Ask American Profile

I saw Reese Witherspoon interviewed on a talk show, and she mentioned that she’s from Tennessee. What part of the state is she from?
—Jennifer J., Tennessee

The 25-year-old actress is a native of Nashville. Her father is a doctor and her mother a nursing professor, but Witherspoon never thought about medicine as a career. At 7, she turned to her mother and said that she wanted to be an actress. Her mom enrolled her in acting classes at a local community college. Before long, Witherspoon was getting parts in commercials and television. She made her first feature film splash at 14 with The Man in the Moon and pursued her career while earning impressive grades in high school. Witherspoon was accepted into Stanford University but left after a year to continue acting. She’s starred in such films as Election and Legally Blonde. She married Cruel Intentions co-star Ryan Philippe, with whom she has a 2-year-old daughter named Ava Elizabeth. Next up for her is The Importance of Being Earnest, co-starring Rupert Everett and Dame Judi Dench.

I’m a big fan of John Schneider. What is he doing now, acting or singing?
—Michelle S., Missouri

The former Dukes of Hazzard (Bo Duke) star is focusing on his acting career. The actor and singer voiced the part of Rick O’Connell, a dashing adventurer, for the WB pilot The Mummy: The Animated Series. Also for the WB, Schneider, 41, is cast as Superman’s father in the new series Smallville—an hour-long drama about the young life of Clark Kent. Schneider has appeared in movies such as Snow Day and guest starred on Touched by an Angel. His singing credentials also are impressive. He’s had nine singles that made the Top 10 and four that went to No. 1. His most recent album is Worth the Wait. Schneider lives outside Los Angeles with his wife, Elly, and his three children.

Can you tell me something about singer Charline Arthur? We never heard of her until recently.
—Irene R., Oklahoma

Honky-tonk star Charline Arthur was born in Henrietta, Texas, in 1929. She wrote her first song, I’ve Got the Boogie Blues, by the age of 12 and soon was appearing on a Texas radio show. She left home at 15 to tour with a traveling medicine show, meeting and marrying Jack Arthur in 1948. It was in Kermit, Texas, that Arthur met up with Elvis Presley’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, who helped Arthur sign with RCA in 1953. Arthur was a brassy trailblazer and took credit for being the first female country singer to wear pants on stage. Her records never became hits, and by 1960 she was back to touring clubs. Some of her songs include That Look and I Was Wrong. She achieved a new level of recognition when her RCA songs were re-released on Germany’s Bear Family Records in 1986. Arthur died in Idaho in 1987.

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