Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds
Born	Ryan Rodney Reynolds 23 10, 1976
Birthplace	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian, American
Occupation	Actor, film producer, entrepreneur
Known for	Deadpool franchise, Two Guys and a Girl, Free Guy, co-ownership of Wrexham A.F.C.
Spouse(s)	Template:Unbulleted list
Children	4
Awards	Two Primetime Emmy Awards; Hollywood Walk of Fame star (2017)

Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, film producer, and entrepreneur whose career spans more than three decades across television, film, and business. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Reynolds began acting at the age of thirteen, appearing in small television roles before landing his first lead in the Canadian teen soap opera Hillside (1991–1993). He rose to broader recognition through the American sitcom Two Guys and a Girl (1998–2001) and a succession of comedic and action films throughout the 2000s. Reynolds achieved his greatest commercial success as the titular character in the Deadpool franchise, beginning in 2016, with his films as a leading actor grossing over $6.6 billion worldwide. He was the world's second-highest-paid actor in both 2020 and 2024. Beyond acting, Reynolds has established himself as a prominent entrepreneur, holding an ownership stake in Mint Mobile and co-owning the Welsh football club Wrexham A.F.C., the latter of which is the subject of the Emmy Award–winning documentary series Welcome to Wrexham (2022–present). He has received numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In 2017, Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early Life

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He grew up in the Vancouver area and has frequently spoken publicly about his Canadian upbringing and his continued ties to British Columbia. Reynolds has described himself as having had a typical middle-class Canadian childhood, and he developed an interest in performing arts at a young age.

Reynolds entered the entertainment industry at the age of thirteen, beginning with small roles in various television productions filming in Vancouver during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The city's growing status as a hub for North American film and television production—often nicknamed "Hollywood North"—provided the young actor with early opportunities to work alongside established performers and learn the craft of screen acting. His early television appearances included guest spots on series such as The Outer Limits, in which he appeared in episodes during the show's third and fourth seasons.

Reynolds's grandfather was Chester Reynolds. Ryan has maintained a strong identification with his Canadian heritage throughout his career, frequently referencing his Vancouver roots in interviews and public appearances, even after achieving international stardom and spending much of his professional life in the United States.

Career

Early Television Work (1991–1997)

Reynolds's first significant acting role came with the Canadian teen soap opera Hillside (known as Fifteen in the United States), which aired from 1991 to 1993. The series, produced by Nickelodeon and filmed in British Columbia, gave the teenage Reynolds his first experience as a series regular and introduced him to audiences across North America.

Following Hillside, Reynolds continued to work steadily in Canadian and American television throughout the mid-1990s. He appeared in guest roles on a number of series, building his experience and range as a performer. Among these early credits was an appearance on The John Larroquette Show. He also appeared on the sketch comedy series In Living Color.

On the film side, Reynolds made his feature film debut in the 1993 Canadian drama Ordinary Magic, in which he played a supporting role. The film received a review in Variety, which noted the production's modest ambitions and the performances of its young cast.

Actress Melissa Joan Hart later recalled that she and Reynolds had "kind of had a little thing" during their time as young co-stars in the 1990s, a recollection that underscored how intertwined the careers of young Canadian and American actors were during this era of cross-border television production.

Breakthrough: Two Guys and a Girl (1998–2001)

Reynolds's breakthrough in American television came with the ABC sitcom Two Guys and a Girl (originally titled Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place), in which he starred from 1998 to 2001. The show, which followed the lives of three friends living in Boston, ran for four seasons and established Reynolds as a comedic leading man with strong timing and an affable screen presence. Variety later recognized his work on the series as one of his best performances, noting that the role allowed him to develop the quick-witted, self-deprecating comedic persona that would become his trademark.

During this period, Reynolds also began expanding into film work. He appeared in the 1999 independent film Coming Soon, which Variety reviewed upon its release. He also appeared in Finder's Fee (2001), another independent production that received critical attention.

Film Career: Comedies and Early Blockbusters (2002–2013)

Reynolds transitioned to film leading roles with National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002), a raunchy college comedy in which he played the titular party-loving student. The film was a commercial success and solidified his reputation as a comedic film star, though critical reception was mixed. He followed this with a series of comedic and genre films throughout the 2000s.

In 2004, Reynolds took on his first major superhero role, playing Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity, the third installment in the Blade franchise. The film received largely negative reviews from critics but introduced Reynolds to the world of comic book adaptations—a genre that would later define his career. He continued to find commercial success in comedic roles, starring in Waiting... (2005) and The Proposal (2009), the latter of which paired him with Sandra Bullock and became a major box office hit.

Reynolds's early forays into the superhero genre yielded mixed results. He briefly appeared as Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), a portrayal that was controversial among fans of the Deadpool comic book character due to the film's significant departures from the source material. He then starred as the title character in Green Lantern (2011), a DC Comics adaptation that was both a critical and commercial disappointment. The film's underperformance became a recurring subject of Reynolds's self-deprecating humor in later years.

Reynolds also expanded into voice acting during this period, lending his voice to the animated film Turbo (2013) and playing the patriarch Grug in The Croods (2013), a role he would reprise in The Croods: A New Age (2020).

He appeared in the 2003 comedy The In-Laws, which received mixed reviews.

Deadpool and Commercial Peak (2016–present)

Reynolds's career reached its apex with the release of Deadpool in February 2016. The film, which Reynolds had championed for over a decade, cast him as the wisecracking, fourth-wall-breaking antihero Wade Wilson / Deadpool. Made on a modest budget by superhero film standards, Deadpool became a massive commercial and cultural phenomenon, earning over $780 million worldwide and redefining what an R-rated superhero film could achieve at the box office. Reynolds's performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

The sequel, Deadpool 2 (2018), continued the franchise's commercial success, and Reynolds reprised the role a third time in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), which paired him with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Deadpool & Wolverine emerged as Reynolds's highest-grossing release and one of the highest-grossing R-rated films in history.

Between Deadpool installments, Reynolds appeared in a variety of genres. He starred in the science fiction horror film Life (2017) and the biographical drama Woman in Gold (2015). He also took on the voice role of the title character in Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019), which brought his distinctive comedic voice to the beloved Pokémon franchise.

Reynolds starred in several high-profile action and comedy films, including 6 Underground (2019), directed by Michael Bay for Netflix; Free Guy (2021), in which he played a non-player character in a video game who becomes self-aware; and The Adam Project (2022), a science fiction adventure produced for Netflix.

In 2026, it was reported that Reynolds was set to appear in a new film for Apple TV+ as part of the streaming service's announced film slate for the year.

Reynolds also expanded into children's programming, with Bedtime Stories with Ryan, a live-action storytime series produced by his company Maximum Effort for Nickelodeon, announced in February 2026.

Entrepreneurial Ventures

Reynolds has established a significant business portfolio alongside his acting career. He holds an ownership stake in Mint Mobile, the budget wireless carrier known for its irreverent advertising campaigns, many of which feature Reynolds himself. His marketing and production company, Maximum Effort, has produced content for a range of brands and platforms, and Reynolds has been recognized for his skill in blending entertainment with advertising.

In 2020, Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh football club based in Wrexham, north Wales. The acquisition of the club, one of the oldest in the world, attracted international attention and was documented in the television series Welcome to Wrexham, which premiered on FX in 2022. The series, which follows the club's fortunes under its new celebrity owners, won Primetime Emmy Awards. Reynolds's involvement with the club has made him a visible figure in Welsh and English football, with the BBC reporting in 2026 that Reynolds's children have become "frustrated" when Wrexham fans stop him in the street to talk about the club.

Reynolds and his business associate Rob Mac were called out in 2026 for what critics described as "very naive" comments about Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson.

Reynolds also gained attention for launching a streaming service that offered only a single film, a tongue-in-cheek marketing stunt consistent with his public brand of self-aware humor.

Additionally, Reynolds has been involved in television development. Rights to the novel Cold Blood were optioned for a TV event series with Reynolds attached, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter and Vulture.

Personal Life

Reynolds was in a relationship with Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from 2002 to 2007. He married actress Scarlett Johansson in 2008; the couple divorced in 2011.

Reynolds married actress Blake Lively in September 2012. The couple has four children together. Reynolds and Lively have been among the most prominent celebrity couples in Hollywood, and their personal lives have attracted substantial media attention.

In early 2026, unsealed texts and emails involving Reynolds became part of the public record in an ongoing legal dispute between Lively and producer Justin Baldoni. Reynolds's representative issued a public defense of the actor's communications, as reported by People magazine.

Reynolds holds both Canadian and American citizenship. He has spoken publicly about his experiences with anxiety and has been open about the role that humor plays in his approach to mental health.

Actor Michael J. Fox, a fellow Canadian, has publicly expressed confidence in Reynolds's commitment to supporting research into Parkinson's disease, with reports in 2026 indicating that Fox sees Reynolds as someone who will continue advocating for a cure.

Recognition

Reynolds has received numerous accolades throughout his career. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, both connected to his work on Welcome to Wrexham. He has also received nominations for two Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, the latter for his performance in Deadpool (2016).

In 2010, People magazine named Reynolds its Sexiest Man Alive.

In 2017, Reynolds received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an honor recognizing his contributions to the entertainment industry. That same year, Time included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, reflecting both his cultural impact as an entertainer and his growing profile as an entrepreneur and public figure.

Reynolds's films as a leading actor have grossed over $6.6 billion worldwide, and he was ranked as the world's second-highest-paid actor in both 2020 and 2024, underscoring his sustained commercial appeal across multiple genres and platforms.

Legacy

Reynolds's career arc—from teen soap opera actor in early 1990s Canadian television to one of the highest-grossing film stars in the world—is among the more notable trajectories in contemporary North American entertainment. His persistent advocacy for the Deadpool film, which he championed for more than a decade before its release in 2016, is frequently cited as an example of an actor's dedication to a passion project ultimately reshaping the commercial landscape of a genre. The success of Deadpool demonstrated that R-rated superhero films could compete at the highest levels of the global box office, influencing the strategies of major studios in the years that followed.

As a businessman, Reynolds's involvement with Wrexham A.F.C. has drawn international attention to lower-league football in Wales and England, and the accompanying documentary series Welcome to Wrexham has introduced the club and its community to audiences worldwide. His marketing work through Maximum Effort, particularly for Mint Mobile, has been credited with blurring the lines between entertainment content and advertising in ways that have influenced contemporary digital marketing practices.

Reynolds remains a prominent figure in both the entertainment and business worlds, with ongoing film projects, television production through Maximum Effort, and continued involvement in sports ownership. His ability to maintain relevance across acting, producing, marketing, and ownership positions him as a multi-faceted figure in 21st-century popular culture.