Elle Woods

Elle Woods
Reese Witherspoon played Elle Woods in the first two Legally Blonde films
First appearance	Legally Blonde
Last appearance	Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
Created by	Amanda Brown
Portrayed by	Reese Witherspoon
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Lawyer
Nationality	American

Elle Woods is a character and the protagonist of Amanda Brown's novel Legally Blonde and the film of the same name.

Woods was portrayed in two films by Reese Witherspoon. In a Broadway theatre adaptation of the first film, Legally Blonde - The Musical, Woods has been portrayed by eight different actresses in different stagings of the show. They were Gabby Cinque, Olivia Mezzerina, Laura Bell Bundy, Bailey Hanks, Becky Gulsvig, Jessica Jung, Nikki Bohne, Luna Park, Jung Eun-ji, and in the West End by Sheridan Smith OBE (who was later to be replaced by her Legally Blonde co-star Susan McFadden). From 11th July 2011 Carley Stenson took over the role of Elle Woods with Susan McFadden leaving the show.

Entertainment Weekly put Elle Woods on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "She's blond, bubbly, and carries a tiny Chihuahua. But despite the inevitable Paris Hilton comparisons, Reese Witherspoon's Legally Blonde dynamo managed to be taken seriously. Case closed!"

The character is mentioned, but not seen in a later direct-to-video sequel, Legally Blondes, which portrays the adventures of her two British cousins.

Elle Woods is also the basis of a series of young adult fiction novels featuring the character and written by Natalie Standiford.