Ryan Reynolds Biography:

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Oct. 23, 1976, Ryan Reynolds was the youngest of four brothers. His  father, James, a retired Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, and mother, Tammy, a retail store saleswoman. After working a string of small jobs in Vancouver, Ryan Reynolds thought he would try his luck with acting. Artistic aspiration had set in at a young age when, as a young boy, Reynolds had formed an improvisational comedy group in Vancouver called "Yellow Snow". 

At age fourteen, Reynolds first grabbed audience attention in his television debut as Billy Simpson in “Hillside” (1990), when the young actor moved to Florida to produce the show, a live-action television series that aired on Nickelodeon in the United States and on YTV in Canada. The series, which dealt with young teen everyday issues such as dating, divorce, alcohol and drug abuse and friendships among the students of Hillside School, was Nickelodeon’s first and only young teen drama and featured a large ensemble cast.

After the series was cancelled, Reynolds was cast in a series of made for television movies, including the lead role in the children’s film, “Ordinary Magic” (1993), as a young boy raised in India who is required to move to Canada with an aunt after his parents’ death. Ryan Reynolds then appeared in his first comedy film as Kate Capshaw’s son in the black comedy “The Alarmist - Life During Wartime” (1998), and then next to Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams in the dumb lackluster comedy “Dick” (1999), the story of two girls who wander away from a White House tour and meet President Nixon. Ryan then had a role with Mia Farrow in “Coming Soon” (1999) about the trials and tribulations of wealthy young Manhattanites and their sexual coming of age, a romantic comedy set at an Upper East Side prep school.

Determined to make it as an actor, Ryan Reynolds found himself sidetracked as he became more involved in the renowned comedy improv troupe, "The Groundlings". While at the time, he was irritated with the compulsory classes it took to become an official Groundling member, little did he know that those same classes would soon come in handy. After auditioning for a show called “The Best Years,” Ryan Reynolds inadvertently stumbled into a fictional Boston pizza parlor that changed his life forever.

In 1997, Reynolds landed the role of medical student Michael “Berg” Bergen in “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” (1998-2001), a situation comedy about three people who share a Boston apartment and work at a pizza pub. At first, the series was hated by critics, but it was renewed for a second season after receiving some needed script help from former “Roseanne” writer Kevin Abbott. The script changes did little to perk up the show’s poor ratings. 

Reynolds went on to star in the independent film “Finder’s Fee” (2001), a thriller written and directed by Jeff Probst of “Survivor” fame, and in 2002, the comedy “Buying the Cow” with Ron Livingston and Jerry O’Connell and Alyssa Milano, about a commitment averse man who frantically hits the dating scene after his girlfriend starts pressuring him to pop the question.

Later that year, Reynolds portrayed the hard-partying, good looking, slacker in “Van Wilder.” In a dialogue with the executives, Reynolds promised to create his own larger-than-life on-screen character,  not portray a mere copy of National Lampoon’s somewhat dull prior personalities. Reynolds’ portrayal of a seven-year college student who creates a crooked business after his father refuses to pay tuition, helped the film to become a cult college comedy reminiscent of the epic “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978). Even Tim Matheson, who played Reynolds’ father, was one of many reminders of the 1978 classic, having starred as Otter thirty years before. 

After the release of “Van Wilder,” Reynolds met someone who would help raise his status –singer and songwriter Alanis Morissette. After meeting at Drew Barrymore’s birthday party, the couple began dating. At the time, she was the better known, but by the time their relationship would end a few years later, he had almost surpassed her notoriety. As Ryan Reynolds’s love life took off, so too did his movie career. After appearing in a 2003 episode of “Scrubs” (NBC, 2001- ) as Spence, a college friend of J.D. (Zach Braff), he co-starred in the bad remake of the 1979 feature comedy, “The In-Laws;” this time, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. In this dull comedy, Reynolds played the son of a Douglas’ CIA agent character who is about to be married.

After a small role as a male nurse in the bizarre comedy “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” (2004), Reynolds reinvented himself to play the vampire killer sidekick Hannibal King in “Blade: Trinity” (2004), co-starring Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel. Ryan's performance was considered to be one of the highlights in a movie that appealed more to comic book geeks than mainstream moviegoers. Off-screen, Ryan Reynolds’ personal relationship was also taking on a life of its own. In 2004, after two years of dating, Reynolds and Morissette were engaged.

Reynolds’ next project, “The Amityville Horror” (2005) showed a stretch for the actor – he was finally losing his frat boy image. Reynolds had to work for the role, but ended up being the only serious actor as far as the producers were concerned, as he had both the authority and the charisma to show the sequence from good to evil. 

Reynolds returned to his comedic background with “Waiting” (2005) - a spoof on the food service industry, which followed the antics of employees of a fictional chain restaurant appropriately dubbed Shenanigans. Even with an remarkable comedic group cast, including Anna Faris, Dane Cook and Justin Long, the movie did little for Reynolds’ budding resume. Continuing with comic roles, Reynolds portrayed a nerdy high school student who changes into a girl magnet in the romantic comedy “Just Friends” (2005), co-starring Amy Smart and Anna Faris. As Chris Brander, Reynolds went from a hideously overweight high school student to a burly ladies man who leaves his hometown to become a successful Los Angeles music executive. Due to the music industry back story, Alanis Morissette even put in a guest appearance.

Ryan Reynolds next flew onto the scene in “Smokin’ Aces” (2006) with an all-star cast that included Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven, Jason Bateman and Ray Liotta. The tale of two FBI agents (Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta) and a troop of hit men racing to get their hands on a Las Vegas magician. Next came bad news from the Reynolds household that shocked many fans – Reynolds and Morissette called off their engagement in 2006, with reports that the couple had been having trouble staying together for years. After the split, Reynolds would become linked to blonde starlet Scarlett Johansson – much to the delight of the tabloid press. Reynolds and Johansson announced they were engaged in May 2008.

Ryna continued on with his film and movie work, starring in “The Nines” (2007) about a troubled actor, a television show runner, and an acclaimed videogame designer who find their lives intertwining in mysterious and unsettling ways. Next was the romantic comedy "Chaos Theory" (2007), the story of an obsessively organized efficiency expert whose life unravels in unexpected ways when fate forces him to explore the serendipitous nature of love and forgiveness. Ryan was then hired and cast in another romantic comedy titles "Definitely, Maybe" (2008) about a political consultant who tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter. Reynolds finished out the year with a comedy directed by Greg Mottola titled "Adventureland" (2008) starring Kristen Stewart, a comedy set in the summer of 1987 and centered around a recent college grad who takes a nowhere job at his local amusement park, only to find it's the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.

Reynolds then starred next to Hugh Jackman in the action fantasy thriller "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (2009) about a man who lives a mutant life, seeks revenge for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program. Next was the romantic comedy "The Proposal" (2009) with Sandra Bullock, about a pushy boss who forces her her young assistant to marry her in order to keep her Visa status in the U.S. and avoid deportation to Canada. It was on the set of this movie that Ryan proposed to Scarlett Johansson. Very appropriate!

• Also Credited As:
  Ryan Rodney Reynolds
• Born:
  Ryan Rodney Reynolds on 10/23/1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Job Titles:
  Actor

Family

• Father: Jim Reynolds. Vancouver food wholesaler and former semi-professional boxer
• Mother: Tammy Reynolds.

Significant Others

• Companion: Alanis Morissette. Began dating by e-mail in 2002; became engaged in June 2004; split briefly in 2006; announced split in February 2007
• Companion: Scarlett Johansson. Reportedly began dating Summer 2007

Education

• Kitsilano Secondary School, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1994

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