John F. Kennedy
Famous Military Veterans
Marilyn Monroe
Anthony Weiner
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Babe Ruth
Johnny Cash
Georgia O'Keefe
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Ronald Reagan
- OCCUPATION: Film Actor, Television Actor, U.S. President, U.S. Governor
- BIRTH DATE: February 06, 1911
- DEATH DATE: June 05, 2004
- EDUCATION: Dixon High School, Eureka College
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Tampico, Illinois
- PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
- Nickname: "The Gipper"
- Nickname: "The Great Communicator"
- Full Name: Ronald Wilson Reagan
- AKA: Ronald Reagan
- Nickname: "Dutch"
Best Known For
President Ronald Reagan helped redefine the purpose of government and pressured the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. He solidified the conservative agenda for decades after his presidency.
Videos see all videos
-
Ronald Reagan - Re-election (2:55)
-
Ronald Reagan - Childhood (4:26)
-
-
Ronald Reagan - Full Biography (45:55)
Ronald Reagan - Re-election
During his re-election campaign Ronald Reagan faced the ever present issue of his age and the fact that he was the oldest U.S. President ever to be elected.
Ronald Reagan - Childhood
Learn about the childhood of the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan - 1980 Presidential Debate
An inside look at the 1980 Presidential debate between then President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan - Full Biography
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States was a man who people loved or hated. His detractors saw him as a front man for wealthy interests, his advocates saw him as the leader who revitalized the American economy.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowRonald Reagan. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:11, May 24, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198.
Ronald Reagan. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198 [Accessed 24 May 2013].
"Ronald Reagan." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 24 2013, 08:11 http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198.
"Ronald Reagan," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198 [accessed May 24, 2013].
"Ronald Reagan," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198 (accessed May 24, 2013).
Ronald Reagan [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 24] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198.
Ronald Reagan, http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198 (last visited May 24, 2013).
Ronald Reagan. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/ronald-reagan-9453198. Accessed May 24, 2013.
In the Middle East, Reagan sent 800 U.S. Marines to Lebanon as part of an international peacekeeping force, in June 1982. Nearly one year later, in October 1983, suicide bombers attacked the Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans. That same month, Reagan ordered U.S. forces to invade the Caribbean island of Granada after Marxist rebels overthrew the government. In addition to the problems in Lebanon and Grenada,
Contents
the Reagan administration had to deal with an ongoing contentious relationship between the United States and Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi.
During his second term, Reagan forged a diplomatic relationship with the reform-minded Mikhail Gorbachev, chairman of the Soviet Union. In 1987, the Americans and Soviets signed a historic agreement to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. That same year, Reagan spoke at Germany's Berlin Wall, a symbol of communism, and famously challenged Gorbachev to tear it down. Twenty-nine months later, Gorbachev allowed the people of Berlin to dismantle the wall, ending Soviet domination of East Germany. After leaving the White House, Reagan returned to Germany in September 1990—just weeks before Germany was officially reunified—and, with a hammer, took several symbolic swings at a remaining chunk of the wall.
1984 Re-Election
In November 1984, Ronald Reagan was re-elected in a landslide, defeating Democratic challenger Walter Mondale. Reagan carried 49 of the 50 U.S. states in the election, and received 525 of 538 electoral votes—the largest number ever won by an American presidential candidate. His second term was tarnished by the Iran-Contra affair, a convoluted "arms-for-hostages" deal with Iran to funnel money toward anti-communist insurgencies in Central America. Though he initially denied knowing about it, Reagan later announced that it was a mistake.
Later Years and Death
After leaving the White House in January 1989, Reagan and wife Nancy returned to their home in Los Angeles, California. In 1991, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum opened in Simi Valley, California.
In November 1994, Reagan revealed in a handwritten letter to the American people that he had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Nearly a decade later, on June 5, 2004, he died at his Los Angeles home at age 93, making him the nation's longest-lived president at that time. (In 2006, Gerald Ford surpassed him for this title.) A state funeral was held in Washington, D.C., and Reagan was later buried on the grounds of his presidential library in California.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Ronald Reagan profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Failed Assassinations
View groupPolitical assassinations are an all-too-common occurrence, and they often become major landmark events. Luckily, many attempts to murder a political figure don't succeed, and a life is spared. Even those events, though, become important events in our history. In one of the most famous incidents, John Hinckley, Jr. tried to assassinate President Reagan in 1981.The president suffered a puntured lung, but survived the shooting. Here's a look at some of the most famous failed assassination attempts.
Failed Assassinations 10 people in this group
-
Actors Turned Politicians
View groupLot of actors play politicians on the big and small screens, but few have made the transition in real life. At every level of government, there are actors who have used their charisma, good looks, and personalities to get the policies they support enacted. Though Hollywood has a reputation as a city of liberals, many conservative actors have been members of the Republican party. From Ronald Reagan to Sonny Bono, here's a look at famous actors who went on to careers in politics.
Actors Turned Politicians 20 people in this group
-
Famous Irish-Americans 80 people in this group
