Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
There seem to be a couple of real basic details wrong all over the place about the reigning Oscar-confirmed best actress in the land Reese Witherspoon, especially regarding her birthplace and even the spelling of her name. Let's see if we can get this straight.
Her birth name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. That's Jeanne, not Jean. She was born on March 22, 1976, in New Orleans at the former Southern Baptist Hospital (now Memorial Medical Center). Baton Rouge often has been listed as her birthplace, but her father John Witherspoon was, at that time in fact, a medical resident at Tulane.
I confess to having been among those repeating wrong info, and thank Witherspoon family friend Aaron Martin for explaining these details to me, which he also wrote up as part of an Oscar preview for Tulane University Magazine.
For specific documentation on the name, you may also reference marriage license number 1999002007 from the Probate Court of Charleston County, South Carolina where Miss Reese married Matthew Ryan Phillippe in 1999.
I do hate making plain factual errors like this, but it happens. It's not like I'm Dan Rather purposely propagating a malicious forgery, but still. On the other hand, even the usually authoritative source IMDB has these Reese details wrong as of this writing. I blame them.
Besides that, it's good to see Miss Reese get a well-deserved Oscar for her part in the outstanding Walk the Line. That's at least one thing they got both popular and right this year.
Despite my major interest in Johnny Cash and June Carter though, my favorite Reese Witherspoon movie is still the criminally under-appreciated 1996 Freeway, co-starring the wicked Kiefer Sutherland.
I had to get in a little plug for this unheralded classic. For one thing, it has my favorite piece of dialogue ever from her mouth, just as she's ready to put a bullet into Kiefer's head. Her practical judgment about the guy's mental condition from that same scene is a close second.
Anyway, congratulations to Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon from New Orleans, the Oscar-certified best actress in the land.
Article comments
1 - Joanie
Congrats! This article has been submitted to Advance.net
2 - Trinket
Ah, someone else that loved her in Freeway, way back when!
3 - Steve C.
After the Oscars ended, I immediately popped in my DVD of "Freeway" and reveled in the glory of young Reese. How come nobody remembers how adept she is with the word 'motherfucker', herself included?
4 - chantal stone
i don't think i've seen a Reese movie that i DIDN'T love. she's an amazing and versatile actress. Freeway was great, but my Reese fav, i think, is Election.
5 - Phillip Winn
Election is a work of genius, and Reese managed to make even Sweet Home Alabama un-excruciating, which I regard as a minor miracle.
6 - Justene
I love Reese Witherspoon romantic comedies. I have watched Sweet Home Alabama more than once and could see Just Like Heaven again. Most movies in that genre are just things I accompany my daughter to.
7 - El Bicho
Have to concur with Election.
8 - CF
mild spoilers for Freeway?
9 - -E
Freeway is one of my fave movies in general, let alone from Reese. But Election is probably my second fave of hers. I personally am not a huge fan of romantic comedies, but I can tolerate hers most of the time.
10 - Al Barger
"mild spoilers for Freeway?"
Freeway is an extremely darkly comic movie casting Reese as Little Red Riding Hood and Kiefer as the Big Bad Wolf.
Her crack whore mother has been arrested and teenage Reese has run away rather than go back to foster care.
Stranded on the freeway, she gets a ride from what turns out to be the I-5 killer.
11 - Victor Plenty
It's not clear from CF's wording whether comment #8 was a request for more spoilers from Freeway, or was a request for a warning about the spoilers to which the main article is already linked.
12 - Scott Butki
She's so-so but not amazing. I'm not sure why you think she's so great.
13 - Al Barger
I don't think I've ever described her as "amazing." I'm not saying that she'll make you forget all about Jodie Foster or anything, but she is a skilled actress who's been in at least a couple of particularly outstanding films. Again, specifically as a showcase for her talent, I recommend Freeway.
14 - RogerMDillon
Chantal described her as "amazing" (#4), but then she is looking forward to seeing more Ryan Seacrest, so take from that what you will.
15 - Scott Butki
I stand corrected.
She was great in Election.
16 - Al Barger
I've only really ever about half watched Election. I'm going to have to give that a proper viewing here pretty soon.
17 - Bliffle
Witherspoon was good in "Election", but otherwise seems to be a small talent, IMO.
Why the offhanded slam at Dan Rather? I'm not aware that he purposely lied. Is this just part of the Rovian Persistent Slander technique (Goebbels-like) of incessant personal denunciation?
18 - Dawn
Lots of famous people have erroneous facts posted about them. I would imagine lots of them either propagate this "bad" information or are at least benignly unconcerned. It might be just the thing to keep rabid fans from stalking them and posting their marriage license number in a public forum.
19 - Al Barger
Bliffle, re: Calling Dan Rather a liar? "Is this just part of the Rovian Persistent Slander technique (Goebbels-like) of incessant personal denunciation?" No, it's calling a spade a spade. Plus, it underlines the idea that people on the internet often try to show more integrity to the truth than the so-called professionals.
Plus, Dan Rather's clear and inarguable act of bad faith NEEDS to be stuck up in him and CBS and broke off repeatedly for maximum impact. They were trying to throw a presidential election by purely dishonest means, and they got caught. I'm not sure what a newsroom could possibly do worse. No one involved should ever, ever be allowed to live that down.
Marriage licenses are basic government documents, and matters of public record. It's asinine to accuse me of aiding stalkers, which is the obvious implication here. Marriage license info from the county is hardly a tool for stalkers. Plus, it's good form to try to get basic biographical information right.
20 - Bullet in the head
I really liked Freeway as well, I like the sequel Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby as well ... although Reese is not in it.
21 - Al Barger
Should I feel chastised and intimidated by your mindless impudence? If a fool assumes a hostile air on MY story thread for no reason and with no legitimate point, I see little purpose in affecting a display of not just un- but DIS-earned respect.
Also, you missed at least half the point of the story. Your reading comprehension is lacking here. Let me explain to you perhaps a little more simply- which is an unfortunate necessity in that this was not that complicated to begin with.
This modest news story (as opposed to, say, a film review) basically just corrects two common specific biographical mistakes. She did NOT "adjust" her name, it's just that some people are not spelling it correctly. It's "Jeanne" not "Jean." That was the clearly stated point about her name.
The other basic specific point that was stated clearly and that you should have gotten was the city of her birth. She was born in New Orleans, not Baton Rouge.
Got it? Good.
22 - Christopher Rose
Seven action-packed rounds though, I reckon MCH. Plus I reckon Al might be a slow starter but once he gets going - be afraid, very afraid!
23 - MCH
I heard he hits like a girl.
24 - Dawn
Offensive words from both sides have been deleted, nothing to see here, move along.
(P.S. It's not very nice to encourage physical violence.)