Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the world's second-highest-paid actor in 2020 and 2024, and his works have grossed $6.5billion worldwide. Reynolds is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Reynolds began acting at the age of thirteen, taking on small roles in various television series. He had his first lead role in the teen soap opera '' Hillside'' (1991–1993) and later secured the lead role in the sitcom '' Two Guys and a Girl'' (1998–2001). Reynolds later starred in a range of films, including the commercially successful romantic comedies '' National Lampoon's Van Wilder'' (2002), '' Waiting...'' (2005), and '' The Proposal'' (2009), the critically unsuccessful superhero films '' Blade: Trinity'' (2004), and ''Green Lantern'' (2011), and the biographical drama '' Woman in Gold'' (2015).

Reynolds achieved his greatest commercial success with the ''Deadpool'' franchise, starring as the titular character in ''Deadpool'' (2016), ''Deadpool 2'' (2018), and ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' (2024). His performance in the first received a Golden Globe nomination, while the lattermost emerged as his highest-grossing release. He has since appeared in the sci-fi horror ''Life'' (2017), and action films like '' 6 Underground'' (2019), ''Free Guy'' (2021), and ''The Adam Project'' (2022). Reynolds has also lent his voice to animated films, including ''The Croods'' franchise (2013–2020), ''Turbo'' (2013), and '' Detective Pikachu'' (2019).

In 2017, ''Time'' included Reynolds in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was named ''People''s Sexiest Man Alive in 2010, and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017. A businessman, he holds an ownership stake in Mint Mobile and is a co-owner of Welsh soccer club Wrexham; the latter is documented in the Emmy Award-winning television series '' Welcome to Wrexham'' (2022–present). Divorced from actress Scarlett Johansson, Reynolds has been married to Blake Lively since 2012; he has four children with the latter.

Early life and education

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on October 23, 1976. His father, James Chester Reynolds, served as a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman before retiring and transitioning to work as a foods wholesaler. His mother, Tamara Lee (née Stewart), worked in retail sales. Reynolds has three older brothers and has described himself not as a younger brother to them, but a "moving target" due to his brothers often getting physical, and him being unable to retaliate. He has also shared that his brothers "protected him" from their father, with whom he had a complex and somewhat estranged relationship. Reynolds's paternal grandfather, Chester, was a farmer who represented Stettler in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1940 to 1944. Reynolds is of Irish descent and was raised Catholic in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood as well as in Vanier, Ontario (now part of Ottawa).

Reynolds has been involved in acting since the age of thirteen. As a teenager, he attended acting classes—which he failed—and briefly held a day job as a busboy at a restaurant, while also working night shifts at a local grocery store in Vancouver. He described his co-workers in the latter as "the funniest people on Earth" and called them "some of my biggest impressions ..as a performer". Reynolds attended Prince of Wales Secondary School for grades nine and ten before getting expelled for stealing a teacher's car. He attended grades eleven and twelve at Kitsilano Secondary School alongside actor Joshua Jackson, graduating in 1994. Reynolds initially took on minor roles in various television series but became discouraged and left acting at nineteen to enroll at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. A few months later, he encountered fellow actor Chris William Martin, who encouraged him to give acting another chance and relocate with him to Los Angeles.

Career

1991–2003: Career beginnings

Reynolds began his career in 1991 in the Canadian teen soap opera ''Hillside'' (1991–1993), which was distributed in the United States by Nickelodeon under the title ''Fifteen''. He portrayed Billy Simpson—a character who turned to bullying to cope with family issues and romantic rejections. He made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age drama '' Ordinary Magic'' (1993) by playing Jeffrey, an orphan raised in India, who is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to go on a hunger strike in a small town in Canada. Directed by Giles Walker, the film generally received both mixed and disappointing reviews; '' Variety''s Paul Lenti thought that the script's "overall facile characterizations and predictable plot development detract from real tension". Between 1993 and 1994, Reynolds took on the dual roles of Macro and Lee in the children's half-hour television series ''The Odyssey''.

In 1996, Reynolds made cameo appearances in television shows ''The X-Files'' and '' The John Larroquette Show'', playing in the episodes " Syzygy" and "Napping to Success", respectively. That year, he co-starred with Melissa Joan Hart on the television film ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996)—based on the comic book series of the same name—in which he played the titular character's love interest, Seth. Reynolds portrayed Bobby Rupp, the boyfriend of murdered teenager Nancy Clutter, in the two-part miniseries '' In Cold Blood'' (1996), an adaptation of Truman Capote's 1966 nonfiction novel of the same name. He returned to feature films with the dark comedy '' The Alarmist'' (1997), portraying Howard, the teenage son of Gale ( Kate Capshaw). After both are harmed at their home, Tommy ( David Arquette) begins to suspect Heinrich's (Stanley Tucci) involvement. The film received mainly negative reviews from critics. Reynolds appeared twice more in ''The Outer Limits'', playing the character Paul Nodel in episodes from 1997 and 1998.

His breakthrough role was as medical student Michael "Berg" Bergen in '' Two Guys and a Girl'' (1998–2001; initially titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place''). Although the show was neither as critically or commercially successful as contemporary shows, Reynolds's performance received praise, with ''Variety''—in a retrospective review—noting that his "talent and charisma ereapparent" and that his "star quality was already in place". He later took on the minor roles of Henry Lipschitz and Chip in the comedies '' Coming Soon'' (1999) and '' Dick'' (1999), respectively. In the horror comedy '' Boltneck'' (2000), Reynolds starred as Karl, a bullied teenager who is killed and later revived by a "science nerd" named Frank Stein, while he portrayed Quigley in the drama thriller '' Finder's Fee'' (2001). He played the titular character in the romantic comedy '' National Lampoon's Van Wilder'' (2002), which was critically panned but achieved box office success. Reynolds portrayed Mark Tobias in the commercially unsuccessful action comedy film '' The In-Laws'' (2003). In the film, he is about to marry Melissa (Lindsay Sloane), before her father finds out that Mark's father is a CIA operative. He starred alongside Kristin Booth in William Phillips's heist film '' Foolproof'' (2003).

2004–2009: Romantic comedies

Reynolds had a cameo appearance as the nurse in '' Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' (2004), which ''Entertainment Weekly'' described as a "single, though memorable scene". Later that year, he made his voice acting debut in the animated television series '' Zeroman'' (2004), lending his voice to former secret agent Ty Cheese. Reynolds played the role of Hannibal King in David S. Goyer's '' Blade: Trinity'' (2004), a vampire hunter who joins Blade (Wesley Snipes) and Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel) to battle Dracula and the vampire clan. To prepare for the role, Reynolds focused on gaining muscle mass, training six days a week and adhering to a 3,200-calorie diet. He gained of muscle in three months. Despite being a success at the box office, grossing $132million on a $65million budget, the film was negatively received by critics.

Reynolds starred as George Lutz in the supernatural horror film ''The Amityville Horror'' (2005)—an adaptation of the 1977 novel and remake of the 1979 film of the same name. He portrayed a man who moves into a supposedly haunted house with his wife, Kathy ( Melissa George), and her children. ''Collider''s Shawn Van Horn liked his performance, stating that he was "funny and charming, but toned down, as if he's not performing for a camera". Reynolds then starred as a charismatic waiter named Monty in Rob McKittrick's comedy '' Waiting...'' (2005). In the romantic comedy '' Just Friends'' (2005), he played Chris Brander, an overweight high schooler trying to escape the "friend zone" with his best friend (Amy Smart), during a Christmas visit to his hometown. To portray this character, he wore a fat suit and makeup. He later played FBI agent Richard Messner in the crime action film '' Smokin' Aces'' (2006) alongside Ray Liotta. In the science fiction film ''The Nines'' (2007), Reynolds played three distinct characters—Gary, Gavin, and Gabriel—in three separate storylines, exploring themes of reality, identity, and the nature of existence.

In 2008, Reynolds played Frank Allen in ''Chaos Theory'', directed by Marcos Siega. He portrayed a highly disciplined efficiency expert whose marital crisis prompts a shift towards an unpredictable and spontaneous lifestyle. Critics acknowledged Reynolds's performance even though the film itself received poor reception, with ''The Seattle Times'' commenting that he "has the sort of blandly dazzling ..It's a fine performance; too bad it's lost in a muddled movie." His next role was in the romantic comedy '' Definitely, Maybe'' (2008), in which he played Will Hayes, a man in the middle of divorce proceedings who is questioned by his daughter about how he and her mother first met. In '' Fireflies in the Garden'' (2008), he portrayed a successful novelist who comes back to his Midwestern family, only to discover that his mother has died in a car accident.

Reynolds starred in Greg Mottola's romantic comedy '' Adventureland'' (2009), in which he played Mike Connell, a technician and part-time musician, with whom Em (Kristen Stewart) is having an affair. The film was praised by many critics; ''Collider'' retrospectively called his performance one of the most underrated of his career. He later played the role of Wade Wilson / Deadpool / Weapon XI in the superhero film '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009). As early as 2005, Reynolds had expressed interest in and involvement with a potential ''Deadpool'' film adaptation, again collaborating with Goyer. The film received mixed but generally negative reviews from critics; Reynolds himself described developing it as a "frustrating experience", arguing that "it’s the wrong version ..Deadpool isn't correct in it". Reynolds starred as Andrew Paxton in Anne Fletcher's commercially successful romantic comedy '' The Proposal'' (2009). Critics praised the on-screen chemistry between Reynolds and co-star Sandra Bullock. He played Captain Excellent in the negatively-received comedy drama film '' Paper Man'' (2009).

2010–2015: Genre experimentation and career fluctuations

In 2010, he made a guest appearance on the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Reynolds's only film role that year was in the Spanish and American survival thriller film '' Buried'' (2010), directed by Rodrigo Cortés. He played the role of Paul Conroy, an American truck driver in Iraq who finds himself buried alive in a coffin and must find a way to escape. ''Buried'' garnered significant commendation from critics, with a segment of Rotten Tomatoes' consensus noting it as a "nerve-wracking display of ..Reynolds' talent". He played the titular character in Martin Campbell's superhero film ''Green Lantern'' (2011). The film was a critical and commercial failure, underperforming at the box office and receiving negative reviews. Reynolds played Mitch Planko in David Dobkin's romantic comedy '' The Change-Up'' (2011). The film received negative reviews, but both Reynolds and co-star Jason Bateman received praise by ''Rolling Stone''s for their performances. Reynolds executive-produced and narrated the documentary film '' The Whale'' (2011).

In 2012, Reynolds starred alongside Denzel Washington in the action thriller ''Safe House'', directed by Daniel Espinosa. Set in Cape Town, South Africa, Reynolds played Matt Weston, a CIA agent. His safe house is breached by mercenaries after Tobin Frost (Washington) is captured, forcing them to escape and find another house. While the film received mixed reviews, some critics praised Reynolds's performance, with ''The Hollywood Reporter'' describing it as "surprisingly well acted" and ''IGN'' highlighting it as a "terrific performance that is sure to be a highlight in his ..career". He made a cameo appearance as Jared in the comedy '' Ted'' (2012). In 2013, Reynolds had starring voice roles in two DreamWorks Animation feature films. The first was in ''The Croods'', in which he voiced Guy, an inventive teenage caveboy who lives with his pet sloth, Belt. The second was in ''Turbo'', where he portrayed the titular protagonist, a garden snail who gains superspeed during a street race and dreams of becoming a champion in the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Reynolds played Nick Walker in '' R.I.P.D.'' (2013), a detective murdered by his partner. The film was a box-office bomb and was panned by critics; Rotten Tomatoes' consensus agreed that it was "too dim-witted and formulaic to satisfy". He took on several roles in the horror comedy film '' The Voices'' (2014), starring as Jerry Hickfang, a factory worker with schizophrenia who hears voices from his pet dog and cat, both of whom he also voiced. In 2020, Reynolds described the film as "one of my favorite movies I've ever done ..never really got its day in court, but man, it's weird and fun and beautiful". In the psychological thriller '' The Captive'' (2014), he portrayed Matthew, a father who is determined to locate his nine-year-old daughter who has been missing for eight years, after police discover a clue on the Internet. ''The Captive'' generally received negative reception, with '' Vanity Fair'' describing it as " irectorAtom Egoyan's ..weird disappointment that's painfully reminiscent of his earlier, better work".

Reynolds starred as Curtis in Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's comedy-drama '' Mississippi Grind'' (2015). Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn), a gambling addict, believes that Curtis brings good fortune and takes him on a road trip to participate in a high-stakes poker game in New Orleans. The film received mixed reviews, though some critics liked Reynolds's performance, with Helen O'Hara of British ''GQ'' calling it his "best performance in years" and ''Variety''s Justin Chang stating that he and Mendelsohn gave "terrific performances ..in this bittersweet, beautifully textured road movie". In Simon Curtis's biographical drama '' Woman in Gold'' (2015), Reynolds portrayed E. Randol Schoenberg, a young lawyer who assists Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren) in her legal fight to recover her family's stolen Gustav Klimt painting, '' Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I'' (1907). He later starred in the science fiction film '' Self/less'' (2015), which was critically panned and underperformed at the box office.

2016–present: Stardom with ''Deadpool'' and established actor

Reynolds found significant critical and commercial success with the superhero film ''Deadpool'' (2016), which had been in development since as early as 2000. Following his portrayal of Wade Wilson / Weapon XI in ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009), Reynolds became heavily involved in the development of a film based on Deadpool. The film introduced a reboot of the character, dismissing the events of ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' and establishing a new backstory that aligns more closely with the original Marvel Comics. Reynolds chose not to get paid for ''Deadpool'' to ensure the film's release and used the small amount he did receive to have co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick on set with him. ''Deadpool'' was a commercial success, grossing $782 million, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2016. Several critics praised Reynolds's performance in ''Deadpool'', with Michael O'Sullivan from ''The Washington Post'' praising Reynolds for making Deadpool a likeable character as well as the film's action scenes. ''IGN''s Daniel Krupa was impressed by his "charismatic, exuberant, and larger-than-life erformance which isn't easy considering how much of the film he spends either in a full-body costume or beneath heavy prosthetics".

Reynolds had a supporting role in Ariel Vromen's action thriller ''Criminal'' (2016). He played Bill Pope, who is tortured and killed early in the film while travelling to a secret meeting with a hacker capable of launching missiles at will. The film received negative reviews from critics. The following year, Reynolds reunited with Espinosa, playing the engineer Rory Adams in the science fiction ''Life'' (2017). It received mixed reviews from critics but performed well at the box office. Reynolds next starred in Patrick Hughes's action comedy film '' The Hitman's Bodyguard'' (2017). He played the role of Michael Bryce, an executive protection agent and former CIA officer hired to protect assassin Darius Kincaid ( Samuel L. Jackson). Some critics praised the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackson, though Rotten Tomatoes' consensus agreed that some felt the film had a clichéd plot and execution. Filming for a sequel to ''Deadpool'' started in June 2017 and led to the release of ''Deadpool 2'' in 2018. The film became a commercial success, grossing $715 million and becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2018.

Reynolds voiced the titular character in Rob Letterman's fantasy film '' Detective Pikachu'' (2019), an adaptation of the video game of the same name. He played a detective and intelligent talking Pikachu that only Tim ( Justice Smith) can understand. The film received positive reviews from critics; Steve Rose from ''The Guardian'' praised Reynolds for "grabingthe film by the scruff of the neck". He next starred in Michael Bay's action film '' 6 Underground'' (2019) as the leader of a group of six people from different parts of the world who unite to fight an evil dictator after being presumed dead. He reprised his role as the voice of Guy in '' The Croods: A New Age'' (2020). Reynolds also reprised the role of Michael Bryce in the action film '' Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'' (2020), a sequel to ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' (2017). His next role was starring in Shawn Levy's contemporary fantasy ''Free Guy'' (2021), portraying a non-playable character who later realizes he is living in a video game and tries to prevent the creators from shutting it down. He starred as a renowned art thief in the action comedy film '' Red Notice'' (2021) alongside Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot.

Reynolds next starred in Levy's science fiction action comedy ''The Adam Project'' (2022), portraying Adam Reed—a time pilot from 2050 who risks his life to uncover the truth regarding his wife's disappearance. The film received generally mixed reception; Ryan Leston from ''IGN''s liked Reynolds's performance, while NPR's Glen Weldon called him "funny in the way he usually is" but was as "handsome and buff and charismatic as ever". In October 2021, Reynolds announced he was taking "a little sabbatical" from his work after the production of '' Spirited'' (2022), a Christmas musical comedy. In August 2024, Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, became the first married Hollywood couple since Bruce Willis and Demi Moore in 1990 to have separate films leading the box office on the same weekend. Their respective films, ''Deadpool & Wolverine'' and '' It Ends with Us''—in which they played the leading roles—claimed the number one and two spots during the August 9–11 weekend. ''Deadpool & Wolverine''—also directed by Levy—achieved both commercial and critical success, grossing $1.338 billion worldwide. It became the second-highest-grossing film of 2024 and 20th highest-grossing film of all time at its release.

Business career

In January 2018, Reynolds expanded into business ventures by launching the production company Maximum Effort and signing a three-year first-look deal with Fox. In January 2018, it was announced that a live-action adaptation of the board game ''Clue'', written by ''Deadpool'' screenwriters Reese and Wernick, was in development. On June 23, 2021, Maximum Effort's marketing division was spun off into a separate company and acquired by MNTN Software. Reynolds has used Maximum Effort to create advertisements for his film projects and brands like Peloton and R. M. Williams.

In February 2018, Reynolds acquired a stake in Aviation American Gin, taking a role of overseeing the brand's creative direction. He later purchased an ownership stake in Mint Mobile in November 2019, holding between 20% and 25%. David Glickman—founder of Mint—and Reynolds both served on the board of directors for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and Glickman was impressed by Reynolds's marketing efforts for ''Deadpool''. In 2020, Reynolds joined the board of Match Group and later sold Aviation American Gin to Diageo in a deal valued at up to $610 million.

In September 2020, the Wrexham Supporters Trust announced that a business partnership comprising Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney was in talks to purchase the Welsh soccer club Wrexham. Their takeover was confirmed in November 2020, receiving approval from the Financial Conduct Authority in February 2021. The two embraced Welsh culture, promoting its language in their media projects and receiving the Diolch Y Ddraig award from Welsh broadcaster S4C. Reynolds asked that Welsh subtitles be included with his Netflix movie ''Red Notice'' (2021), which was also advertised within Wrexham. The process of Reynolds and McElhenney's investment in Wrexham was covered in the television documentary series '' Welcome to Wrexham'' (2022–present).

Reynolds has also invested in several companies, including Wealthsimple, 1Password and FuboTV. In 2022, he briefly pursued ownership of the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators but withdrew his bid in the middle of 2023. He later became part of an investor group that acquired a 24% stake in the Alpine F1 Team. In March 2023, T-Mobile announced its acquisition of Mint Mobile in a deal worth up to $1.35 billion. In April 2023, Canadian payments technology company Nuvei announced that Reynolds had invested in the company.

Philanthropy and activism

In May 2020, Reynolds joined a group of celebrities in reading an installment of Roald Dahl's '' James and the Giant Peach'' (1961) to support the global non-profit organization Partners In Health, co-founded by Dahl's daughter Ophelia, in its efforts to combat COVID-19 in vulnerable areas. In July 2020, Reynolds and broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos each offered $5,000 for the return of a stolen teddy bear belonging to a Vancouver woman. The Build-A-Bear, which contained a recording of the woman's deceased mother saying "I love you" in Filipino, was recovered within a few days by two individuals. Reynolds expressed his support for same-sex marriage in an interview and has advocated for increased representation of LGBTQ+ characters in film.

Reynolds is also an environmental activist. He supports the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which he joined in an effort to help find a cure for his father's Parkinson's disease. In 2008, Reynolds ran the New York City Marathon for Team Fox. He joined the foundation's board in 2009 and continues to support research for a cure. In March 2022, Reynolds and Lively donated $500,000 to Water First, an organization providing Indigenous communities in Canada with access to clean water and training for young people to become environmental technicians. Reynolds was honoured with the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's Humanitarian Award at the 11th Canadian Screen Awards

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