Patrick Reynolds

Since 1975 Patrick Reynolds has acted in TV and films including the lead role in the feature Eliminators in 1986 He performed parts in films like Nashville and Buffalo Bill and the Indians both for director Robert Altman Airplane Hair for Milos Forman and Xanadu starring Olivia NewtonJohn Although Reynolds is a grandson of the tobacco company founder RJ Reynolds makers of Camel and Winston cigarettes in 1986 Mr Reynolds spoke out publicly against Big Tobacco in Congress after his father died from smoking His testimony was reported by news media around the world and Patrick campaigned for a smokefree society in the three decades that followed In 2015 President Obama presented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award Hes a frequent speaker at universities middle schools high schools and health conferences The live talks I give these days especially to kids amount to giving a 45minute actors monologue Reynolds points out Every word has to sound spontaneous and be emotionally on point in front of large audiences at schools So I am fully tuned up and ready to act Id be pleased to play character roles and am a chameleon capable of flawless European and US accents Patricks TV appearances include two critically acclaimed short stories for PBS F Scott Fitzgeralds Bernice Bobs Her Hair starring Shelley Duvall and William Faulkners A Rose for Emily with Angelica Hustared in other TV series including Operation Petticoat Civil Wars Santa Barbara and more In The Biggest Battle he played John Hustons on in the lead For the Tony Randall Show Reynolds created Bullet Head an oddvoiced bald character He also appeaide Following his lead in Eliminators he was almost cast as Captain Picard on Star Trek but the role went to Patrick Stewart Patrick Reynolds stage appearances include lead roles in two Gilbert and Sullivan operettas Ko Ko in The Mikado and Sir Joseph in Pinnafore He performed in YMCA an ensemble offBroadway show by Rado and Ragny creators of Hair and also played Earnest in The Importance of Being Earnest Before he began acting at age 20 in 1969 Reynolds directed a documentary titled Berkeley which won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1970 After that he made several short films and then attended film school at UCLA He then studied at USC in the Department of Cinema 1973 74 When Patrick added acting to his goals in 1974 he studied with Lee Strasberg personally in his Master Class at The Strasberg Institute Patrick also studied with Justin Smith and studied voice and singing with Arthur Joseph who also coached the Eagles Around that time Patrick recorded three singles written by Randy Newman During this period Patrick also studied for three years in Bill Sorrells class at Milton Katselas where classmates included Michelle Pfeiffer and Patrick Swayze He studied for two years at both the Charles Conrad Studio and Peggy Feury where Jeff Goldblum was a classmate Mr Reynolds coauthored a colorful family biography about the RJ Reynolds tobacco family which he is developing for TV The Gilded Leaf was published to critical acclaim by Little Brown in 1989 and became a bestseller See httpswwwTobaccofreeorgbook In 2007 Patrick married Alexandra Olympios They live in Los Angeles and have a son born in 2009