REESE WITHERSPOON

It wasn’t too long ago that Reese Witherspoon was attending Harpeth Hall, an all-girls private school in Nashville. Then she made a commercial for a florist in Nashville, took some acting classes at Belmont University, and moved to California. Next thing we all knew she was appearing in movies, starting with low-budget films and being very selective about what she did and didn’t do on screen. Her big break came when she starred in the 1998 film Pleasantville, and with the 2001 movie Legally Blonde she became a superstar. So the next time you see her in a movie, you can take pride in the fact that her Tennessee accent is real.

By the way, Reese Witherspoon is a direct descendant of John Witherspoon, who was president of Princeton University and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.