Hollywood star who became president

Ronald Reagan was an actor who became a star during the Golden Age of Hollywood – the 1930s and 40s. After starting out as a radio performer, Reagan became a screen actor and a well-known actor. Initially Regan was a star of B-grade films. It was the 1940 hit by Newt Rockne, All American that helped him break through. King’s Row, released in 1942, made him one of the top stars in the industry. However, his film career was put on hold during World War II as he was drafted into the US Army.

Reagan’s war against the Ku Klux Klan

Once his film career declined, Reagan considered politics as a career option at the end of the war. He began his life in the public eye in 1946 when he confronted the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan and called them out for their racist agenda. Initially a Democrat, Reagan joined the Republican Party in 1962. Four years later, he became Governor of California in a grand political debut. Reagan served two terms before making it clear that his ultimate goal was the presidency.

Presidency and assassination attempt

Reagan attempted unsuccessfully to secure the Republican Party nomination for president in 1975 and ultimately won in 1981. He ultimately won the election, defeating Jimmy Carter. Reagan remained president for two terms. His greatest legacy was a new economic policy that the press dubbed ‘Reaganomics’. The president pushed forward a set of neoliberal reforms, including monetarism and supply-side economics.

In 1981, Reagan survived an assassination attempt when he was shot by John Hinckley Jr. According to doctors, the President was taken to the hospital, where upon arrival he was “very close to death”, however, Reagan survived. Broken ribs, punctured lung and internal bleeding. Reagan retired from politics after 1989. He later developed Alzheimer’s and lived a quiet life away from the public eye. Reagan died of pneumonia in 2004 at the age of 93.