Ryan Reynolds began his career on television before becoming a big-screen sensation in Hollywood. His big break came with the 2002 comedy National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. Reynolds has since become well-known for his role as Deadpool and his public relationship with wife Blake Lively.
Early Life and Career
Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976, in Vancouver, Canada. The youngest of four boys, Reynolds “was a really nervous kid,” he told GQ magazine. “I was extremely sensitive … I was so aware of everything around me.” He took refuge in school plays, where his fragility might be an asset rather than a liability. Reynolds received his first professional acting role when he was 12 years old. He was cast in Hillside, a Canadian teen drama that was eventually renamed Fifteen when it aired in the United States. The series aired from 1991 to 1993.
Reynolds failed to launch his career after the age of fifteen. He appeared in a few minor roles, including a cameo on The X-Files. Even after graduating from high school, Reynolds needed to work odd jobs to make ends meet. He used to work a late-night shift at a supermarket.
Reynolds moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s while traveling with a friend. In 1998, he landed his first major television role as a medical student on the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Shop (later renamed Two Guys and a Girl). Reynolds quickly moved on to feature films once the show ended in 2001. He played a perpetual, fun-loving college student in the comedy National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002). Despite a low box office performance, the picture later became a cult favorite.
Movies
Reynolds appeared in a succession of mediocre films for several years, both critically and monetarily. He starred in Blade: Trinity (2004) as a vampire hunter alongside Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel, and in the 2005 remake The Amityville Horror. Despite the fact that his films did not amaze audiences, Reynolds was extremely popular. In 2007, he was featured in People magazine’s “Sexiest Persons” edition, winning the title of “Sexiest Renaissance Man” from the publication.
‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’
Reynolds’ film career took off in 2009. He portrayed the mercenary Deadpool in Hugh Jackman’s box office smash X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Reynolds demonstrated his comedic abilities in The Proposal, collaborating with Sandra Bullock. Professionally, he continues to grow, widening his versatility with the independent drama Buried in 2010. Reynolds portrayed an American worker in Iraq who is kidnapped and buried alive in the film.
‘The Green Lantern’
Reynolds returned to the big screen triumphantly in 2011. He co-starred in The Green Lantern with Blake Lively as a comic book hero. Reynolds subsequently starred in The Change-Up with Jason Bateman before taking on a dramatic role as an agent in Safe House (2012), supporting Denzel Washington.
He has also lent his voice to animated films, The Croods and Turbo, both released in 2013, as well as indie films such as The Voices (2014), The Captive (2014), and Mississippi Grind (2014). (2015). He appeared as a supporting actor in the biopic Woman in Gold (2015) and as the lead in the thriller Self/Less.
‘Deadpool’ Franchise
The year 2016 got even better for Reynolds when his labor of passion, Deadpool, finally came to fruition after 16 years in development. The unconventional superhero film became the highest-grossing R-rated blockbuster of all time, earning its star a Golden Globe nomination. After opening in theaters in May 2018, Deadpool 2 grossed approximately $800 million at the global box office.
‘Detective Pikachu’ and ‘Underground 6’
Reynolds’ next role was as the voice of the titular fuzzy yellow character in the live-action/animated Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019). Later that year, he landed an action role as the leader of a gang of renegade operatives determined to take down the world’s most deadly villains in Netflix’s Underground 6.
Personal Life
Reynolds’ personal life has gotten a lot of attention. For numerous years, he dated singer Alanis Morissette. They were engaged in 2004, however they divorced in 2007. Reynolds began dating actress Scarlett Johansson the same year. In 2008, the pair married in an intimate ceremony.
Reynolds experienced some personal heartbreak when he and Johansson announced in December 2010 that they were separating. “After long and careful consideration on both our parts, we’ve decided to end our marriage,” the couple said in a joint statement. “We entered our relationship with love and it’s with love and kindness we leave it.”
The gifted actor rekindled his romance with Green Lantern co-star Blake Lively. After dating for less than a year, the pair married on September 9, 2012, near Charleston, South Carolina. In December 2014, Reynolds and Lively welcomed their first child, a girl named James. The couple welcomed their second child, a daughter called Ines, on September 30, 2016.
Reynolds was awarded with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later that year.
When she showed her baby bump on the red carpet at the premiere of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu in May 2019, Lively disclosed that she was carrying the couple’s third child. That summer, she gave birth to their daughter Betty, and Us Weekly reported in early October that the baby was roughly 2 months old.
Aviation Gin
Reynolds became a co-owner of the gin brand Aviation in 2017, which he frequently promoted on his social media accounts. The brand was believed to have been sold to the liquor corporation Diageo for up to $610 million in August 2020.
