Patrick Reynolds Acting Bio
Patrick Reynolds is a grandson of the tobacco company founder R.J. Reynolds, but he became a leading advocate for the anti-smoking movement after his own father, RJ Reynolds, Jr. died from smoking.
Mr. Reynolds has been profiled by the international media and is a source called on when tobacco stories are on the wires.
He is seeking representation in the following areas:
- NEW SERIES FOR TELEVISION The critically acclaimed biography about the colorful, often scandalous R.J. Reynolds tobacco family, The Gilded Leaf (Little Brown), will make an excellent long form mini-series for television. Patrick Reynolds is seeking representation to submit the book he coauthored to the networks. Mr. Reynolds owns the rights to the book, and has also secured the rights for all time to the life stories of the principal characters in the book.The Gilded Leaf is a truly great American story. See the links below.
- WORLD TOUR Sponsors are being sought for his world tour to build public awareness about tobacco use. When the Greek Minister of Health invited Patrick to go on a speaking tour of Greece in 2009, he was profiled in five national Greek newspapers and by the two main Greek TV networks. Patrick received a very positive letter of recommendation from the Greek Health Ministry, strongly recommending him to Ministers of Health in other nations. Corporate sponsors of his world tour will benefit from the news coverage Patrick Reynolds will receive in every nation, if Greece was a preview. See his group’s Proposal to Ministers of Health.
SUMMARY
On January 5, 2011, after watching Patrick’s debate on Al Jazeera, the Chief of the World Health Organization’s tobacco division in Geneva called Mr. Reynolds to arrange a conference by phone with his top staff. Following their phone meeting, the WHO offered support for Mr. Reynolds’ world tour and for his public meetings with Ministers of Health. They have also provided a global list of Ministers of Health and their staff, with emails. More detailed info follows below.
THE RJ REYNOLDS FAMILY STORY
A SERIES FOR TELEVISION
The Gilded Leaf, initially published by Little, Brown to critical acclaim, tells the colorful, often scandalous story of the R.J. Reynolds tobacco family.
The book was co-authored by Patrick Reynolds and acclaimed author Tom Shachtman, who were packaged together by the William Morris Agency’s literary department. The book was initially published by Little Brown in 1989 to major critical acclaim, and Little Brown sent Patrick Reynolds on a 12 city book tour to promote it. It became a national bestseller. The current publisher is iUniverse.com, and Patrick Reynolds is now seeking representation for a TV sale.
Mr. Reynolds controls the rights to the TV sale, and has also secured the rights for all time to the life stories of principal characters in his book.
Upon request, we will provide copies of the book, complete with copies of original reviews and more.
Please contact Patrick Reynolds for a meeting. He lives in Los Angeles, and is now seeking a partnership with the right production company.
HIS WORLD TOUR FOR A SMOKEFREE SOCIETY
WILL BUILD GOODWILL FOR CORPORATE SPONSORS
Agents will benefit from the substantial fees paid to Patrick Reynolds’ group by corporate sponsors of his world tour.
In April, 2009, Greece’s Health Minister invited Patrick Reynolds to come to Athens to help promote his Ministry’s new no-smoking campaign.
Mr. Reynolds received tremendous national news coverage in Greece. He was profiled in five national Greek newspapers and magazines, and interviewed by numerous broadcast media outlets. Within a month, he received a strong letter of recommendation from the Greek Health Ministry, recommending him to other Ministers of Health.
After watching Patrick’s debate on Al Jazeera on January 5, 2011, the Chief of the World Health Organization’s tobacco division in Geneva called Mr. Reynolds to arrange a conference by phone with his top staff. Following their meeting, the WHO offered their support for Mr. Reynolds’ world tour and his public meetings with Ministers of Health. They also provided a global list of Ministers of Health with emails.
Reynolds’ non-profit organization, Tobaccofree Earth, believes that his tremendous success with the newsmedia in Greece can be duplicated in many countries around the world.
Mr. Reynolds’ org is now seeking sponsors. He is willing to visit countries sponsors choose, and hopes to also visit those with the highest smoking rates, including European nations, China, India, the Middle East, Russia, Japan, Australia and South America.
Patrick Reynolds will deliver the tobacco free message to hundreds of millions of people internationally over the next two to three years, through wide press coverage of his talks to youth and same day meetings with Health Ministers in each country.
Sponsors for Mr. Reynolds’ world tour will benefit from the tremendous news coverage his visit will receive in every nation.
His group’s Proposal to Health Ministers presents the concept best.
His US news coverage continues to be strong — in both cable news debates and local news markets where he speaks.
When one or more corporate sponsors is on board to fund Mr. Reynolds’ speaking fees and travel, the sponsor’s staff will work with Patrick Reynolds’ team to approach Ministers of Health and begin booking his world tour.
BACKGROUND
On July 10, 1986, Patrick Reynolds first spoke out publicly in Congress against the tobacco industry. He was catapulted into the national headlines and besieged with requests for news interviews, as a grandson of a tobacco company founder speaking out for the first time against Big Tobacco.
Mr. Reynolds was soon asked to speak by the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association and many others, advocating smoking bans and new programs to prevent youth from starting. With his powerful speaking abilities, he became a sought-after media draw for the nation’s budding anti-smoking movement.
Patrick’s speeches and appearances in the media helped to pass early laws dividing restaurants into smoking and no-smoking sections, and in 1987, he testified with others in Congress to get smoking banned from airplanes.
In the years which followed, Patrick volunteered for numerous political campaigns, and advocated stronger 100% smoking bans in restaurants and bars, FDA regulation and more.
In 1989 he founded Tobaccofree Earth, based in Los Angeles. Today he continues his advocacy, and is a frequent speaker at colleges, high schools and middle schools. See Patrick’s full biography.
A DVD FOR FAMILIES
Patrick Reynolds’ acclaimed DVD for families, A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking has been purchased by consumers and also 10,000 US schools. Released in 2007, the DVD met with much critical acclaim. The DVD would be an excellent promotional item for a corporation. View video clips.
LIVE TALKS ACROSS THE US
Reynolds continues to give his live school assembly program at high schools and universities across the US.
Patrick’s talks get rave reviews.
View the video clips from the his assembly program for youth to see the power of his speaking.
Reynolds is an excellent draw for local and national news media, and hospitals are frequent sponsors of his program, as a community outreach. See our marketing brochure for hospitals.
“Essentially, I perform a forty-five minute monologue whenever I speak in middle and high schools,” says Reynolds. “Every note has to hit just the right emotion, and be authentic and passionate. I never get tired of doing it. I especially love telling the story of the track star who died at 19 from chewing tobacco, and acting out the parts as I tell it. It moves some in my young audiences to tears. I love telling that story because I feel I’m making a difference.”
STUDIED
IN THE CINEMA DEPTS AT UCLA AND USC
After three years at UC Berkeley, Patrick attended UCLA, where he studied directing, screenwriting, and lighting in the Cinema Departments at UCLA and later USC. He became an avid student of films past and present, attending festivals all over the world.
ACTED IN FILMS AND TV
The noted director Robert Altman asked Patrick to act in Nashville (1975) and Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976). After that Reynolds embraced acting and studied in several top acting workshops.
He signed with an agent and won roles in numerous episodic TV shows, including The Tony Randall Show, Operation Petticoat, and Eddie Capra. He also acted in two prestigious PBS productions of short stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Bernice Bobs Her Hair) and William Faulkner (A Rose for Emily).
Reynolds starred in the 1986 feature film Eliminators, an action-adventure-sci-fi movie produced by Charles Band’s Empire Pictures, released in 1,200 US theatres. Patrick played the lead as the half-man, half-machine, Mandroid. His acting in the film got good reviews.
See Patrick’s acting resume on IMDB or search “Eliminators” on YouTube.
ACTING TRAINING
Following film school at UCLA and USC, Reynolds devoted himself to serious, intense training as an actor for five years in various top workshops. He first studied with Lee Strasburg himself in his Master Class, and then joined the Peggy Fuery Conservatory.
Simultaneously, Patrick studied in the Charles Conrad Studio and developed his singing voice under teacher Arthur Joseph, who also coached the Eagles.
Most importantly, Patrick studied in Bill Sorrells’ class at the Milton Katselas’ Studio where his classmates included Patrick Swayze and Michelle Pfeiffer when they were still unknowns. He later returned to Sorrells’ class in order to prepare for Eliminators.
VIDEO CLIPS
Recent US TV news interviews
https://tobaccofree.org/tv/ (Scroll down for MSNBC, Fox News, CNN debates)
TV and news coverage in Greece, 2009
tobaccofree.org/Greece
Video clips of speaking to youth
https://tobaccofree.org/clips/
Biography for Patrick Reynolds’ tobaccofree advocacy
http://www.anti-smoking.org/bio/
LETTERS OF SUPPORT
Letters of support from recent speaking clients
https://tobaccofree.org/clients.htm
Letters of support for advocacy from well known public figures
https://tobaccofree.org/support/
Letters of support from segment producers at CNN and Good Morning America
https://tobaccofree.org/media.htm
DVD FOR FAMILIES
A Talk with Your Kids About Smoking
DVD hosted by Patrick Reynolds – Reviewshttps://tobaccofree.org/video
Video clips from the DVD, and recent TV news debates
tobaccofree.org/clips/
CONTACT
Tobaccofree.Org
Tel +1 (310) 577-9828
Patrick Reynolds’ Cell
+1 (310) 880-1111