Reese Witherspoon
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.
Known For
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Simpsons
1989
The Daily Show
1996
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
Conan
2010
Saturday Night Live
1975
The View
1997
Filmography
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
as Self - Guest · 2009
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self · 2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self - Guest · 2015
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
The Simpsons
as Greta (voice) · 1989
The Daily Show
as Self - Guest · 1996
The Kelly Clarkson Show
as Self - Guest · 2019
Late Show with David Letterman
as Self - Guest · 1993
Conan
as Self - Guest · 2010
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
The View
as Self · 1997
The View
as Self - Guest · 1997
The Graham Norton Show
as Self · 2007
Friends
as Jill Green · 1994
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self · 2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self - Guest · 2003
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
· 1988
King of the Hill
as Debbie (voice) · 1997
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self - Guest · 1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
· 1992
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
as Self · 2003
American Idol
as Self · 2002
The Drew Barrymore Show
as Self · 2020
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
as Self · 2014
The Mindy Project
as Reese Witherspoon · 2012
The Morning Show
as Bradley Jackson · 2019
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
as Self · 2015
Chelsea
as Self · 2016
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
Today
as Self · 1952
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
as Self - Guest · 2009
People's Choice Awards
as Self - Winner · 1975
American Psycho
as Evelyn Williams · 2000
Big Little Lies
as Madeline Mackenzie · 2017
Sing
as Rosita (voice) · 2016
Monsters vs Aliens
as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice) · 2009
Sing 2
as Rosita (voice) · 2021
Entertainment Tonight
as Self · 1981
TRL
· 1998
Legally Blonde
as Elle Woods · 2001
The Muppets
as Self · 2015
Rove
as Self · 1999
Cruel Intentions
as Annette Hargrove · 1999
A Wrinkle in Time
as Mrs. Whatsit · 2018
Just Like Heaven
as Dr. Elizabeth Masterson · 2005
Your Place or Mine
as Debbie · 2023
Wild
as Cheryl Strayed · 2014
You're Cordially Invited
as Margot · 2025
Little Fires Everywhere
as Elena Richardson · 2020
Inherent Vice
as Deputy D.A. Penny Kimball · 2014
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
as Self · 1973
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
as Elle Woods · 2003
This Means War
as Lauren · 2012
Revealed with Jules Asner
· 2001
Fear
as Nicole Walker · 1996
Sweet Home Alabama
as Melanie Smooter · 2002
Walk the Line
as June Carter · 2005
Hot Pursuit
as Officer Rose 'Coop' Cooper · 2015
Four Christmases
as Kate · 2008
Little Nicky
as Holly · 2000
How Do You Know
as Lisa · 2010
Minions & More 2
as Rosita (voice) · 2022
The Good Lie
as Carrie Davis · 2014
Home Again
as Alice Kinney · 2017
Return to Lonesome Dove
as Ferris Dunnigan · 1993
Water for Elephants
as Marlena Rosenbluth · 2011
Get Organized with The Home Edit
· 2020
DreamWorks 6 Spooky Stories Collection
as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice) · 2003
Mud
as Juniper · 2013
The Man in the Moon
as Danielle "Dani" Trant · 1991
Pleasantville
as Jennifer · 1998
Devil's Knot
as Pam Hobbs · 2013
Penelope
as Annie · 2007
My Kind of Country
as Self · 2023
Friends: The Reunion
as Self · 2021
Vanity Fair
as Becky Sharp · 2004
Election
as Tracy Flick · 1999
Nature Is Speaking
as Home · 2015
Rendition
as Isabella Fields El-Ibrahimi · 2007
Being Mary Tyler Moore
as Self (voice) · 2023
Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space
as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice) · 2009
A Far Off Place
as Nonnie Parker · 1993
Shine On with Reese
as Self - Host · 2018
Freeway
as Vanessa Lutz · 1996
Twilight
as Mel Ames · 1998
Best Laid Plans
as Lissa · 1999
The Importance of Being Earnest
as Cecily Cardew · 2002
The Trumpet of the Swan
as Serena (voice) · 2001
This Changes Everything
as Self · 2019
Gunter Babysits
as Rosita (voice) · 2017
Overnight Delivery
as Ivy Miller · 1998
Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish)
as Self (uncredited) · 2020
F1: The Academy
as Executive Producer · 2025
Family Recipe Showdown
as Guest Judge · 2025
Celebrating the Man in Black: The Making of Walk the Line
as Self · 2006
My Darling Vivian
as Self (archive footage) · 2020
Desperate Choices: To Save My Child
as Cassie Robbins · 1992
Jack the Bear
as Karen Morris · 1993
Becoming
as Self · 2020
Everything Is Copy
as Self · 2015
Adam Sandler Goes to Hell
as Self · 2001
Freedom: A History of Us
as Susan Magoffin · 2003
Freedom: A History of Us
as Sarah Raymond · 2003
Freedom: A History of Us
as Factory Girl · 2003
Wildflower
as Ellie Perkins · 1991
Monsters vs Aliens Stories
· 2013
Her Effortless Brilliance: A Celebration of Lynn Shelton Through Film and Music
as Self · 2020
9 Kisses
as Woman at Costume Party · 2014
Come Home
as Rosita (voice) · 2021
Dreamworks Spooky Stories
as Susan Murphy / Ginormica (voice) · 2012
S.F.W.
as Wendy Pfister · 1995
Fierce Queens
as Narrator (voice) · 2020
I Walk the Line: A Night for Johnny Cash
as Self · 2005
June
as Self · 2023
Tiny Trailblazers
as Fern
Teen Choice Awards
as Self · 1999
Orange is the new pink
as Elle Woods · 2026
Wish List
Election - Reese Witherspoon
as Self · 2017