Patrick Cleveland Reynolds (born December 2, 1948) is an American anti-smoking activist and former

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. Born in Miami Beach, Florida, he is the grandson of the tobacco company founder,

R. J. Reynolds Richard Joshua Reynolds (July 20, 1850 – July 29, 1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The son of a tobacco farmer, he worked for his father and attended Emory & Henry College from 1868 to 1870 ...

, and speaks of how he believes his family business has killed millions, including his own father, R. J. Reynolds Jr., and half brother, R. J. Reynolds III. He is a frequent speaker on the dangers of smoking, and founded a non-profit organization dedicated to anti-tobacco campaigning.

Social activism

In April 1986, Reynolds went with a friend to a meeting with Senator

Robert Packwood Robert William Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is an American retired lawyer and politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of ...

, where the issue of a proposed cut in tobacco tax was raised. Outraged, Reynolds stood up and asked why US tobacco taxes were so low. By June 1986, Reynolds had become an anti-smoking activist, appearing in adverts for the

American Lung Association The American Lung Association is a voluntary health organization whose mission is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. History The organization was founded in 1904 to figh ...

and testifying before a congressional subcommittee at the invitation of Packwood, to the dismay of his family. He had already sold his tobacco stock in 1979, and tried to get hired by RJR Nabisco Inc. from 1983–85, in an attempt to get the company to divest their tobacco holding. Reynolds was himself a smoker for 17 years until he quit in 1985 after over 10 years of trying. He has appeared on many national television programs. In 1989, Reynolds founded The Foundation for a Smokefree America. That same year, Reynolds published ''The Gilded Leaf'' with Thomas Shachtman, chronicling three generations of his family and its tobacco business, a book he had been working on since 1980. The book was re-issued in 2006 (). In 2007 he released an educational video on DVD of a tobacco prevention talk he gave titled The Truth About Tobacco. Former Surgeon General,

C. Everett Koop Charles Everett Koop (October 14, 1916 – February 25, 2013) was an American pediatric surgeon and public health administrator. He was a vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and served as the 13th Surgeon Ge ...

M.D., called him "one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smokefree America." He continues to speak on tobacco control to adult groups, and also gives motivational prevention talks before high school and elementary school audiences. He advised the Greek government on anti-smoking measures in 2009, and in 2011 was seeking sponsorship for a world tour.Lewis, A
"Tobacco heir still battling his legacy"
''MarketWatch'', December 14, 2011, 10:41 am EST. Retrieved 2011-12-14. Relative to the friction within his family over his public campaign, he said in 2011 it has eased. " nce 1986, the price of the stock kept going up. And as far as being an embarrassment, I received an award from the World Health Organization; I brought honor to the Reynolds family."

Personal life

His mother was his father's second wife, actress Marianne O'Brien who appeared in the 1940s in films like ''

The Very Thought of You "The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard that was recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April 1934. This re ...

'', contracted to

Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's career spanned some ...

. His parents separated when he was three and he did not meet his father again until he was nine. His father died five years later from emphysema aged 64, leaving a will that disinherited Patrick and his brother and four half-brothers. He received $500,000 from his father's fourth wife in agreement not to contest the will. He inherited $2.5 million from his grandfather in 1969, when he was 21. Having attended

The Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a coeducational University-preparatory school#North America, preparatory school in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States. Hotchkiss is a member of the Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Admissions Organization. It i ...

, Reynolds studied filmmaking at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

and the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

. He ventured into acting in 1975, during a visit to the set of '' Nashville''. His live-in girlfriend, actress

Shelley Duvall Shelley Alexis Duvall (born July 7, 1949) is an American actress and producer who is known for her portrayals of distinct, often eccentric characters. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award and a Peab ...

, had invited him to the set, and director Robert Altman cast him in a small non-speaking role. Reynolds subsequently studied acting at several Los Angeles schools; with

Milton Katselas Milton George Katselas (December 22, 1933 – October 24, 2008) was an American director and producer of stage and film, as well as a Hollywood acting instructor and coach who trained under Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg at the acclaimed ''Act ...

, classmates included Michelle Pfeiffer and

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

. At the urging of his voice coach, he recorded three unreleased pop singles in 1982. He married his first wife Regina Wahl in Ofterschwang, West Germany in July 1983, quit acting and briefly began working for her father's international bus company. He returned to acting after being offered a lead role in '' Eliminators''. His mother died in 1985. In 1986, he spoke out publicly for the first time against the tobacco industry. He remarried in 2007, and lives in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

with his wife Alexandra and their son, born in October 2009.

Partial filmography

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Civil Wars A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

'' *''

Santa Barbara (TV series) ''Santa Barbara'' is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from July 30, 1984, to January 15, 1993. The show revolves around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Other prominent families fe ...

'' *''

Pumping Iron ''Pumping Iron'' is a 1977 American docudrama about the world of professional bodybuilding, with a focus on the 1975 IFBB Mr. Universe and 1975 Mr. Olympia competitions. Directed by George Butler and Robert Fiore and edited by Geof Bartz and L ...

'' *'' All My Children'' *'' Eliminators'' (1986) *

Bernice Bobs Her Hair "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was first published in May 1920 in the '' Saturday Evening Post''. The original publication was illustrated by May Wilson Preston. The work later appeared in the September 192 ...

PBS Adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story *

A Rose for Emily "A Rose for Emily" is a short story by American author William Faulkner, first published on April 30, 1930, in an issue of '' The Forum''. The story takes place in Faulkner's fictional Jefferson, Mississippi, in the equally fictional county of ...

PBS Adaptation of William Faulkner's short story *

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

Physical (Olivia Newton-John song) music video

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Patrick 1948 births Living people People from Miami Beach, Florida Hotchkiss School alumni American motivational speakers American motivational writers American male film actors American male television actors American male soap opera actors Anti-smoking activists Reynolds family American health activists 20th-century American male actors