Nancy Reagan
Date of Birth
Nancy Reagan, born Nancy Davis, was an actress-turned-first lady, and was the second wife of Ronald Reagan — the 40th U.S. president and 33rd governor of California. Like her husband, Mrs. Reagan began her professional career as a performer, appearing in 12 films, before leaving the entertainment business in the early 1960s.
As first lady, her most notable cause was her “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign, which focused on drug and alcohol abuse among youths. She began championing the campaign while her husband was still governor of California, appearing as herself on the television series Diff’rent Strokes in 1978 and Dynasty in 1981 to help further her message.
When she was still working as an actress, she got her first television credit in 1949 with a role in the Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse. She also appeared on Ford Television Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse, Climax, Zane Grey Theater, The Tall Man, General Electric Theater, The Dick Powell Theatre, 87th Precinct and Wagon Train.
Additionally, she appeared in films including The Doctor and the Girl, starring Glenn Ford; East Side, West Side, with Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Heflin, and Ava Gardner; and It’s a Big Country, with Ethel Barrymore and Gary Cooper. She also appeared in a film with her husband: Hellcats of the Navy, set in World War II and featuring the future president as a submarine commander and herself as a nurse.
Nancy Reagan, born Nancy Davis, was an actress-turned-first lady, and was the second wife of Ronald Reagan — the 40th U.S. president and 33rd governor of California. Like her husband, Mrs. Reagan began her professional career as a performer, appearing in 12 films, before leaving the entertainment business in the early 1960s.
As first lady, her most notable cause was her “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign, which focused on drug and alcohol abuse among youths. She began championing the campaign while her husband was still governor of California, appearing as herself on the television series Diff’rent Strokes in 1978 and Dynasty in 1981 to help further her message.
When she was still working as an actress, she got her first television credit in 1949 with a role in the Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse. She also appeared on Ford Television Theatre, Schlitz Playhouse, Climax, Zane Grey Theater, The Tall Man, General Electric Theater, The Dick Powell Theatre, 87th Precinct and Wagon Train.
Additionally, she appeared in films including The Doctor and the Girl, starring Glenn Ford; East Side, West Side, with Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Heflin, and Ava Gardner; and It’s a Big Country, with Ethel Barrymore and Gary Cooper. She also appeared in a film with her husband: Hellcats of the Navy, set in World War II and featuring the future president as a submarine commander and herself as a nurse.
Director-producer Mervyn LeRoy arranged a between Nancy and Ronald in 1951, and the couple married the following year. They later had two children together, Patti and Ron. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Nancy Reagan, a native New Yorker, studied drama at Smith College. She got her start in entertainment by touring with a road company before landing a role on Broadway in the 1946 musical Lute Song, which starred Mary Martin and Yul Brenner. After moving to Hollywood, her screen test was directed by George Cukor and she landed a seven-year contract with MGM.
Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California in 1966 and served from 1967 to 1975; he later served two terms as president, from 1981 to 1989. He died in June 2004 at age 93.
Nancy Reagan died March 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. She was 94.
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