Why did Reese Witherspoon change her name?

Reese is not even Reese Witherspoon’s middle name. The actress chose the stage name in honor of her mother, whose maiden name is Reese.

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon began seriously pursuing her acting career after enrolling at Stanford University.

Her earlier critical success includes roles such as Pleasantville and Election, however, it was her portrayal of Elle Woods in the 2001 box office hit “Legally Blonde” that was a turning point in her career.

Reese won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2005 for her role in Walk the Line (2005).

Her recent films are Water for Elephants (2011), This Means War (2012) and Wild (2014), for which she was nominated for another Oscar.

Reese also enjoyed success on the small screen as a producer and co-star of David E Kelley’s award-winning TV show — Big Little Lies.

She has been publicly going by her stage name for most of her life. The Oscar winner got her kickstart in the entertainment industry at the age of 7, when she starred in a florist’s commercial.

After seven years, she debuted in her feature in “The Man on the Moon” (1991), which catapulted her to stardom.

Born Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 22, 1976, to a physician and a nurse, she grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. She was a debutante and attended Harpeth Hall, a private all-girls high school.