Reese Witherspoon

She began her career as a teenager, making her screen debut in The Man in the Moon (1991) at age 15. Her breakthrough came in 1999 with supporting roles in Cruel Intentions and Election, the latter earning her critical notice for playing Tracy Flick. She gained wider recognition as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (2001) and its 2003 sequel, and for Sweet Home Alabama (2002). In 2005, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. Following a downturn, she made a comeback by producing and starring in Wild (2014), earning a second Oscar nomination. She then shifted to television, producing and starring in Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and Little Fires Everywhere, and won a Primetime Emmy for the first. She also produced film adaptations like Gone Girl and Where the Crawdads Sing.

Beyond acting, Witherspoon owns the clothing company Draper James and serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund. She was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007. She has been named one of Time's 100 most influential people twice (2006, 2015) and among Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, Forbes named her the world's highest-earning actress with an estimated net worth of $400 million.

On a personal note, she was married to Ryan Phillippe from 1999 to 2007, with whom she has two children, and to Jim Toth from 2011 to 2023, with whom she has a son. She has spoken publicly about being sexually assaulted at 16 by a director. She stands 5'2", has blonde hair and blue eyes, and an average body type, with a star tattoo on her left belly. As of March 2026, she has 30.5 million Instagram followers.