Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the
highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion.
He began his career starring in the Canadian teen soap opera ''
Hillside'' (1991–1993), and had minor roles before landing the lead role on the sitcom ''
Two Guys and a Girl
''Two Guys and a Girl'' (titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place'' for the first two seasons) is an American television sitcom created by Rick Wiener, Kenny Schwartz and Danny Jacobson. The series started as a short-run (13 episodes) mid-se ...
'' between 1998 and 2001. Reynolds then starred in a range of films, including comedies such as ''
National Lampoon's Van Wilder
''National Lampoon's Van Wilder'' (released internationally as ''Van Wilder: Party Liaison'' and ''Party Animals'') is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Walt Becker and written by Brent Goldberg and David T. Wagner.
The film stars Ryan R ...
'' (2002), ''
Waiting...'' (2005), and ''
The Proposal'' (2009). He also performed in dramatic roles in ''
Buried'' (2010), ''
Woman in Gold'' (2015), and ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' (2017), starred in action films such as ''
Blade: Trinity'' (2004), ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'' (2011), ''
6 Underground ''(2019), and ''
Free Guy
''Free Guy'' is a 2021 American science fiction action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Ut ...
'' (2021), and provided voice acting in the animated features
''The Croods'' film series (2013–2020), ''
Turbo'' (2013), and ''
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu'' (2019).
Reynolds's biggest commercial success came with the
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
'' films ''
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
'' (2016) and ''
Deadpool 2'' (2018), in which he played the
title character
The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
. The former set numerous records at the time of its release for an R-rated comedy and his performance earned him nominations at the
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writ ...
and the
Golden Globe Awards.
Reynolds was named ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
''s Sexiest Man Alive in 2010 and was awarded a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017. In 2020, he became a co-owner of Welsh
football club
Wrexham A.F.C., as documented in the TV series ''
Welcome to Wrexham
''Welcome to Wrexham'' is an American sports documentary series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham A.F.C., as told by the club's owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan R ...
''.
Early life
Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976, in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. He is the youngest of four sons. His father, James Chester Reynolds, was a
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...
man before retiring from the force and going to work as a
foods wholesaler.
His mother, Tamara Lee (née Stewart) worked in retail sales. Reynolds has two brothers who work in law enforcement in British Columbia, one of whom followed his father into the RCMP. His paternal grandfather,
Chester Reynolds, was a farmer who represented
Stettler in the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sin ...
from 1940 to 1944. Reynolds has Irish and Scottish ancestry, and was raised in the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Vancouver's
Kitsilano neighbourhood.
Reynolds has been involved in acting since age thirteen. He graduated from
Kitsilano Secondary School in 1994, which he attended with actor
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in t ...
. Reynolds played small roles in a number of television series, but became discouraged and quit acting at age 19 to enroll at
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is a public degree-granting undergraduate polytechnic university in British Columbia, Canada, with campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Cloverdale, Whalley, and Langley. KPU is one of the largest institutions b ...
. A few months later he ran into fellow actor
Chris William Martin
Christopher William Martin (born January 17, 1975), also known as Corky Martin or Chris Martin, is a Canadian actor.Glen Schaefer, "Felicity's hair-raiser: Vancouver actor Chris Martin's job was to stir the pot and divert attention from star Keri ...
, who convinced him to try again and move with him to Los Angeles.
Career
1991–2003: Early work
Reynolds's career began in 1991 when he starred as Billy Simpson in the Canadian-produced teen soap opera ''
Hillside'', distributed in the United States by
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
as ''Fifteen''. In 1993, Reynolds played a child who moves from India to Canada after the death of his father in the film ''
Ordinary Magic
''Ordinary Magic'' is a 1993 Canadian film about a boy who is raised in India by his father. The story is based on the novel Ganesh by Malcolm Bosse with Canada substituting in the film for the book's Midwestern USA location. This film marked the ...
''. Between 1993 and 1994, he had a recurring role in ''
The Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Iliad'', th ...
'' as Macro. In 1996, he had a supporting role as Jay "Boom" DeBoom in "
Syzygy", the thirteenth episode of the third season of ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...
'', and co-starred with
Melissa Joan Hart in the TV movie ''
Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. In 1996, Reynolds played Bobby Rupp, boyfriend of murdered teen Nancy Clutter, in a two-part miniseries ''
In Cold Blood'', an adaptation of Truman Capote's
non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events woven together with fictitious conversations and uses the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherw ...
of the
same name. He also appeared in the anthology ''
The Outer Limits'' episode "Origin of the Species", which originally aired on November 14, 1998. Beginning in 1998, Reynolds starred in ''
Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
'', playing
medical student
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
Michael "Berg" Bergen, throughout the show's four-season run. He starred in the
National Lampoon movie ''
Van Wilder
''National Lampoon's Van Wilder'' (released internationally as ''Van Wilder: Party Liaison'' and ''Party Animals'') is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Walt Becker and written by Brent Goldberg and David T. Wagner.
The film stars Ryan Re ...
'' in 2002, appeared in ''
The In-Laws'' with
Michael Douglas and
Albert Brooks, and also in the Canadian production ''
Foolproof'' in 2003.
2004–2015: Romantic comedies and widespread recognition
![ryan reynolds](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Ryan_Reynolds.jpg)
Although he had performed primarily in comedies, Reynolds underwent intense physical training to play an action role as the character of
Hannibal King
Hannibal King is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared as a supporting character in the 1970s comic book ''The Tomb of Dracula'', issue #25 (Oct. 1974).
King was played by Ryan Reyn ...
in the 2004 film ''
Blade: Trinity''. The same year, he made a
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
in ''
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' as a nurse. Reynolds played
George Lutz
''The Amityville Horror'' is a book by American author Jay Anson, published in September 1977. It is also the basis of a series of films released from 1979 onward. The book is based on the claims of paranormal experiences by the Lutz family, ...
in the 2005 remake of the 1979 horror film ''
The Amityville Horror''. Also in 2005, he played a waiter named Monty in ''
Waiting...'' and appeared as music executive Chris Brander in the romantic comedy ''
Just Friends
''Just Friends'' is a 2005 American Christmas comedy film directed by Roger Kumble, written by Adam 'Tex' Davis and starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Christopher Marquette. The plot focuses on a formerly obese high ...
'' alongside
Amy Smart
Amy Lysle Smart (born March 26, 1976) is an American actress. A native of Los Angeles, Smart began her career modelling in Italy and subsequently enrolled in acting school.
Her first role in film was in director Martin Kunert's anthology horror ...
and
Anna Faris. In ''Just Friends'', Reynolds lip-synced "
I Swear" over the end credits. Additionally, he played an FBI agent alongside
Ray Liotta
Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primet ...
in the 2006 crime action film ''
Smokin' Aces''. Reynolds played the protagonist in the 2008 film ''
Definitely, Maybe''. He also appeared in the second-season finale of the television series ''
Scrubs''. In 2007, Reynolds guest-starred as Brendan's friend Hams in the episode "
Douchebag in the City" of the
TBS sitcom ''
My Boys
''My Boys'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on November 28, 2006, on TBS. The show deals with a sports columnist in Chicago, Illinois, played by Jordana Spiro, and the men in her life, including her brother and her best friend. Th ...
''.
Reynolds portrayed
Wade Wilson / Weapon XI in a supporting role in the prequel
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
'' film, ''
X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', which was released in 2009. He had previously spoken of his interest and involvement in a possible film adaptation of Deadpool with screenwriter
David S. Goyer as far back as 2005.
2009 also saw Reynolds portray Andrew Paxton, opposite
Sandra Bullock, in ''
The Proposal'', and Mike Connell in ''
Adventureland''.
In 2010, Reynolds starred in the Spanish and American thriller ''
Buried'', which screened at the
Sundance Film Festival. In June 2010, Reynolds was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
. Reynolds portrayed the
Hal Jordan version of superhero
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
in
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
' film ''
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'', which was released on June 17, 2011. The film did not fare well either financially or critically, but his role made him one of the few actors to headline films based on both Marvel and DC characters. In 2011, he co-starred in the comedy ''
The Change-Up
''The Change-Up'' is a 2011 American fantasy romantic comedy film produced and directed by David Dobkin and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman as Mitch Planko and Dave Lockwood, two best frie ...
'', as well as narrating the documentary film ''
The Whale
A whale is a sea mammal.
Whale or The Whale may also refer to:
Places Extraterrestrial
* Cetus, a constellation also known as "The Whale"
* Cthulhu Regio on Pluto, unofficially called Whale
United Kingdom
* Whale, Cumbria, England, a hamlet
...
''. In 2012, he portrayed an agent in ''
Safe House
A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor.
Histori ...
'', alongside
Denzel Washington. He then had starring roles in two
DreamWorks Animation feature films, ''
The Croods
''The Croods'' is a 2013 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was written and directed by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, and stars the voices of Nicol ...
'' and ''
Turbo'', both released in 2013. His next role was portraying Nick Walker in the
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
film adaptation of
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops know ...
' ''
R.I.P.D.'' (''Rest in Peace Department''), which was released in 2013. Reynolds went on to star in low-budget films, ''
The Voices'' and ''
The Captive'' in 2014, as well as ''
Mississippi Grind
''Mississippi Grind'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Lio Tipton, Robin Weigert, and Alfre Woodard. The film was released by A24 on S ...
'' the following year. This was followed by a supporting role in the financially successful biographical film, ''
Woman in Gold'', before he returned to the thriller genre with ''
Self/Less'', also in 2015.
2015–present: Established actor and Marvel work
![Ryan Reynolds at TIFF 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Ryan_Reynolds_at_TIFF_2014.jpg)
In 2016, Reynolds found critical and commercial success with ''
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
'', a film that had been in development as early as 2000. After portraying Wade Wilson / Weapon XI, without the name Deadpool, in ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', he became heavily involved in the development of a Deadpool film. ''Deadpool'' featured a
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of the character, ignoring the events of ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', and establishing a new backstory for the character that was closer to the
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
source material. The film takes place within the larger
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to lo ...
'' film universe, being made possible by the reset timeline in ''
X-Men: Days of Future Past''. ''Deadpool'' made several box-office records, including: a worldwide opening of $264.9 million from 62 markets, which is the biggest of 2016, the biggest for an R-rated film, and the second biggest for Fox, only behind ''
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' ($303.9 million). It also recorded the biggest IMAX 2D worldwide opening of all time with $27.4 million from 606 IMAX theatres, eclipsing ''
The Dark Knight Rises
''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...
'' ($23.8 million).
The film's financial and critical success led the studio to move forward with a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
.
Also in 2016, Reynolds had a supporting role in the
Ariel Vromen-directed thriller ''
Criminal''. On December 15, 2016, Reynolds received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801
Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...
. Reynolds co-starred with
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...
and
Rebecca Ferguson
Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film ''Drowning Ghost'' (2004). She came to in ...
in the science fiction thriller ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' in 2017, which reunited him with ''Safe House'' director
Daniel Espinosa
Jorge Daniel Espinosa (born 23 March 1977) is a Swedish film director from Trångsund, Stockholm, of Chilean origin.
Early life
He attended the National Film School of Denmark and graduated in 2001.
Career
His third feature film, '' Easy Mone ...
. Reynolds began filming ''
Deadpool 2'' in June 2017. The film opened on May 18, 2018. In May 2019, he starred as the titular character in ''
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
''Detective Pikachu'' (also known as ''Pokémon: Detective Pikachu'' and released as in Japan after the original game) is a 2019 comedy film directed by Rob Letterman. Based on the ''Pokémon'' franchise, the film is a loose adaptation of the ...
'', a live action film adaptation of the ''
Detective Pikachu'' video game. Reynolds voiced, and was the facial motion capture actor for the CGI detective
Pikachu.
![Ryan Reynolds by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Ryan_Reynolds_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
In January 2019, Reynolds was named the face of Armani Code leading with a campaign for their Absolu scent. Also that year, he starred in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
action thriller film ''
6 Underground'', directed by
Michael Bay. The film was released on December 13.
Reynolds is an executive producer of ABC's game show, ''
Don't'', which premiered on June 11, 2020. In January 2019, it was announced that he would return as the voice of Guy in the sequel to ''The Croods''. The film, ''
The Croods: A New Age'', was also released in 2020.
In 2021, Reynolds starred in three films. The first, ''
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'', is an
action comedy film
Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre.
Film
The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of acti ...
directed by
Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor and Brandon and Phillip Murphy. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film ''
The Hitman's Bodyguard
''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, and Salma Hayek. The film follows a bodyguard (Reynolds) who must protect a convicted hitman ...
'' which also featured Reynolds,
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...
,
Salma Hayek, and
Richard E. Grant, who reprised their roles. Beginning April 2019, Reynolds shot his second 2021 film, science fiction action comedy film ''
Free Guy
''Free Guy'' is a 2021 American science fiction action comedy film directed and produced by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Ut ...
'', directed by
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy (born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian film director, film producer, actor, and founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. He has worked across genres and is perhaps best known as the director of the '' Night at the Museum'' film franchise an ...
, from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. Reynolds stars as "a background character who realizes he's living in a video game. With the help of an avatar, he tries to prevent the makers of the game from shutting down his world." Also featuring
Jodie Comer
Jodie Marie Comer ( ; born 11 March 1993) is an English actress who rose to global prominence for her role as Oksana Astankova / Villanelle in the BBC America spy thriller '' Killing Eve'' (2018–2022).
She has received various accolades in ...
,
Lil Rel Howery
Milton "Lil Rel" Howery Jr. (born December 17, 1979) is an American actor and comedian. Howery is known for playing Robert Carmichael in NBC's television comedy series ''The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017) and Transportation Security Administratio ...
,
Utkarsh Ambudkar,
Joe Keery
Joseph David Keery (born April 24, 1992) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Steve Harrington in the science fiction series '' Stranger Things'' (2016–present) and for his role in the comedy film ''Free Guy'' (2021) ...
and
Taika Waititi
Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at ...
, the film was theatrically released in the United States on August 13 by 20th Century Studios. In his last film of the year, Reynolds starred alongside
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
and
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot-Varsano ( he, גל גדות ; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. At age 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004. She then served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years as a combat fitness instructor, whereafter she ...
in Netflix's thriller ''
Red Notice
An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...
'', written and directed by
Rawson Marshall Thurber.
In October 2021, Reynolds announced he was taking "a little sabbatical" from his work after the production of ''
Spirited
''Spirited'' is an Australian television Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011.
The series stars Claudia Karvan as dentist Suzy Darling, wh ...
''. In March 2022, Reynolds starred in Netflix's science-fiction adventure film ''
The Adam Project'', directed by Shawn Levy.
Business ventures
![Ryan Reynolds 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Ryan_Reynolds_2019.png)
In January 2018, Reynolds started the production company
Maximum Effort and signed a three-year
first-look deal
A first-look deal is any contract containing a clause granting, usually for a fee or other consideration that covers a specified period of time, a pre-emption right, right of first refusal, or right of first offer (also called a right of first neg ...
with Fox. Maximum Effort is in development on a live-action adaptation of the board game ''
Clue
Clue may refer to:
People with the name
* DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ
* Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer
* Ivan Clues
* Tim Cluess
Arts, entertainment, and media ''Clue'' entertainment franchise
* ''Cluedo ...
'', to be penned by ''Deadpool'' writers
Rhett Reese and
Paul Wernick
Paul Wernick is a Canadian television/movie screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the screenplays to the 2016 superhero film ''Deadpool'' and its 2018 sequel with his creative partner Rhett Reese.
Career Early career
Wernick h ...
. On June 23, 2021, the marketing division of Maximum Efforts Production was spun off as a separate company, and acquired by MNTN Software. Reynolds is the driving force of Maximum Effort and has created ads for a number of his film projects and for brands such as
Peloton
In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reducti ...
and
R.M. Williams.
Reynolds acquired a stake in
Aviation American Gin in February 2018. He stated that his interest went beyond that of an owner, and that he planned to oversee the product's creative direction as well as taking an active role in the business.
In November 2019, Reynolds purchased an ownership stake in
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile, LLC is a mobile virtual network operator in the United States on the T-Mobile network. It requires the purchase of a physical SIM card or eSIM online and, except for a trial period, prepayment for at least three months of service. ...
. It was later revealed that Reynolds owns between 20% and 25% of Mint Mobile. He joined the board of
Match Group in July 2020. In August 2020,
Diageo announced it was acquiring Aviation American Gin in a deal valued at up to $610 million.
On September 23, 2020, the
Wrexham Supporters Trust announced that a business partnership consisting of Reynolds and fellow actor
Rob McElhenney
Robert McElhenney III (; born April 14, 1977) is an American actor, producer, writer, podcaster and co-owner of Wrexham A.F.C. He is best known for his role as Ronald "Mac" McDonald on the FX/FXX comedy series ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelp ...
was in talks to purchase the Welsh football club
Wrexham AFC
Wrexham Association Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Wrecsam) is a Welsh professional association football club based in Wrexham, Wales. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Formed ...
. On November 16, it was confirmed that Reynolds and McElhenney took over the club after receiving the backing of the Wrexham Supporters Trust. In February 2021, the
Financial Conduct Authority
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a financial regulation, financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom, but operates independently of the UK Government, and is financed by charging fees to members of the financial services industry. The ...
approved their takeover of Wrexham. The process of Reynolds and McElhenney's investment in Wrexham was covered by the 2022 TV documentary series ''
Welcome to Wrexham
''Welcome to Wrexham'' is an American sports documentary series that premiered on August 24, 2022, on FX. The series documents the events of Welsh association football club Wrexham A.F.C., as told by the club's owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan R ...
''.
As soon as Reynolds and
Rob McElhenney
Robert McElhenney III (; born April 14, 1977) is an American actor, producer, writer, podcaster and co-owner of Wrexham A.F.C. He is best known for his role as Ronald "Mac" McDonald on the FX/FXX comedy series ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelp ...
became involved with Wrexham AFC, they also took interest in Welsh culture, specifically their use of
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...
, with them first advertising their club takeover with a Welsh translator. Reynolds asked that Welsh subtitles be included with his Netflix movie ''
Red Notice
An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...
'', which was also advertised within
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
. In 2022, Reynolds and McElhenney were awarded the Diolch Y Ddraig award by Welsh language TV station
S4C for their role promoting Welsh culture.
On May 3, 2021, Ryan Reynolds was part of an investor group led by
Greylock Partners
Greylock Partners is one of the oldest venture capital firms, founded in 1965, with committed capital of over $3.5 billion under management. The firm focuses on early-stage companies in the consumer, enterprise software and infrastructure as wel ...
that made a $750 Million investment into
Wealthsimple
Wealthsimple Inc. is a Canadian online investment management service. The firm was founded in September 2014 by Michael Katchen, Brett Huneycutt and Rudy Adler and is based in Toronto. As of November 2021, the firm holds over C$15 billion in as ...
. Reynold's exact ownership amount was not disclosed, but this investment round valued the Canadian financial startup company at $5 Billion CAD.
In August 2022 Ryan Reynolds took an equity stake in
FuboTV
FuboTV Inc. (stylized as fuboTV) is an American streaming television service serving customers in the United States, Canada, and Spain that focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports. Depending on country, channels offered by Fubo ...
. Reynolds, his
Maximum Effort studio and Fubo announced a co-production partnership that will include the launch of the Maximum Effort Network on FuboTV. Reynolds and his team will create original content for the forthcoming channel.
In November of 2022, reports began circulating that Reynolds was interested in purchasing ownership of the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
, which were to be sold by the estate of the late
Eugene Melnyk
Eugene Melnyk (May 27, 1959 – March 28, 2022) was a Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and owner, governor, and chairman of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators and the AHL's Belleville Senators. He was the founder, chairman ...
. Reynolds confirmed that he was looking to acquire a stake in the team in a November 7 appearance on ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
'', telling host
Jimmy Fallon that he would "need a partner with really deep pockets" to accomplish this. The following day he attended a Senators game at the
Canadian Tire Centre, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was subsequently reported that he had been meeting with different consortiums that were planning to bid on the team, as well as with
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
commissioner
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is an American sports executive who serves as the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice president and general cou ...
.
Public image, work and recognition
In October 2008, Reynolds wrote for ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' regarding his plan to run the 2008
New York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...
for his father who, at the time, suffered from
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
.
Reynolds appeared in ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
''s
Sexiest Man Alive
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the l ...
lists in 2007 and 2009, and was awarded the top honour in 2010. On February 12, 2012, Reynolds appeared on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. He posted a time of 1:43.7. On the May 13, 2018, broadcast of the South Korean reality television show ''
. After having a role in the Canadian drama series ''
. For his role as
. For
. His other achievements include three
.
In May 2020, Reynolds was among a group of celebrities who read an instalment of
in vulnerable areas.
in 2002, and they announced their engagement in June 2004.
In February 2007, representatives for the pair announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement.
'' was created out of her grief after the split, and the song "Torch" was written about Reynolds.
Soon after the end of his relationship with Morissette in 2007, Reynolds began dating actress
.
.
On December 14, 2010, they announced their separation. Reynolds filed for divorce in Los Angeles on December 23, and Johansson filed her response simultaneously. The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.
Reynolds first met
'', in which they co-starred. They began dating in October 2011 and married on September 9, 2012, at
. In the wake of civil rights protests in 2020, Reynolds publicly apologized and expressed deep regret for using that venue due to its association with
; he and Lively renewed their vows at home in New York. The couple have three daughters: born December 2014, September 2016, and 2019. In September 2022, Lively revealed that they are expecting their fourth child to prevent paparazzi from stalking the family's home for photos.
The family reside in
.
" after their daughters.
Reynolds has openly spoken about his lifelong struggle with
to alleviate his fears.
2018.