Brown also highlights the actress's emphasis on maintaining her values in an industry that often has none. Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was astonishingly ambitious from a young age.

Reese Witherspoon is an Oscar-winning and Emmy-nominated actress and a successful producer, but she has become known for much more than just her work in movies and on television.

Born into an upper-crust family in New Orleans, Cora Bell Witherspoon (1890-1957) was an orphan by the age of 10 and a professional actress by 15.

Reese Witherspoon is an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur who rose to fame in the 1990s with her roles in films such as "Man in the Moon" and "Pleasantville.

THE STORY: Veronica, already scarred by too many failed relationships, finds the world a frightening place.

Not even out of her twenties, Reese Witherspoon has managed to successfully combine marriage, motherhood, and an acting career that includes roles in the hits "Cruel Intentions," "Legally Blonde," and "Sweet Home Alabama."