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While Ronald Reagan will always be known as the 40th President of the United States, before entering politics, he had a successful career as a Hollywood star. With acclaimed roles in dramas, war movies, and Westerns, Reagans impressive entertainment career showcased him as a heroic leading man and likely influenced the American public's desire for him to then act as the countrys commander-in-chief. While Reagan has continued to remain a prominent figure on the big screen, such as through Dennis Quiads performance in the 2024 biopic exploring his presidency, looking back on his movies, several great roles stand out.

Although many actors have played Reagan in movies and TV shows, the former president himself has also portrayed some truly iconic characters. Reagan's Hollywood career was categorized by variety as he portrayed everything from real-life football legend George Gipp in Knute Rockne, All American to the chimpanzee teaching psychologist Peter Boyd in Bedtime for Bonzo.

You probably know more about Ronald Reagan from U.S. History than Film Studies. Make no mistake. Before Reagan ever ran for office, he was an actor. The 40th U.S. president started his entertainment career as "Dutch" Reagan, a radio sports announcer in Des Moines, Iowa. Reagan honed his storytelling chops by recreating Chicago Cubs games with nothing but a slip sent to him by telegraph. The 26-year-old dreamed of big-screen stardom, so he joined the Cubs for spring training in Southern California — to snag a screen test with Warner Brothers. The WB studio suits liked what they saw, and film actor Ronald Reagan was born.

While Reagan had a better Hollywood career than most, he never became a bonafide movie star. Throughout Reagan's political career, opponents and detractors slandered him as a "B-movie actor." However, Reagan was a B-movie actor. No, he wasn't starring in the 1940s equivalent...

The series includes a screening of President Reagan in his last big screen appearance in the 1964 remake of "The Killers", which offered one of his best performances.

The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY will present a screening of the new documentary "The Reagan Show" about the influence of film in President Ronald Reagan's life and career. The screening is part of a series of showings of Reagan movies including some that are rarely seen on the big screen. This includes "Hellcats of the Navy" in which The Gipper starred with his future wife and first lady, Nancy Davis. Some of the key films will have special guests introduce and/or discuss the movies.  The festival runs from August 25-30. Click here for more info. ...

March 22nd’s Blu-ray and DVD releases are an eclectic bunch, featuring a handful of cult classics, a thriller with the likes of Val Kilmer and Michael Madsen, Goth Katie Holmes fighting against the oppressive nature of her educational system, cowboys taking on prehistoric creatures, and a special edition of Fear the Walking Dead’s inaugural season. Yes, there’s truly something for almost every genre fan.

Notable home entertainment releases arriving this Tuesday include Disturbing Behavior (from The X-Files alum David Nutter), The Black Sleep, Donovan’s Brain, Kill Me Again, All Hell Breaks Loose, Curse of the Poltergeist, Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs, and as mentioned above, Fear The Walking Dead​: The Complete First Season Special Edition.

The Black Sleep (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray)

Newly remastered in HD! The masters of classic horror, Basil Rathbone (Tales of Terror), Bela Lugosi (Dracula, White Zombie), Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man) and...

Nancy Reagan, the actress-turned-first lady who led the “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign of the 1980s and kept working to prevent drug abuse after leaving the White House, has died of congestive heart failure. She was 94 years old. Born Anne Frances Robbins, the wife of President Ronald Reagan starred in films such as “Night Into Morning” (1951) and “Hellcats of the Navy” (1957), in which she appeared with her husband. According to a statement from a Reagan Foundation spokesperson, Mrs. Reagan will be interred beside the president at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Also Read: Bill O'Reilly's 'Killing.

Salvaged from the unpublished Starlog #375. Posted here for the record. The science fiction universe sadly salutes these fantastic talents who died earlier this year.

Bob May (January) The beloved man inside Lost In Space’s irrepressible Robot. (interviewed in Starlog #57, #201)

Charles H. Schneer (January) The veteran producer who shepherded all of Ray Harryhausen’s movies from It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955) to Clash Of The Titans (1981). Those classic genre films included Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles To Earth, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, The Three Worlds Of Gulliver, Mysterious Island (1961), Jason And The Argonauts, First Men In The Moon, The Valley Of Gwangi, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad and Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger. Sans Harryhausen, he also produced I Aim At The Stars (a.k.a. Wernher Von Braun), Hellcats Of The Navy and Half A Sixpence. (Starlog #151, #152, #153)

Arthur A. Jacobs (January) In 1958, producer...

Former President Ronald Reagan, whose career as an actor preceded his highly successful run in politics, died Saturday after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease; he was 93. Reagan died at his home in California, after his health reportedly took a swift turn for the worse, and word of his death was given to news sources on condition of anonymity by a family friend, who also said the Reagan family was currently making funeral arrangements and would issue an official statement later Saturday. "Dutch" Reagan, as he was known in his younger years, started his career as a radio sportscaster in Chicago and moved to Hollywood in 1937, where he became a contract player for Warner Bros., making his debut in Love Is on the Air. Numerous Warner films followed through the 30s and 40s, most notably a supporting role opposite Bette Davis in Dark Victory and the iconic part of George Gipp, aka "the Gipper," in Knute Rockne All American. 1942's Kings Row (where Reagan uttered the memorable line, "Where's the rest of me?") marked a turning point for the actor, and after completing military service during World War II and returning to Hollywood, well-received roles in The Voice of the Turtle, The Hasty Heart, and Storm Warning followed. Alas, most of his post-war films were less than memorable . though Bedtime for Bonzo, in which Reagan was paired with a monkey, became something of a comedy classic . but 1957's Hellcats of the Navy paired him with his second wife, Nancy Davis, whom he married in 1952 (he had previously been married to Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman from 1940-1948).

TV work followed, though Reagan also began pursuing a career in politics, serving as president of the Screen Actors Guild twice; he also made a notable turn from liberal to conservative in the 60s. Reagan made his last film in 1964 . the acclaimed The Killers opposite Lee Marvin . and successfully ran for governor of California in 1966, a post he held for eight years. Though he lost the Republican party's candidacy for president in 1976, he successfully ran again in 1980, and his eight year term as President, in which he survived an assassination attempt, defined the 80s; the rest, as they say, is history. After his presidency, Reagan's health quickly declined due to Alzheimer's, and was said to have contributed to his rapidly deteriorating mental condition; he lived the rest of his life in seclusion, tended to by his wife. According to news reports, Reagan's body is expected to be taken to his presidential library in Simi Valley, CA, and then flown to Washington to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. A funeral is expected to be at the National Cathedral, with his body to be returned to California for a sunset burial at the library. Living longer than any US President, Reagan is survived by his wife, Nancy, and three children: Michael Reagan, Patti Davis and Ron Reagan Jr. --Prepared by IMDb staff...