Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American
actress, producer, and entrepreneur. The recipient of various
accolades, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a
Primetime Emmy Award, she is one of the highest-paid actresses in the
world as of 2019. 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.Born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Witherspoon
began her career as a teenager, making her screen debut in The Man in
the Moon (1991). Following a leading role opposite Mark Wahlberg in
Fear (1996), 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 her role as Elle
Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) and its 2003 sequel, and for
her starring role in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama (2002). In
2005, she garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of June Carter
Cash in the biographical musical film Walk the Line, which won her the
Academy Award for Best Actress.Witherspoon then starred in several
critically and commercially unsuccessful comedies, during which her
sole box-office success was the romantic drama Water for Elephants
(2011). She 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. Witherspoon has since begun
work in television, by producing and starring in the HBO drama series
Big Little Lies (2017â€"2019), the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning
Show (2019â€"present), and the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere
(2020). For the first of these, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Limited Series.
actress, producer, and entrepreneur. The recipient of various
accolades, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a
Primetime Emmy Award, she is one of the highest-paid actresses in the
world as of 2019. 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.Born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Witherspoon
began her career as a teenager, making her screen debut in The Man in
the Moon (1991). Following a leading role opposite Mark Wahlberg in
Fear (1996), 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 her role as Elle
Woods in the comedy Legally Blonde (2001) and its 2003 sequel, and for
her starring role in the romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama (2002). In
2005, she garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of June Carter
Cash in the biographical musical film Walk the Line, which won her the
Academy Award for Best Actress.Witherspoon then starred in several
critically and commercially unsuccessful comedies, during which her
sole box-office success was the romantic drama Water for Elephants
(2011). She 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. Witherspoon has since begun
work in television, by producing and starring in the HBO drama series
Big Little Lies (2017â€"2019), the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning
Show (2019â€"present), and the Hulu miniseries Little Fires Everywhere
(2020). For the first of these, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for
Outstanding Limited Series.
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