50 interesting facts about Reese Witherspoon: Why she called her production company 'Type A', her obsession with Tupperware and embroidery

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Reese Witherspoon was introduced to the world of acting at a young age and has gone on to win numerous awards and worldwide recognition for her film performances. She has three children and has been married twice. Here are 50 interesting facts about this talented and beautiful actress.

1. Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was born March 22, 1976 in New Orleans.

2. A little known fact about Reese Witherspoon is that "Reese" is actually her mother's maiden name.

3. Her father was a lieutenant colonel in the US Army, the family- mother Betty, brother John Junior and her, spent her first four birthdays living in Wiesbaden, Germany.

4. Both her parents trained in the medical profession. Her father was an otolaryngologist while her mother was a paediatric nurse and professor of nursing.

5. When they moved back to the States, they lived in Nashville, Tennessee.

6. She is a descendant of John Witherspoon, one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

7. She attended the prestigious Harpeth Hall School For Girls where she excelled. Her parents nicknamed her "Little Miss Type A" in reference to her being highly driven and it was her childhood nickname.

8. Her first entry into the spotlight was at age 7 when friends of her parents chose seven-year-old Reese as a model for their flower shop advertisement. The girl loved doing the gig so much, that she started taking acting lessons.

9. By the time Reese was thirteen, she was doing television ads for companies like Ames and Opryland.

10. 'The Man in the Moon' was Reese Witherspoon's film debut, she got the part answering an open casting call in Nashville, Tennessee for extras, but landed the lead.

11. The couple had a daughter, Ava Elizabeth, in 1999, who is named after Ryan's grandmother, and a son Deacon, born in 2003. "I take motherhood seriously... I just try to take care of the kids first, sort out their lives and make sure everything is good...If the kids are happy, the parents are happy!" she said once in an interview.

12. She named her son after ex-Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Deacon Phillippe, a relative of Ryan.

13. At the Oscars, when Witherspoon and Phillippe present an award, Phillippe handed the envelope to her and cracks, "You make more money than I do. Go ahead." The remark sparked rumors of jealousy.

14. "Vanity Fair" director Mira Nair told Reese Witherspoon to get pregnant for her role as a joke because the actress was so slim, but during production, Witherspoon announced she was expecting.

15. Unfortunately, the marriage to Phillippe didn't last and they divorced in 2007.

16. Grossing a surprise $140 million, the film Legally Blonde catapults Witherspoon to leading-lady status. The 2003 sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, earns the star a $15 million paycheck.

17. Shoe designer Jimmy Choo made 63 pairs of shoes out of man-made materials for 'Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde,' in order to be animal-friendly. Witherspoon asked to keep all of the shoes and designer clothing she wore in the film.

18. However Witherspoon picked up the pieces, dating Rendition costar Jake Gyllenhaal, for two years, before giving marriage a second chance with Hollywood agent Jim Toth.

19. She collects antique linens and embroidery.

20. She starred as the sister to Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) in two episodes of Friends in 2000.

21. Reese was the first to host Saturday Night Live following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

22. She was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2002.

23. Reese spent six months learning how to sing before she filmed Walk the Line. She portrayed June Carter Cash in the movie, and sang all the songs in her own voice in front of a live audience.

24. Those singing lessons definitely paid off because she was approached by a few companies to record music after they heard her singing voice.

25. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon performed all of the songs in "Walk the Line" themselves and learned to play their instruments (guitar and auto-harp respectively) with no prior experience.

26. Reese Witherspoon is one of eight actresses to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Julia Roberts for 'Erin Brockovich,' Renee Zellweger for 'Cold Mountain,' Helen Mirren for 'The Queen,' Jennifer Hudson for 'Dreamgirls,' Kate Winslet for 'The Reader,' Mo'Nique for 'Precious' and Natalie Portman for 'Black Swan.'

27. Witherspoon is the second actress to win the best actress Oscar for portraying a female singer in a biography - the first was Sissy Spacek for 'Coal Miner's Daughter.'

28. In her acceptance speech for the Oscar for 'Best Actress' in 2005, she singled out her grandmother as being "one of the biggest inspirations in [her] life".

29. Reese runs her own production company which is named "Type A Films."

30. Type A's first project was 2008's romantic fable Penelope, starring Christina Ricci as a pig-faced girl looking for true love.

31. She is an animal lover and she has a bulldog named "Frank Sinatra" and a French bulldog named "Coco Chanel" and she likes to put pearl necklaces on Coco. Frank appeared in the Reese' movie 'Legally Blonde.'

32. She is a self-confessed book worm. Her favorite book is The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, a book she says "deals with religion and life and love and war"... but obviously not the law about (alleged) disorderly conduct!

33. She has friends in high places! Witherspoon became close friends with the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton after meeting her at a charity event in 2011. Middleton's favorite films are said to include Legally Blonde and Walk the Line, and the pair have apparently shared contact details and sent emails ever since.

34. Reese turned down a role in Scream, Urban Legend and Romeo + Juliet which she says she regrets.

35. Witherspoon appeared in four movies bearing the names of songs: 'Jack the Bear,' 'Sweet Home Alabama,' 'Just Like Heaven' and 'Walk the Line.'

36. Reese married CAA agent Jim Toth in March 2011 at her 6-acre ranch in Ojai, Calif.

37. Witherspoon and her second husband, talent agent Jim Toth, welcomed a baby boy in September 2012.

38. Reese and her husband Jim were arrested in April 2013 on suspicion of driving under the influence in Atlanta, according to TMZ. She s got into an argument with police officers following Toth's arrest. Officers told her twice to stay in the vehicle, but she refused. Witherspoon was supposedly annoyed at how long her husband's arrest was taking and is reported to have asked a police officer "Do you know my name?"

39. She is a joker at heart! Witherspoon once joked to Elle magazine: "Why do Southern women make bad prostitutes? Cuz we have to write so many thank-you notes!"

40. Witherspoon is "obsessed with Tupperware," she told People in an interview that she is unable to , walk by a Container Store without stopping.

41. Reese is the Global Ambassador of Avon Products.

42. Her net worth is at an estimated $80 million.