5 Things You Don't Know About Reese Witherspoon

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She rose to true A-list status with her role as the blonde sorority queen Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and won an Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. Here are five things you may not know about Reese Witherspoon, whose weekend run-in with the law is making headlines.

1. Born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon March 22, 1976 in New Orleans, LA, her father was a military surgeon and her mother a registered nurse.

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2. Studied English literature at Stanford University.

3. Landed the lead role in 1991's The Man in the Moon after answering a call for extras in her hometown newspaper.

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4. Campaigned for the role of Christine Collins in Changeling, the part that eventually went to Angelina Jolie.

5. Is a descendant of John Witherspoon, a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

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