Reese Witherspoon is a fan favorite and critical darling. She recently won her first Academy Award for her portrayal as the wife of Johnny Cash in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line. Before her big break as an actress though, she was a student at Stanford University where she majored in English Literature.

Witherspoon dropped out of school almost immediately to star in two box-office duds. Embarrassing, huh? She probably considered going back and she should have. With her father as a military surgeon specializing in the ear, nose and throat and her mother earning a Ph.D. in pediatric nursing, Reese herself could have made her mark in the medical field.

Luckily for Reese, those initial duds had no influence on the rest of her acting career. Her roles in popular films like Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, Cruel Intentions, Pleasantville and Election made her a household name. There is no doubt that she will continue to be a successful actress.