Ronald Wilson Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in the small town (population: 820) of Tampico, Illinois. His father was an alcoholic shoe salesman and his mother a strict Christian. The family shifted home five times before settling in nearby Dixon. After graduating from Eureka College, where he was student body president, he joined an Iowa radio station as a sports announcer.

In 1937, he was spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout and signed on to play a radio announcer in a movie titled Love is on the Air. He went on to perform in over 50 movies through the 1940s and 1950s, including Bedtime for Bonzo, where he starred opposite a chimpanzee.

External Links:
'He befriended India'
Simplicity was his strength
Reagan redefined American politics

Also see: Almost a revolution

Photograph: Michael Evans/The White House/Getty Images