Reese Witherspoon Biography

For the first four years of her life, Witherspoon lived in Germany due to her father’s military posting there before the whole family eventually returned to the United States to settle in Nashville, Tennessee.

Like many of her fellow Hollywood co-stars, Witherspoon began modelling at a mere seven-years-old. This led to television commercial roles before she landed her first significant acting part in The Man in the Moon in 1990 as a 14-year-old tomboy. Roles in the films Jack The Bear (1993) and Disney’s A Far Off Place (1993) followed.

After graduating from a private all girl’s school in 1994, Witherspoon decided to halt her acting career temporarily to attend Stanford University. Her intentions were short lived though as after just a year of studying, Witherspoon left to continue with her true ambitions on the acting path.

Taking the lead role of Wendy Pfister in the 1994 film, SFW, Witherspoon’s real break came when she starred alongside brat pack favourite, Kiefer Sutherland and Brooke Shields in the thriller Freeway (1996). Her part earned Witherspoon a Best Actress award at the Cognac Festival du Film Project- the first time the industry had taken notice of the young actress’s talents. The same year she also starred with Mark Wahlberg in the film Fear.

1998 was a breakthrough year for Witherspoon, making three films, of which two in particular were stand-out parts.

Witherspoon was first seen portraying the wayward daughter of Susan Sarandon and Gene Hackman in Twilight, then taking a less notable role in Overnight Delivery before finally meeting a milestone in her career in Gary Ross’s black and white 1959s drama, Pleasantville.

Witherspoon’s role as the kooky Jennifer earned her the Best Female Breakthrough Performance recognition at the Young Hollywood awards and immediately caught the critics’ attentions.

Witherspoon continued her climb up the success ladder in 1999 by playing the part of Alessandro Nivola’s lover in Best Laid Plans.

Witherspoon’s role of Tracey Flick in the dark satire Election (199) opposite Matthew Broderick was well received by the critics. Playing a fiercely ambitious high school president candidate, the part led to her first Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.