Witherspoon files divorce papers

Witherspoon, 30, is seeking custody of the couple's two young children and has asked for Phillippe, 32, to be denied spousal support.

The actress cited "irreconcilable differences" in her petition.

Actor Phillippe starred alongside Witherspoon in Cruel Intentions in 1999. The pair married the same year.

Witherspoon requested visitation rights for Phillippe regarding their children, Ava, 7 and Deacon, 3, in the papers filed at Los Angeles Superior Court.

She also asked for "exclusive use of the family residence".

Phillippe's publicist, Nancy Ryder, was not available for comment.

Witherspoon won the best actress Oscar earlier this year for her role as June Carter in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line.

Phillippe played a young police officer in the film Crash, which went on to win the Academy Award for best film.

Witherspoon established herself as a major box office star with the 2001 comedy Legally Blonde, and scored a follow-up hit with Sweet Home Alabama.

Phillippe is currently starring in Clint Eastwood's latest film Flags of Our Fathers as Navy Corpsman John "Doc" Bradley, one of the US servicemen who raised the Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi during World War II.

The couple attended a screening of the film on 16 October.

Witherspoon is the latest best actress Academy Award winner to suffer marital problems.

In January, two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank split from husband Chad Lowe.

In the past 10 years, six best actress Academy Award winners eventually split from the partners they thanked on Oscars night.