Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976), known professionally as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991. In 1996, she appeared in Freeway, and starred in Pleasantville in 1998. For her role in 1999's Election, she earned a Golden Globe nomination.

2001 marked her career's turning point with the breakout role as Elle Woods in the box-office hit Legally Blonde, and in 2002 she starred in Sweet Home Alabama, which became her biggest commercial film success to date. 2003 saw her return as lead actress and executive producer of Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. In 2005, Witherspoon received worldwide attention and praise for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, which earned her an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role and the Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.