Ronald Reagan Facts

Physical Description

Height: 6’1”		Hair: Brown
Weight: 180-184 lbs.		Eyes: Blue

Generally right-handed.

Ruddy complexion (did not require face makeup for movie roles).

Eyesight
Nearsighted since childhood. Began wearing glasses around the time he entered high school. Began wearing contact lenses when he began his acting career, which was shortly after they first became available.

Hearing
Hard of hearing, especially in the right ear, since an actor fired a pistol near his head during the making of a motion picture. The film was one of the four, released in 1939 and 1940, in which Reagan portrayed Secret Service agent Brass Bancroft. To avoid causing embarrassment, Reagan never publicly identified the particular film, or the individual who fired the gun.

Began wearing a hearing aid in 1983.

Favorites

Activities, Physical
Golf
Horseback riding
Ranch work
Swimming
Target shooting
After onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, favored golf over more strenuous activities.

Bible Verse
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

Book
The Bible

Books (in childhood)
Northern Trails, by William Joseph Long
That Printer of Udell’s, by Harold Bell Wright
Book series featuring the Rover Boys, Tarzan of the Apes, and Frank Merriwell
The Bible

Book Genres
Fiction
Historical

Christmas Carol
Silent Night

Cologne
Royal Briar

Comic Strip
Peanuts

Desserts/Candy

Brownies		Ice cream
Carrot cake		Jellybeans (favorite flavor: licorice)
Chocolate cake		Pumpkin pecan pie
Chocolate chip cookies

Foods/Recipes/Beverages

Apples - Apple cider		Meatloaf
Cornbread dressing		Monkey bread
Eggplant lasagne		Split pea soup
Hamburgers (grilled)		Turkey soup
Macaroni and cheese

Hymn
Battle Hymn of the Republic

Magazine
National Review

Movies in which he acted
Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
King’s Row (1941)

Movie Roles
George Gipp (The Gipper) in Knute Rockne, All American
Drake McHugh in King’s Row

Movie Soundtrack
The Sound of Music (1965)

Poem
If, by Rudyard Kipling

Prayer
Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord;
Who can shew forth all his praise?

Blessed are they that keep judgment,
and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people;
O visit me with thy salvation;

That I may see the good of thy chosen,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation,
that I may glory with thine inheritance.
Psalm 106:2-5

Presidents
George Washington
Abraham Lincoln
Calvin Coolidge

Song
Nancy With the Laughing Face

Sports
A fan of major league baseball, football, and other sports.

Symphonic Works
Concerto #1, Tchaikovsky
Lara’s Theme (from Doctor Zhivago)
Firebird Suite, Stravinsky
Grand Canyon Suite, Ferde Grofe
Porgy and Bess, Gershwin

Television Shows
1965: Bonanza

1967: The Carol Burnett Show
The Dean Martin Show
Mission: Impossible

1981: Little House on the Prairie
The Waltons

Tree
Sycamore

Dislikes

Foods
Brussels sprouts
Liver
Tomatoes

Movies in which he acted
That Hagen Girl (1947)

Firsts in Life

Automobile
a 1934 Nash Lafayette coupe

Job
At age 14, a construction contractor hired him to dig ditches ten hours a day, six days a week, for a wage of 35 cents per hour. He saved the money earned (about $200) for his college tuition.

Movie
Love Is On the Air (1937), in which he played a radio announcer.

Lifetime Nickname

The nickname “Dutch” was first applied to Ronald Reagan, in childhood, by his father. According to Reagan’s autobiographies, he received the nickname soon after his birth, from his father’s remark that he looked like “a fat little Dutchman.” Reagan has also stated, however, that his father gave him the nickname because of the “Dutch boy” haircut, once popular for little boys, that his mother gave him when he was a toddler. When asked to reconcile the two stories of the nickname’s origin, Reagan stated that the haircut strengthened the use of the nickname.

Religion

Although raised in his mother’s Disciples of Christ denomination, beginning in 1963 Reagan generally attended Presbyterian church services at Bel-Air Presbyterian Church, Bel-Air, California. He became an official member of Bel-Air Presbyterian after leaving the Presidency. In addition, Reagan stated that he considered himself a “born-again Christian.”