Reese Witherspoon is an American actress and producer known for her roles in Big Little Lies, Your Place or Mine, Cruel Intentions, Wild, Sweet Home Alabama, Home Again, Walk the Line, Hot Pursuit, The Morning Show, Friends, Devil’s Knot, PleasantVille, Elections, Four Christmases, Vanity Fair, Legally Blondes, The Good Lie, Rendition, Gone Girl, A Far Off Place, and Penelope.
Reese was born on March 22, 1976, in Louisiana and began her acting career in 1990. Her debut film was The Man in the Moon, which came in 1991; it was not a big hit but a good start for her. She finally made her breakthrough in the industry in 1999 by playing a supporting role in Cruel Intentions.
Witherspoon became popular in the early 2000s and appeared in several hit films, including Election and the comedy movie, Legally Blonde, which opened many new doors for her. In 2005, Witherspoon won her first Oscar for her role as June Carter Cash in the musical biopic, Walk the Line.
She has also worked as a producer and owns her own clothing company, Draper James. Reese also spends her time in some philanthropic work and works in collaboration with women and children’s rights advocates with multiple organizations.
The actress married twice; unfortunately, both marriages ended in divorce. Her first marriage was with her Cruel Intentions costar, Ryan Phillippe – the couple tied the knot in 1999 after dating for two years and were recognized a popular Hollywood ‘it’ couple in the late 1990s.
“I don’t know what came over me — maybe the seven Midori sours — but I told him, ‘I think you’re my birthday present. He thought it was so flattering and now that I think about it … how embarrassing!” Reese told Jane Magazine in 1998.
In 1998, they got engaged and exchanged vows in a lavish wedding ceremony in 1999. At the time of their marriage, Witherspoon was already pregnant with their daughter, Ava.
On September 9, 1999, Reese gave birth to her eldest daughter, Ava. She was only 23 at the time.
“To be completely candid, I was terrified too,” she once said during an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I got pregnant when I was 22 years old, and I didn’t know how to balance work and motherhood, you just do it.”
She added, “I was just like every other mom and dad trying to figure it out.”
Reese and Ryan welcomed their second child, son Deacon, four years later.
In 2006, the couple announced their separation, and Reese applied for divorce, which was finalized two years later.
“There were a good four or five months of not being able to get out of bed,” Phillippe said in an interview. “It was the worst time of my life. You get through it. It’s a process that’s not easy, but I get less and less sad about it every day.”
After parting ways with Ryan, the Legally Blonde star started going out with Jim Toth after meeting him at a party in 2010. They got engaged in 2011 and eventually tied the knot later that year.
The following year, Reese and Jim welcomed their first and only baby together, Tennessee James.
“Reese Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth welcomed Tennessee James into their family today,” a rep for the actress told PEOPLE at the time. “Both mom and baby are healthy and the entire family is thrilled.”
Last month, the Friends alum applied for divorce from her second husband, Jim Toth, two days before their 12th wedding anniversary.
“We have some personal news to share,” Reese announced the news via her Instagram account.
“It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness, and mutual respect for everything we have created together.”
She added, “Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.”
An insider close to the star revealed to PEOPLE that it was very difficult for her to accept that she and Toth are two very different people.
As for her kids, the beautiful blonde actress is a mom of three beautiful children – two sons and one daughter. Her daughter Ava, is the eldest, and she is the mirror image of her gorgeous mama. Ava is 23 years old and has no plans to follow in the footsteps of her star parents.
Ava Phillippe has graduated from UC Berkeley, California. She has amazing fashion sense and artistic skills, which she often showcases on her Instagram account, with over 1 million people following her.
The gorgeous blonde is a carbon copy of her mother, and often shares pictures of them together, along with sharing her artwork and other stuff she is passionate about, on her social media accounts.
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Sources: PEOPLE – The Drew Barrymore Show – Instagram