Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian-American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and marketing visionary who transformed a solid but unspectacular acting career into one of the most impressive business portfolios in entertainment. Born on October 23, 1976, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Reynolds grew up the youngest of four brothers, the son of a food wholesaler and a retail saleswoman.

Reynolds began acting as a teenager on the Canadian soap opera "Hillside" (known as "Fifteen" in the U.S.) and spent the early 2000s in a series of forgettable comedies and a widely panned turn as Green Lantern in 2011. His career-defining moment came when he spent over a decade championing a Deadpool movie, eventually producing leaked test footage that went viral and forced 20th Century Fox to greenlight the film. "Deadpool" (2016) earned $783 million worldwide on a $58 million budget, proving Reynolds's instinct for irreverent, self-aware marketing.

But it is Reynolds's business ventures that reveal his true genius. He acquired an ownership stake in Aviation American Gin, applying his deadpan humor to the brand's marketing and driving explosive growth. Diageo acquired Aviation Gin in 2020 for up to $610 million. He then purchased a significant stake in Mint Mobile, the budget wireless carrier, and personally created many of its viral advertisements. In 2023, T-Mobile acquired Mint Mobile for $1.35 billion, with Reynolds reportedly earning $300 million or more.

Reynolds also co-founded Maximum Effort Productions and the marketing agency Maximum Effort, which specializes in rapid-response, humor-driven campaigns. In 2020, he and actor Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club, turning it into a global brand through the Emmy-nominated FX docuseries "Welcome to Wrexham." He is married to actress Blake Lively, and together they are one of the most prominent couples in entertainment.

Born October 23, 1976, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Ryan Reynolds was the youngest of four boys. His father, Jim, was a food wholesaler, and his mother, Tammy, was a retail saleswoman. He began acting at age 13, landing a role on the Canadian teen soap 'Hillside.' He attended Kwantlen Polytechnic University but dropped out to pursue acting in Los Angeles. For years, he struggled in forgettable comedies and mid-budget films, never quite breaking through to the A-list — until Deadpool changed everything.