Ryan Phillippe | |
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Phillippe in April 2011
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Born |
Matthew Ryan Phillippe September 10, 1974 New Castle, Delaware, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor, director, writer |
Years active | 1992–present |
Spouse(s) | Reese Witherspoon (m. 1999; div. 2007) |
Children | 3 |
Matthew Ryan Phillippe (/ˈfɪlᵻpi/; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor, director, and writer. After appearing as Billy Douglas on the soap opera One Life to Live, he came to fame in the late 1990s with starring roles in a string of films, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, and 54. In the 2000s, he appeared in several films, including Gosford Park (2001), Crash (2004), and war drama Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Breach (2007), and Stop-Loss (2008). In 2010, Phillippe starred as Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Greg Marinovich in The Bang-Bang Club. Currently, he stars in the lead role of Bob Lee Swagger in the USA Network thriller drama Shooter.
He was married to actress Reese Witherspoon from 1999 to 2007; together, they have a daughter and a son. He also has a daughter from a relationship with actress Alexis Knapp.
Phillippe was born in New Castle, Delaware. His mother, Susan, ran a day care center in the family's house, and his father, Richard Phillippe, was a chemist. Phillippe is of part French descent. He has three sisters. He attended New Castle Baptist Academy, where he played basketball and soccer, as well as earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do; he was also the yearbook editor in his senior year. Phillippe also attended and graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Talent Agency in Wilmington, Delaware.