as Self
- My Darling Vivian as Self (archive footage)
- Fierce Queens as Narrator (voice)
- Her Effortless Brilliance: A Celebration of Lynn Shelton Through Film and Music as Self
2019
- The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self - Guest
- The Morning Show as Bradley Jackson
- Truth Be Told ... (Executive Producer)
- Lucy in the Sky ... (Producer)
- This Changes Everything as Self
2018
- A Wrinkle in Time as Mrs. Whatsit
- Shine On with Reese as Self - Host
- Master the Mess ... (Executive Producer)
2017
- Big Little Lies as Madeline Mackenzie
- Home Again as Alice Kinney
- Gunter Babysits as Rosita (voice)
- Election - Reese Witherspoon as Self
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self - Guest
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- The Muppets as Self
- Hot Pursuit as Officer Rose 'Coop' Cooper
- Nature Is Speaking as Home
- Everything Is Copy as Self
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
- Gone Girl ... (Producer)
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- Inherent Vice as Deputy D.A. Penny Kimball
- Wild as Cheryl Strayed
- The Good Lie as Carrie Davis
- 9 Kisses as Woman at Costume Party
2013
- Mud as Juniper
- Devil's Knot as Pam Hobbs
- Monsters vs Aliens Stories
2012
- The Mindy Project as Reese Witherspoon
- This Means War as Lauren
- Dreamworks Spooky Stories as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)
2011
- Water for Elephants as Marlena Rosenbluth
2010
- Conan as Self - Guest
- How Do You Know as Lisa Jorgenson
2009
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- Monsters vs Aliens as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)
- The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- Legally Blondes ... (Producer)
- Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)
2008
- Four Christmases as Kate
2007
- The Graham Norton Show as Self
- Rendition as Isabella Fields El-Ibrahimi
- Penelope as Annie
2005
- Just Like Heaven as Dr. Elizabeth Masterson
- Walk the Line as June Carter
- I Walk the Line: A Night for Johnny Cash as Self
2004
- Vanity Fair as Becky Sharp
2003
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde as Elle Woods
- DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice)
- Freedom: A History of Us as Factory Girl
2002
- American Idol as Self
- Sweet Home Alabama as Melanie Smooter
- The Importance of Being Earnest as Cecily Cardew
2001
- Legally Blonde as Elle Woods
- Revealed with Jules Asner
- The Trumpet of the Swan as Serena (voice)
2000
- American Psycho as Evelyn Williams
- Little Nicky as Holly
1999
- Cruel Intentions as Annette Hargrove
- Rove as Self
- Election as Tracy Enid Flick
- Best Laid Plans as Lissa
- Teen Choice Awards as Self
1998
- TRL
- Pleasantville as Jennifer
- Twilight as Mel Ames
- Overnight Delivery as Ivy Miller
1997
- King of the Hill as Debbie (voice)
- The View as Self
1996
- The Daily Show as Self - Guest
- Fear as Nicole Walker
- Freeway as Vanessa Lutz
1995
- S.F.W. as Wendy Pfister
1994
- Friends as Jill Green
1993
- Late Show with David Letterman as Self - Guest
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- Return to Lonesome Dove as Ferris Dunnigan
- Jack the Bear as Karen Morris
- A Far Off Place as Nonnie Parker
1992
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Desperate Choices: To Save My Child as Cassie Robbins
1991
- The Man in the Moon as Danielle "Dani" Trant
- Wildflower as Ellie Perkins
1989
- The Simpsons as Greta (voice)
1981
- Entertainment Tonight as Self
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
- People's Choice Awards as Self - Winner
1973
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1952
- Today as Self