Reynolds has been involved in acting since age thirteen. He graduated from
Kitsilano Secondary School in 1994, which he attended with actor
Joshua Jackson.[14] 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. A few months later he ran into fellow actor
Chris William Martin, who convinced him to try again and move with him to Los Angeles.[15][16]
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 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.[17] Between 1993 and 1994, he had a recurring role in The Odyssey as Macro.[18] In 1996, he had a supporting role as Jay "Boom" DeBoom in "
Syzygy", the thirteenth episode of the third season of The X-Files, and co-starred with
Melissa Joan Hart in the TV movie Sabrina the Teenage Witch.[19] 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 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, playing
medical student Michael "Berg" Bergen throughout the show's four-season run. He starred in the
National Lampoon movie Van Wilder in 2002, appeared in The In-Laws with
Michael Douglas and
Albert Brooks, and also in the Canadian production Foolproof in 2003.[20]
2004–2015: Romantic comedies and widespread recognition
Although he had performed primarily in comedies, Reynolds underwent intense physical training to play an action role as the character of
Hannibal King in the 2004 film Blade: Trinity.[21] The same year, he made a
cameo appearance in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle as a nurse. Reynolds played
George Lutz in the 2005 remake of the 1979 horror film The Amityville Horror.[22] Also in 2005, he played a waiter named Monty in Waiting... and appeared as music executive Chris Brander in the romantic comedy Just Friends alongside
Amy Smart and
Anna Faris. In Just Friends, Reynolds lip-synced "
I Swear" over the end credits. Additionally, he played an FBI agent alongside
Ray Liotta in the 2006 crime action film Smokin' Aces.[23] Reynolds played the protagonist in the 2008 film Definitely, Maybe.[24] 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.
In 2010, Reynolds starred in the Spanish and American thriller Buried, which screened at the
Sundance Film Festival.[29] In June 2010, Reynolds was invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[30] Reynolds portrayed the
Hal Jordan version of superhero
Green Lantern in
Warner Bros.' film Green Lantern, 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 have headlined films based on both Marvel and DC characters.[31] In 2011, he co-starred in the comedy The Change-Up, as well as narrating the documentary film The Whale. In 2012, he portrayed an agent in Safe House, alongside
Denzel Washington.[32] He then had starring roles in two
DreamWorks Animation feature films, The Croods and Turbo, both released in 2013. His next role was portraying Nick Walker in the
Universal Pictures film adaptation of
Dark Horse Comics' R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department), which was released in 2013.[33] Reynolds went on to star in low-budget films, The Voices and The Captive in 2014, as well as Mississippi Grind 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
In 2016, Reynolds found critical and commercial success with Deadpool, a film that had been in development as early as 2000. After portraying Wade Wilson / Weapon XI, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he became heavily involved in the development of a Deadpool film. Deadpool featured a
reboot 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 source material. The film takes place within the larger
20th Century FoxX-Men 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 was the biggest of 2016, the biggest for an R-rated film, and the second biggest for Fox behind only Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith ($303.9 million).[34][35] 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 ($23.8 million).[36][37] The film's financial and critical success led the studio to move forward with a sequel.
In January 2019, Reynolds was named the face of Armani Code leading with a campaign for their Absolu scent.[44] Also that year, he starred in the
Netflix action thriller film 6 Underground, directed by
Michael Bay.[45] The film was released on December 13.[46]
In December 2019, Reynolds announced that Deadpool & Wolverine was in the works and that it would be a part of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe,[47] with filming beginning on May 23, 2023.[48] The film will open on July 26, 2024.[49]
Reynolds is an executive producer of ABC's game show, Don't, which premiered on June 11, 2020.[50][51] 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.[52]
In 2021, Reynolds starred in three films. The first, Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, is an
action comedy film 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 which also featured Reynolds,
Samuel L. Jackson,
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, directed by
Shawn Levy, 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,
Lil Rel Howery,
Utkarsh Ambudkar,
Joe Keery and
Taika Waititi, the film was theatrically released in the United States on August 13 by 20th Century Studios.[53][54] In his last film of the year, Reynolds starred alongside
Dwayne Johnson and
Gal Gadot in Netflix's thriller Red Notice, written and directed by
Rawson Marshall Thurber.[55]
In October 2021, Reynolds announced he was taking "a little sabbatical" from his work after the production of Spirited.[56] In March 2022, Reynolds starred in Netflix's science-fiction adventure film The Adam Project, directed by Shawn Levy.[57][58]
Business ventures
In January 2018, Reynolds started the production company
Maximum Effort and signed a three-year
first-look deal with Fox. Maximum Effort is in development on a live-action adaptation of the board game Clue, to be penned by Deadpool writers
Rhett Reese and
Paul Wernick.[59] On June 23, 2021, the marketing division of Maximum Effort Production was spun off as a separate company, and acquired by MNTN Software.[60] 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 and
R.M. Williams.[61][62]
Reynolds acquired a stake in
Aviation American Gin in February 2018.[63] 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.[64]
In November 2019, Reynolds purchased an ownership stake in
Mint Mobile.[65] It was later revealed that Reynolds owns between 20% and 25% of Mint Mobile.[66] He joined the board of
Match Group in July 2020.[67] In August 2020,
Diageo announced it was acquiring Aviation American Gin in a deal valued at up to $610 million.[68]
On September 23, 2020, the
Wrexham Supporters Trust announced that a business partnership consisting of Reynolds and fellow actor
Rob McElhenney was in talks to purchase the Welsh football club
Wrexham AFC.[69] On November 16, it was confirmed that Reynolds and McElhenney took over the club after receiving the backing of the Wrexham Supporters Trust.[70][71] In February 2021, the
Financial Conduct Authority approved their takeover of Wrexham.[72] The process of Reynolds and McElhenney's investment in Wrexham was covered by the 2022 TV documentary series Welcome to Wrexham.[73]
As soon as Reynolds and McElhenney became involved with Wrexham AFC, they also took interest in Welsh culture, specifically their use of
Welsh language, with them first advertising their club takeover with a Welsh translator.[74] Reynolds asked that Welsh subtitles be included with his Netflix movie Red Notice,[75][76] which was also advertised within
Wrexham.[77] In 2022, Reynolds and McElhenney were awarded the Diolch Y Ddraig award by Welsh language TV station
S4C for their role promoting Welsh culture.[78]
On May 3, 2021, Ryan Reynolds was part of an investor group led by
Greylock Partners that made a $750 million investment into
Wealthsimple. Reynold's exact ownership amount was not disclosed, but this investment round valued the Canadian financial startup company at CA$5 billion.[79]
In August 2022, Ryan Reynolds took an equity stake in
FuboTV. 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.[80]
In November 2022, reports began circulating that Reynolds was interested in purchasing ownership of the
Ottawa Senators, which were to be sold by the estate of the late
Eugene Melnyk. Reynolds confirmed that he was looking to acquire a stake in the team in a November 7 appearance on The Tonight Show, telling host
Jimmy Fallon that he would "need a partner with really deep pockets" to accomplish this.[81][82] The following day he attended a Senators game at the
Canadian Tire Centre, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.[83] 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 commissioner
Gary Bettman.[84] He was reported to have withdrawn his bid in May 2023.[85]
On March 15, 2023,
T-Mobile announced it was acquiring Ka’ena Corporation, parent company of Mint Mobile, Ultra Mobile, and Plum, in a deal valued at up to $1.35 billion.[86]
During April 2023, Canadian payments technology company
Nuvei announced that Reynolds had invested in the company, although the details about the scope of the investment have yet to be disclosed.[87]
On June 26, 2023, it was announced that both Reynolds and McElhenney were part of an investor group that bought a 24% equity stake in the
Formula OneAlpine F1 Team.[88]
The appointment of Reynolds by his home province to the
Order of British Columbia was announced on August 7, 2023.[100] The honour was to be presented to Reynolds and his fellow recipients during a ceremony held in November 2023 in
Victoria.[101]
Charity
In May 2020, Reynolds was among a group of celebrities who read an instalment of
Roald Dahl's children's fantasy novel James and the Giant Peach in aid of the global-non profit charity
Partners In Health, co-founded by Dahl's daughter
Ophelia, which had been fighting
COVID-19 in vulnerable areas.[102]
In March 2022, Lively and Reynolds made another donation, amounting to $500,000 to Water First, to provide
indigenous people in Canada with clean water and training to young people to become professional technicians in environmental issues.[104]
Reynolds began dating singer
Alanis Morissette in 2002, and they announced their engagement in June 2004.[106] In February 2007, representatives for the pair announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement.[107] Morissette said her album Flavors of Entanglement was created out of her grief after the split, and the song "Torch" was written about Reynolds.[108]
Soon after the end of his relationship with Morissette in 2007, Reynolds began dating actress
Scarlett Johansson.[109] They announced their engagement in May 2008,[110] and married on September 27 of that year, in a private ceremony near
Tofino, British Columbia.[111] On December 14, 2010, they announced their separation.[112] Reynolds filed for divorce in Los Angeles on December 23,[113] and Johansson filed her response simultaneously.[114] The divorce was finalized on July 1, 2011.[115]
Reynolds first met
Blake Lively in early 2010 while filming Green Lantern, in which they costarred.[116] They began dating in October 2011[117] and married on September 9, 2012, at
Boone Hall Plantation in
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.[118] After civil rights protests in 2020, Reynolds publicly apologized and expressed deep regret for using that venue due to its association with
slavery; he and Lively renewed their vows at home in New York.[119] The couple have four children: born December 2014,[120][121] September 2016,[122][123] October 2019,[124][125] and February 2023.[126]
Reynolds has spoken about his lifelong struggle with
anxiety, noting in 2018 that he carried out many interviews in the character of
Deadpool to alleviate his fears.[131] He became a
U.S. citizen around 2018.[131]
Notes
^The series was released as Fifteen in its native Canada.
^Posner, Michael (September 1, 2007).
"Ryan Reynolds' Disappearing Act". enRoute (
Air Canada's inflight magazine).
Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010. Reynolds grew up in an Irish-Catholic household in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano. As a child, he went to church regularly
^MacIntosh, Andrew; Williams, Paul (September 25, 2012).
"Ryan Reynolds". Canadian Encyclopedia.
Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
^Rutter, Troy (June 15, 2021).
"Film Review: Ordinary Magic". Heartland Film Review.
Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
^Blowers, Brendan (May 11, 2018).
"Ryan Reynolds And Blake Lively's Pastoral New York Paradise". Haute Media Group.
Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019. When they do manage to escape the seemingly endless press junkets and paparazzi shutterfests, Ryan and Blake recoup and re-center their family on 1.8 acres of a bucolic garden estate in Pound Ridge, NY.