In the film, American Beauty (1999), the Fitts family (Chris Cooper, Allison Janney and Wes Bentley) can be seen watching one of Reagan's wartime films, This Is the Army (1943).
Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1989.
Influenced by the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver (1976), John Hinckley - the son of a prominent Republican family from Colorado - tried to assassinate Reagan in 1981 in order to impress actress Jodie Foster. Foster had won her first Oscar nomination for the film, in which Robert De Niro's eponymous character, 'Travis Bickle', tried to assassinate a liberal Democratic presidential candidate to impress Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), the woman he is obsessed with. Hinckley was acquitted by a jury on reasons of insanity and (as of 2010) remains incarcerated in a psychiatric facility.
knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, received an honorary British knighthood, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. This entitled him to the use of the post-nominal letters GCB, but did not entitle him to be known as "Sir Ronald Reagan". [15 June 1989]
Longtime friend of Fess Parker.
Member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS).
Member of the Eureka College cheerleading squad.
Of Irish decent, his grandfather Micheal Regan immigrated to the United States from Ballyporeen, Ireland in the 1860's. Ballyporeen, a tiny rural farming town in County Tipperary is located in the south-central part of the country and it's inhabitants are frequently referred to as "Midlanders". The Regan's were one of three primary families or "clans" that populated St. Mary's Parish in the village of Ballyporeen. The Ronald Reagan Visitors Centre was built down the street from St. Mary's Church following his visit to his ancestral home in the mid-1980's. Ironically, the spelling of the family name Regan was changed to Reagan after immigrating to the United States.
On Thursday, October 11th, 2001, he became the oldest ex-president in U. S. history, surpassing the previous record-holder, of John Adams.
On Tuesday, March 14, 1972, during his second term as governor of the Golden State, expunged the criminal record of Merle Haggard, granting him a full pardon.
Only United States President to have appeared in a shirt advertisement.
Only US President to head a labor union (as president of the Screen Actors Guild 1947-52/1959-60).
Originally was a very liberal member of the Democratic Party, but eventually converted to the Republican Party in 1962, when he was fifty-one. He gave a highly acclaimed speech in support of Barry Goldwater during the 1964 Presidential election.
Pictured on a 60¢ memorial postage stamp issued by the Republic of the Marshall Islands 4 July, 2004, the first memorial to be issued in his honor.
Pictured on a nondenominated 'forever' USA commemorative postage stamp issued 10 February 2011, four days after the 100th anniversary of his birth. The original issue price was 44¢.
Pictured on a USA 37¢ commemorative postage stamp issued 9 February 2005. When the first-class letter rate was raised to 39¢ in January 2006, the US Postal Service received an unprecedented number of requests to reissue the stamp at the higher value. The 39¢ postage stamp was issued on 14 June 2006, using the same design as the earlier stamp.
President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947 to 1952 and 1959-1960.
Reagan and his wife Nancy were close friends of Rock Hudson, whose death in 1985 spurred the President to provide funds for AIDS research.
Reagan was the first "true blue" conservative to win the Republican nomination and be elected President since Calvin Coolidge in 1924.