Ronald Reagan: From Hollywood To The Oval Office

Reagan Was Almost A Major Movie Star

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Before enlisting in the army, Ronald Reagan signed a seven-year contract to work in Hollywood. Warner Brothers started him in their “B-unit” and he earned his first credit for Love Is On The Air in 1937. Nineteen films followed over the next two years.

Reagan’s big break came in 1940 when he played George Gipp in Knute Rockne. The story about the about the former Notre Dame football coach was well received, and Reagan became known as “The Gipper.” One year before being called into active duty, Reagan was named the fifth most popular star in Hollywood. When he returned from active duty in 1946, Reagan found it hard to find the same success he had early in his career.