Ryan Reynolds biography, wife and daughters, net worth, age and height, family 2025

Ryan Reynolds Biography

Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor who shot to fame after starring in comedies "The Proposal" and "Van Wilder." He's the star of superhero films "Green Lantern" and "Deadpool." A total jokester, he's married to actress Blake Lively and father to four beautiful children.

Childhood

Ryan Reynolds was born October 23, 1976, into an ordinary family in Vancouver, Canada, and became the youngest of four brothers – Terry, Jeff, and Patrick were already growing up in the household. "My brothers and I spent our entire childhood on the front lawn trying to kill each other," the actor later recalled.

When Ryan came into the world, his father, Jim Chester Reynolds, had left the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and gone into wholesale food distribution. His mom, Tamara "Tammy" Lee, made a living working the cash register at a supermarket.

On his father's side, Ryan has Irish roots – his grandfather Chester was pure Irish, though he was born in Canada.

Ryan Reynolds with his parents: Jim and Tammy

The family home was located in the Kitsilano neighborhood, famous for its beaches. At age three, Ryan first found himself in front of a photographer's lens – the guy was doing a story for the local paper and snapped a photo of the photogenic toddler splashing around in a pool. They published the photo along with Ryan's home address, which he found pretty shocking as a father himself – that wasn't exactly safe.

The actor calls Murrin Lake his favorite spot in his hometown. Until about age 14, he loved playing Indiana Jones, and the bottom of that lake was absolutely littered with "treasure." Mostly soda bottles from the '50s and various trinkets.

Ryan attended Kitsilano Secondary School, the same one his grandmother had gone to. Joshua Jackson, who also became a movie star (though not quite as big), was two years younger. The school says Ryan and Joshua are the only famous alumni who haven't let success go to their heads and still regularly visit their former teachers.

In middle school, to earn some money, Ryan got a job as a courier at The Vancouver Sun – the very same newspaper that had once published his childhood photo. On his 43rd birthday, his wife gave him a painting depicting that episode from his childhood, which now hangs in their home. "That's definitely the coolest gift my wife has ever given me," he said, clearly touched.

In his youth, the future actor worked as a courier

First Roles

Ryan's creative enthusiasm showed up as early as third grade, when the young boy landed a small part in a school play. He doesn't have formal training, but as the actor jokes, he never doubted his skills: "I was constantly lying to my parents, and they never caught me, so I knew I could be a great actor."

At 13, he asked his parents to drive him to Florida for an audition for Nickelodeon's new teen series "Fifteen." Ryan landed the role of Billy Simpson, one of the main players in Hillside High's daily drama. The cable TV show lasted two years on air. The sunny state left the young actor with a "Best Young Actor on Cable TV" award and some serious on-set survival experience.

Ryan Reynolds' first role (TV series Fifteen)

After the show wrapped, Ryan returned to his native Vancouver, where he appeared in the series "The Odyssey" and the feature film "Ordinary Magic" before finishing high school. In the latter, he played an Indian boy named Ganesh who moves to Canada after his father's death. Unfortunately, his filmography stayed pretty quiet for a while after that.

In 1994, Reynolds got his high school diploma and enrolled at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, though he wasn't exactly thrilled about becoming a student, especially a "tech" one. He saw himself on Hollywood sets, surrounded by A-list stars. Plus, his parents couldn't afford tuition, so Ryan worked nights at a grocery store checkout. His only creative outlet was the improv group Yellow Snow, which Reynolds founded and ran himself until he decided to drop out at 19.

The young man withdrew from college and literally set off to chase his dream. "I was looking at the list of courses I could take, and I realized there was absolutely nothing that could interest me. One Wednesday morning I packed my stuff and by evening I was on my way to Los Angeles," Ryan recalled.

Those first weeks in Los Angeles were absolutely brutal, according to the actor. The day after he arrived, his beat-up Jeep got stolen, and Ryan had to figure out the city's confusing public transit system. The setbacks crushed his confidence: "Everything was telling me I wasn't going to be the next Tom Hanks."

By a stroke of luck, Ryan met another aspiring Canadian actor – Chris Martin. Their joint job hunt paid off for Reynolds: he landed a role in the film "My Name Is Kate." This was followed by a string of episodic roles: "Marshal," "Keep Quiet and Serve," "Beyond Possibility," and "Cold Blooded Murder."

In 1996, Reynolds scored the role of chubby teenager Jay DeBoom in an episode of "The X-Files" (Season 3, Episode 13) alongside David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

In The X-Files, Ryan Reynolds' character dies

New creative horizons opened up for the actor with the series "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," where the tall, athletically-built Reynolds played Seth, the school's top heartthrob and the main character's love interest.

Ryan Reynolds in Sabrina the Teenage Witch

During filming, Ryan established himself as an excellent comedian with fresh humor, and comedy role offers didn't take long to arrive: "Tourist Trap" and the comedy "Buying the Cow," in one scene of which Ryan appears nude.

From 1998 to 2001, he starred in the series "Two Guys and a Girl." The story about three apartment roommates surviving in the big city received fairly high ratings, despite obviously borrowing the concept from "Friends." Ryan played medical student Berg throughout the entire series until its cancellation.

A shot from the TV series Two Guys and a Girl

Career Peak

Director Walt Becker, who helmed "Van Wilder," clearly remembered Ryan as a charismatic guy with expressive facial work and cast him in the lead role for his new project "National Lampoon's Van Wilder." The collaboration between Reynolds, Tara Reid, and Kal Penn proved to be a knockout success: audiences worldwide got a taste of carefree American college life, and the film raked in around $40 million at the box office.

Ryan Reynolds – the real party king!

The next three years saw Ryan Reynolds firmly planted in comedy territory: "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" alongside Neil Patrick Harris, John Cho, and his old buddy Kal Penn, "The In-Laws" with Michael Douglas, "School of Life," and a starring role as the eccentric Mr. D.

In Harold & Kumar, Ryan Reynolds played a male nurse

In 2003, David Goyer decided Ryan would look pretty good teaming up with Wesley Snipes in the third "Blade" installment and cast the actor as Hannibal King, leader of a vampire-hunting crew. For the role, Ryan had to pack on about 22 pounds of muscle mass, which he handled without breaking a sweat, stunning audiences with his perfectly sculpted physique.

Around this time, Ryan made a guest appearance on the sitcom "Scrubs" (Season 2, Episode 22), playing Spence, a college buddy of J.D. and Turk.

Zach Braff, Ryan Reynolds, and Donald Faison on the set of Scrubs

Each year brought Ryan roles that pushed new boundaries: fresh genres opened up, character depth increased, and plot twists became more unpredictable. In 2005, he landed the lead in the box office hit "The Amityville Horror," followed by playing a former gangster protégé in the crime thriller "Smokin' Aces" in 2006, and in 2007, he portrayed devoted family man Frank Allen facing an impossible choice in the drama "Chaos Theory."

A shot from Smokin' Aces featuring Ryan Reynolds

2014 brought the premiere of "The Voices." What looked like another Ryan Reynolds comedy turned out to be a deeply unsettling psychological thriller. Critics later drew comparisons between Ryan's character Jerry – a hapless guy who chats with his pets – and Christian Bale's iconic role in "American Psycho."

In The Voices, Ryan Reynolds played humble janitor Jerry

Another major project was the high-octane sci-fi action thriller "Criminal," which hit screens in April 2016. Reynolds shared the screen with certified Hollywood heavyweights: Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Costner.

In Criminal, Ryan Reynolds showed off his combat skills

Superhero

In 2009, director Gavin Hood took the helm of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." The film shed light on the past of one of the main heroes in the saga about mutants gifted with superpowers. The role of Wolverine expectedly went to the incomparable Hugh Jackman, while Ryan Reynolds first appeared before audiences as the cold-blooded mercenary Wade Wilson, the future Deadpool.

Wade Wilson (Deadpool) Deflecting Bullets Scene - X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

At the same time, Ryan was filming the romantic comedy-drama "The Paper Man." The film wasn't about superhero adventures at all; Reynolds played the imaginary friend of writer Richard Dunn, appearing on screen in an exaggerated Superman costume.

In 2011, Ryan starred in the lead role of the comic book adaptation "Green Lantern," teaming up with the charming Blake Lively, his future wife. He appeared before viewers as a fearless military pilot who unexpectedly found himself wielding otherworldly power.

Green Lantern Reynolds barely coped with the role of a superhero

In 2014, Reynolds returned to his beloved superhero theme and began filming "Deadpool." Although Ryan wasn't new to the action genre, and he'd already had experience with graphic novel adaptations, this time he was facing a project that, while being both, was radically different from Reynolds' previous acting experience.

Deadpool wasn't like the noble superheroes who'd grown stale with audiences, saving humanity at the expense of their own interests; he's an unprincipled mercenary who puts the thirst for profit above any lofty motives. Plus, "Deadpool's" high interactivity broke Marvel's template storylines, so filming gave Ryan a ton of new experiences.

Ryan has repeatedly noted that Deadpool himself chose him for the comic adaptation. Too many coincidences: both names contain alliteration (Ryan Rodney Reynolds and Wade Winston Wilson), they're the same height with the same eye color, and Ryan landed his first role in 1991 – the same year the first Deadpool comics hit shelves.

For filming Deadpool, Reynolds spent hours sitting in the makeup chair

Thanks to Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool turned out remarkably similar to his comic book prototype: the same morally bankrupt, foul-mouthed outsider who charms viewers from the very first second.

Ryan Reynolds' Best Roles: From Van Wilder to Green Lantern

After Deadpool's thunderous success, Ryan signed on for the sequel, which hit theaters on May 17, 2018. The superhero action flick's follow-up performed well at the box office, though critics called the script somewhat underdeveloped while noting that the creators managed to preserve the signature dark humor and deliver the bloody, spectacular action sequences that audiences loved in the first film. Deadpool 2 helped launch the careers of actresses like Zazie Beetz and Morena Baccarin.

Deadpool 2 introduced new characters: Domino and Cable

Also in 2018, the actor got an interesting experience voicing Pikachu in Detective Pikachu. In the Russian translation, his character lost some of its charisma, despite the solid work by Petr Ivashchenko, Reynolds' official Russian voice actor.

'Pokémon Detective Pikachu' Behind the Scenes

In December 2019, Michael Bay's action film 6 Underground hit screens with Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. The actor plays a genius billionaire who fakes his own death to lead a squad of special agents fighting villains the government can't handle – like third-world dictators.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ryan released a promotional video for his gin company Aviation that plays off 6 Underground and Samsung TVs.

Meta-advertisement for Samsung, 6 Underground and Aviation Gin

Incidentally, that year Reynolds' name made it onto the list of highest-paid actors – he earned $27 million for his role in 6 Underground. For comparison, he was paid $2 million for playing Deadpool in the first film.

In 2020, Reynolds was busy filming The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.

In 2021, the philosophical comedy "Free Guy" hit the big screen. Reynolds plays a non-player character in the popular online game Free City, completely unaware he's living inside a simulation. Like hundreds of other NPCs, his life follows a predetermined script – until one day he develops free will.

November 2021 brought the comedy thriller "Red Notice" starring Reynolds alongside Dwayne Johnson. The film shot during the height of the COVID pandemic, forcing everyone involved – over 300 people – to live separately from their families in quarantine conditions. Reynolds recorded 400 videos with words of support for their loved ones, friends, and even pets. He also gifted each crew member a bottle of his Aviation gin.

Ryan Reynolds has a contract for at least one more Deadpool film (likely releasing in 2023) and X-Force, a continuation of the X-Men franchise with new heroes.

The action comedy "The Adam Project," which dropped on Netflix in early 2022, became something of a confession for Reynolds, who starred in and produced the film. This time-travel story turned into a therapeutic session for the actor – for the first time in his career, he'd created something deeply personal.

Shooting the film in his hometown of Vancouver, Ryan admitted he was able to "make peace with the baggage he'd been carrying like a sack of stones." Critics noted that Reynolds stepped away from his usual sarcastic mask to show a more vulnerable side.

Ryan Reynolds and Walker Scobell walking through the forest and talking — Ryan Reynolds and Walker Scobell in The Adam Project

The project racked up 92.4 million viewing hours in its first week on Netflix, landing third place among the platform's most successful debuts. But what was really fascinating was watching Reynolds work with young actor Walker Scobell, who played the younger version of his character and practically mirrored his mannerisms and gestures – like two generations of the same person meeting.

Meanwhile, a completely different story was unfolding. In February 2021, even before "The Adam Project" released, Ryan and Rob McElhenney officially became co-owners of Welsh football club Wrexham. By 2022, their investment was paying off not just athletically, but in media terms too. The documentary series "Welcome to Wrexham" launched, transforming an obscure team into a global phenomenon.

Welcome to Wrexham. Trailer

The show proved to be brilliant marketing – instead of the tired "rich celebrities buy a team" narrative, viewers got an authentic story about players, traditions, and dreams. Reynolds and McElhenney didn't just invest money; they dove so deep into Welsh culture that they started requesting Welsh subtitles for their Netflix projects.

Fall 2022 saw Ryan receive the Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. By then, he'd already donated half a million dollars to Water First, an organization helping provide clean water to Canada's Indigenous communities.

The year wrapped up with work on "Spirited" – a Christmas musical for Apple TV+ where Reynolds showcased his vocal chops. Playing Clint Briggs, a cynical marketing consultant visited by Christmas spirits, became a modern take on the classic tale.

Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell riding in an elevator and staring at the same spot — Still from "Spirited"

Teaming up with Will Ferrell and the musical duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (who worked on "La La Land" and "The Greatest Showman"), he didn't just act – he sang and danced. Critics noted that while Reynolds' voice was far from Josh Groban territory, his charisma and comedic instincts more than made up for any technical shortcomings.

But the real triumph of 2023 was the second season of "Welcome to Wrexham." The team made it to EFL League Two for the first time in 15 years, and cameras captured the emotional moment when Reynolds and McElhenney could barely hold back tears of joy in the stands. Video of their reaction (shot by none other than Paul Rudd!) went viral across the internet.

The series won eight Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Scripted Nonfiction Program. This marked Ryan Reynolds' first Emmy win.

In August, he and Blake Lively donated a million dollars to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to support actors facing financial hardship. Also in August, news broke that he'd receive the Order of British Columbia – the highest honor from his home province.

Around the same time, the sale of his stake in Mint Mobile to T-Mobile closed for $1.35 billion. Reynolds reportedly earned around $300 million from the deal.

The main event of 2024 was, of course, the blockbuster "Deadpool & Wolverine." After a six-year hiatus, Reynolds brought his most famous character back to screens for the first time under the Marvel Studios banner. The film raked in a record-breaking $1.338 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie in cinema history.

Deadpool holding a dog in costume while Wolverine in his yellow suit looks at them with surprise — Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds in "Deadpool & Wolverine"

But the road to success wasn't smooth. Filming began in May 2023 but was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, only resuming in November. Reynolds, who also served as writer and producer, turned the delays into an opportunity to perfect every detail.

The film became more than just a commercial hit – it was a love letter to the Fox X-Men era. Hugh Jackman's return as Wolverine, cameos from stars like Wesley Snipes and Jennifer Garner – it all turned the movie into a celebration of superhero cinema. Forbes named Reynolds the second highest-paid actor of the year with earnings of $85 million.

That spring, "IF" was released – a children's fantasy film from John Krasinski. Despite a star-studded voice cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Emily Blunt, the film flopped at the box office, earning just $190 million against a $110 million budget. Reynolds played an adult who can see children's forgotten imaginary friends.

Ryan Reynolds in a white t-shirt with suspenders stands next to a cartoon ant character holding a cup of tea — Still from "IF"

The third season of "Welcome to Wrexham" captured the team's latest success – their second consecutive promotion, this time to EFL League One. In October, Ryan and Blake donated a million dollars to Feeding America to help victims of hurricanes Helen and Milton in Florida.

Ryan Reynolds' Personal Life

Ryan has always tried to keep details of his personal life away from the press, so only three major romances have become public knowledge.

In 2003, Reynolds dated Canadian singer Alanis Morissette. He met her at a party hosted by Drew Barrymore, striking up a conversation about their hometown Vancouver and travel. The young couple discovered plenty of common interests, and in 2005, Ryan proposed. For the next three years, the actor made wedding plans, but his fiancée called it off, getting cold feet about the serious commitment.

Scarlett Johansson

In summer 2007, Ryan met Scarlett Johansson; from their first conversation, it was hard to hide their mutual attraction. Their passionate romance was carefully kept from the press, but after paparazzi shots of the couple sweetly holding hands hit the tabloids, Ryan and Scarlett officially confirmed their relationship.

In May 2008, Reynolds proposed to Johansson: during breakfast, Ryan presented his love with a gold diamond ring and asked for her hand. Wedding bells soon rang and vows were exchanged. Their first year of marriage was pure bliss – the newlyweds bought a house in Melrose, spent all their time together, and traveled through Europe.

But tension soon crept into the relationship, caused by conflicting schedules and both actors' constant work commitments... However, neither spouse was willing to sacrifice their career, and in 2011, the headstrong Scarlett left her husband for Sean Penn.

Reynolds and Johansson's family idyll was destroyed

Blake Lively

Reynolds met his third wife on the set of "Green Lantern" in 2010. The script called for Ryan and Blake Lively's characters to be romantically involved, but real life was completely different: Blake was dating Leonardo DiCaprio, while Ryan was still hoping to save his relationship with Johansson.

Soon after the superhero blockbuster's premiere, everything changed – photos of the new couple surfaced in the press, though both actors denied having any relationship beyond friendship. On September 9, 2012, the lovebirds secretly tied the knot. In December 2014, the Reynolds welcomed their daughter James.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively at the Deadpool premiere

According to her father, James was already dreaming of becoming an actress at age 7. Ryan took a measured approach to this ambition: "Right now she's doing school plays, and at home she puts on little productions almost every day. But being a child actor in movies is completely different. It's a huge strain on the nervous system." He hopes James won't rush into things and won't become part of the entertainment industry at such a young age.

The house where Ryan Reynolds and his family live

In late September 2016, the beautiful couple welcomed their second child. The parents kept the newborn's gender under wraps for a long time, but Ryan accidentally spilled the beans on Twitter: "The mobile above my daughter's crib looks like a contraceptive. Now she can think about how lucky she got." Millions of the actor's fans rushed to congratulate him on his second daughter, who later turned out to be named Inez.

James and Inez, Ryan Reynolds' eldest daughters

In August 2019, Ryan and Blake became parents for the third time. The exact birth date of the baby (or rather, baby girl) is hard to pinpoint since the couple didn't publicize the pregnancy (though Blake Lively's growing bump didn't escape eagle-eyed fans at the "Detective Pikachu" premiere) and only revealed the arrival in early October. Once again, fans rushed to congratulate the movie stars on their daughter's birth.

In 2019 the couple became parents for the third time

In December, the actor appeared on the Today show and answered the burning question – what did he name his third daughter? Ryan joked that they hadn't figured out a name yet: "We want to be original, so all the letters in her name will be silent. So she'll have struggles in life too."

Singer Taylor Swift revealed the name of Reynolds' third daughter. In 2020, she released the album Folklore, which included a song called "Betty." The lyrics mentioned the names James and Inez, so listeners figured the track wasn't called "Betty" for nothing. Sure enough, Ryan and Blake soon confirmed they'd named their third little girl exactly that.

In early 2023, Ryan and Blake became parents for the fourth time. Following their established tradition, they didn't publicize either the gender or the name of the newborn – the press congratulated the celebrity couple on the birth of "baby #4." Later he revealed that it was a son, and they named him Olin. Ryan adores his children and takes genuine pleasure in raising them.

The actor is very active on social media and, unlike many stars, manages his accounts himself. His Twitter account was long considered one of the funniest celebrity feeds – he constantly joked about fatherhood and married life:

Being a dad is the most wonderful feeling in the world. If you don't count those wonderful years I spent without kids.

Ryan has a close friendship with Hugh Jackman. However, both love to mess with each other for the public's entertainment, especially after Reynolds landed the Deadpool role – a character who famously doesn't get along with Wolverine. A hilarious video circulated online showing Ryan in full Deadpool makeup parodying Jackman's Australian accent.

When Jackman went on the promotional tour for Logan in 2016, he was greeted by crowds of fans in China. The actor posted a photo with his admirers, and Reynolds commented: "Pretty sure those are protesters." In response to this joke, that December Hugh suggested his fans should pee on Reynolds' newly unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Ryan Reynolds Now

Early 2025 was marred by an unexpected scandal. In January, director Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Reynolds and Lively, accusing them of extortion and defamation in connection with the production of It Ends with Us. According to Baldoni's claims, Reynolds secretly wrote a significant portion of dialogue for one of Lively's scenes without his knowledge.

Despite the legal battles, Reynolds' professional life continued to flourish. May saw the launch of Welcome to Wrexham's fourth season, with a fifth already announced.

Ryan Reynolds and Eva Longoria at the football stadium — On the set of Welcome to Wrexham

The actor stayed busy with new projects. There's Animal Friends, a live-action/animated action-comedy directed by Peter Atencio, and Mayday, an adventure film for Apple TV+. He's also producing a documentary about actor John Candy, who passed away in 1994.

As for Deadpool's future in the MCU, Reynolds confirmed that Marvel Studios plans to continue using the character, though a fourth solo film isn't in the studio's immediate plans. Instead, discussions are focusing on Deadpool's role in a project featuring the new X-Men.

Ryan Reynolds: latest news and articles

William Anderson

I don`t really like fantastic movies and Marvel but Ryan Reynold played very well in `Deadpool`.

2021-05-09 16:08:53
Beverly Edwards

Ryan Reynolds is a successful actor, good father and happy husband, `Deadpool` and `6 Underground` it`s not the end. We are waiting for more.

2021-04-13 23:03:30
Matthew Adrian Hughes

Before I thought that Ryan Reynolds was the best in `National Lampoon`s Van Wilder` but then I watched `Deadpool` and I understood I was wrong before.

2021-03-31 14:27:32
Danielle Williams

I started to like Ryan Reynolds after `Deadpool`. He gave a lot to the movie with helping to make it and also he played wonderful.

2021-03-30 17:48:08
Thomas Christopher Hall

For me Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool it`s the same. Great actor`s work in spite of the main actor is a foul-mouthed, Ryan played so well that you starting to watch him on the screen without pause.

2021-02-17 16:23:55

Ryan Reynolds

Photos: Ryan Reynolds