Fans may be most familiar seeing Judge Judy Sheindlin behind the judge’s bench on the small screen, but her life could someday play out on the big screen. Although Sheindlin is currently focused on her current projects, including Judy Justice and the upcoming court series Tribunal, a biopic about her life isn’t off the table, and the fan-favorite TV judge already knows which actress she wants to play her in a movie.
Sheindlin opened up about the idea of her life becoming a biopic in a recent interview with E! News. Although Sheindlin said she currently isn’t interested in a movie about her life, she did reveal that she has given some thought as to who could portray her, Sheindlin sharing that she’d want Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon to take on the role. Fans of Witherspoon will know that the actress is no stranger to the courtroom, Witherspoon having notably starred as beloved fictional lawyer Elle Woods across several Legally Blonde films in the early 2000s.
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“We’re friends, and she gets me, and I know she does,” Sheindlin, who called Witherspoon “a fabulous lady,” said. “And I think she’s a great actress, and I think she could-if they did, which I would not like-I think that she could carry that off.”
While nothing is currently in the works, a biopic about Sheindlin doesn’t seem entirely out of the cards. The beloved TV judge has an impressive career that spans decades and not only saw the Judge Judy series consistently rank as one of the most-watched syndicated programs, but also saw Sheindlin named as the highest-paid talk show host by Forbes in 2019.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Sheindlin completed her college degree in government at American University before she began her law degree at Washington College of Law, where she was the only female in her class of 126 students. She completed her law degree at New York Law School, completed the bar examination in 1965, and after serving as a corporate lawyer for a cosmetics firm, served as a family court prosecutor for 17 years beginning in 1972, later transitioning to the criminal court. After her 60 Minutes special brought her national exposure, Sheindlin skyrocketed to fame with the launch of her own courtroom series, Judge Judy, which helped her amass a $440 million net worth, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
While Judge Judy has since ended after a 25-year run, Sheindlin keeps busy with her new series, Judy Justice, which recently debuted its second season on Amazon Freevee. She is also attached as the creator and producer to a new Freevee court series titled Tribunal.