Witherspoon, a native of Nashville, TN first garnered critical success with her 1991 feature debut in the film "The Man in the Moon" and the television movie "Wildflower." Throughout the 1990s Witherspoon established herself as an actress with roles in the modestly successful films Overnight Delivery, Pleasantville and Twilight. In 1999 Witherspoon was nominated for her role in the critically-acclaimed film Election.

Also during 1999 Witherspoon married her "Cruel Intentions" co-star, fellow American actor Ryan Phillippe. Shortly after their nuptials the pair welcomed a daughter Ava.

It wasn't until 2001 that Witherspoon landed the role of Elle Woods in the smash hit "Legally Blonde", which catapulted the actress into superstardom. The film is her biggest commercial success to date. In 2005 Witherspoon again received rave reviews from fans and critics alike for her performance in the Johnny Cash bio-pic "Walk the Line," in which Witherspoon earned an Academy Award for Best Actress along with a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award among other awards.

Following the successful of "Legally Blonde" Teen People magazine ranked the actress No. 5 on the magazine's list of most powerful young Hollywood actors. The next year Time magazine listed Witherspoon among the magazine's annual Time 100 most influential people list. Witherspoon later appeared on the annual Celebrity 100 list compiled by Forbes magazine in 2006 and 2007. Forbes magazine also listed Witherspoon on their annual "Top 10 Trustworthy Celebrities" list.

Witherspoon and Phillippe welcomed a son child, son Deacon in 2003. Witherspoon and Phillippe made celebrity magazine headlines in 2005 in many celebrity magazines like Us Weekly, People, Life & Style and Star magazine for openly discussing their relationship counseling in 2005.

In 2006, the celebrity magazine Star fabricated a story that Witherspoon was pregnant with her third child, which led to Witherspoon suing the magazine's parent company, American Media Inc for privacy violation.

People magazine has also repeatedly featured Witherspoon in its annual "100 Most Beautiful People" issues as well as People magazine's annual "Best Dressed" issue. That same year, Witherspoon established herself as the highest-paid actress in the American film industry, earning $15 to $20 million per film, according the entertainment magazine The Hollywood Reporter.

In October 2006, Witherspoon and Phillippe announced their plans to formally separate after seven years of marriage. The following month, Witherspoon filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In September 2007, Witherspoon spoke openly about the separation for the first time when she told Elle magazine that the divorce was "a difficult and frightening experience" for her. Witherspoon and Phillippe's final divorce documents were granted by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2007.

Throughout 2007, there was persistent speculation in the celebrity media about a romantic relationship between Witherspoon and her "Rendition" co-star Jake Gyllenhaal. The pair denied the rumors while promoting "Rendition." Witherspoon personally confirmed her relationship with Gyllenhaal in an interview for the November 2008 issue of Vogue magazine, calling her boyfriend "very supportive."

In addition to her acting, Witherspoon owns a production company named Type A Films. She is also actively involved in children's and women's advocacy organizations. She serves on the board of the Children's Defense Fund and was named Global Ambassador of Avon Products in 2007, serving as honorary chairman of the charitable Avon Foundation.

Witherspoon is currently starring in the holiday comedy "Four Christmases" with Vince Vaughn, which topped the American box office totals for the competitive Thanksgiving weekend. Entertainment Weekly magazine gave the comedy a fair review.