Ryan Reynolds: Snapshot

Ryan Reynolds: Five Fun Facts

1. While attempting to earn his skydiving license, Ryan Reynolds's final jump went horribly wrong. When he pulled the chute, "What came out is what they call a 'bag of garbage.' It just came out vertically, not horizontally [and I became] a human meteorite," he told Newsday. He managed to land safely and vowed never to skydive again.
2. At 13, PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive had his first kiss behind a Dumpster at school. "I went home and thought I was so sly, but when I saw my grandmother, she saw the lip stuff all over my cheek," he told PEOPLE.
3. At 15, Ryan Reynolds formed his own improvisational comedy group in Vancouver, which was named Yellow Snow.
4. While shooting Just Friends, Ryan Reynolds donned a 60 lb. fat suit. "A woman asked me when we were shooting–I was standing outside the set–and she asked me if Ryan Reynolds was inside…I said, 'Oh, he's inside, all right,'" the actor told MTV.
5. Ryan Reynolds blogs for The Huffington Post. He recently wrote about running in the 2008 ING New York City Marathon on behalf of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Ryan Reynolds: Biography

1998

March 11

American TV

After a slew of appearances and guest stints, including Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The X-Files, Reynolds stars as fun-loving med student Berg in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. During its tumultuous run, Reynolds defends the show, saying, "If you can get big numbers, that's great, but ultimately the only goal is to be proud of each week's show. And I think we are here." It's cancelled in 2001.

2002

April 05

Breakout Star

Playing seventh-year college student-turned-party planner Van Wilder, Reynolds makes his comedic breakthrough. Though Van Wilder only grosses $21.3 million, it becomes a cult classic. The film's popularity even leads Waiting costar Justin Long to later refer to Reynolds as "the frat guys' Jesus Christ."

2004

June 16

Canada's First Couple

After two years of dating, Reynolds and musician girlfriend Alanis Morissette get engaged. The two began dating after meeting at Drew Barrymore's 2002 birthday party. "We have the perfect combination of compatibility and incompatibility that makes the relationship very passionate," Morrissette tells PEOPLE. "It's perfect."

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Ryan Reynolds: Special Feature