Yes, you found him charming opposite Sandra Bullock in The Proposal. You laughed emphatically after he sported full Michael Bolton garb in Just Friends. And, of course, you swooned after he graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly sporting water wings and a water gun. But, do you truly know the pop culture history of Ryan Reynolds? Well, if not you’ve come to the right blog post. From Two Guys, a Girl and Pizza Place to Obama Campaign volunteer, here is the essential Ryan Reynolds pop culture guide:

He’s a Canuck, and apparently he’s the Canadian George Clooney

On October 23, 1976 (that makes him 33), Ryan Reynolds was born a baby Canuck, just north of Seattle, in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Canadian’s refer to him as the “Canadian Ham” and it seems as if he assumed his role as national goofball at an early age. When he was in high school he started his own improv troupe called Yellow Snow, despite failing his drama class. He first graced the screens of Canadian television in 1993, when he starred in the CBC (Canadian Broadcast Channel) made-for-TV movie Ordinary Magic, where he, oddly enough, played an Indian boy adjusting to life in Canada. Though fellow Vancouver native and actor Chris Martin would drag the young Reynolds out to big bad Hollywood, Reynolds still has a huge fan base in Canada. His Canadian support is so strong he has an honorary facebook group named: “Ryan Reynold’s – Canada’s Best Actor”. He also did a spot in 2010, that aired during the Olympics, urging viewers to visit his hometown of Vancouver.

From Vancouver, to Florida, to L.A., all to get to a Boston pizza parlor?

Way before The N brought Degrassi: the Next Generation to the shores of America, Nickelodeon tried it’s hand at teen drama with the short lived Hillside (1990). Reynolds got cast as Billy Simpson in his television debut traveling all the way out to Florida to play the role, but Reynolds could tell the show would fail as he would later call it “a terrible, terrible soap opera”. Here’s a clip of the charming young Reynolds on Hillside:

After the failure of Hillside, Reynolds went back home and decided to enroll at Kwantlen College, until friend Chris Martin (Felicity) brought him out to Los Angeles. Los Angeles was less than hospitable to the aspiring actor. At one point his prized jeep was rolled down a hill and stripped down for parts. In 1997, while making his way in the acting business, he was offered the role of Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but turned it down. Instead, Reynolds landed on the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place (1998-2001) playing medical student Michael “Berg” Bergen. The show, which centered around three thirty somethings who work at a Boston pizza parlor, was ridiculed by critics until Roseanne writer Kevin Abbott signed on board boosting the show to a four year run.

Eight Pack Abs + Zach Braff + Vampires + Haunted House – Waiting = Movie Star

After Two Guys, and a Girl ended it’s four year run, Reynolds caught his first big break in film starring in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, playing a life-of-the-party college student who can’t seem to graduate. Though the movie was universally butchered by critics, Van Wilder garnered a young cult following and the acclaim of producer Andrew Panay who referred to Reynolds as an “amazing amalgam of Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Jim Carrey”.

Through Van Wilder, Reynolds landed a guest spot along Zach Braff on Scrubs playing Spence, a college friend of J.D’s in the much loved “My Dream Job” episode. 

The cult success of Van Wilder lead Reynolds to act along veteran actors Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks, in the 2003 re-make The In-Laws. Though the film was just as universally panned as Van Wilder, Reynolds got to hone the craft of slap-stick comedy.  His comedy roles would continue with a cameo in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.

Despite, Van Wilder and In-Laws, Reynolds was a relative unknown until he beefed up to eight-pack-ab-status as vampire hunter Hannibal King in Blade Trinity (2004) starring alongside Wesley Snipes and Jessica Biel. To play Hannibal King, director David Goyer asked Reynolds to work on his lanky physique. Reynolds ending up gaining 25 pounds of pure muscle, launching him to instant heartthrob status. The film also allowed Reynolds to be taken seriously for action and dramatic roles, instead of merely being seen as a comedic actor.

After the huge success of Blade Trinity, Reynolds went on to star in a string of comedy and action hits including: The Amityville Horror, Waiting, Just Friends, Smoking Aces, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Adventureland, and The Proposal. Though his most underrated and dramatic role was in the small indie film The Nines (2007), where he played three roles simultaneously. Suddenly, the actor critics loved to hate became a critical darling.

In his personal life: he’s a lover not a fighter…that is if you don’t ask Alanis

Reynolds seems to be as much a Casanova off screen as he is on screen. In June 2004, Reynolds was engaged to Canadian singer/icon Alanis Morissette, leading media to refer to them as the Canadian Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie, further solidifying them as a power couple. Unfortunately the engagement ended in disaster with the couple announcing a break-up in February 2007 after a prolonged engagement. Morissette, who is known for writing songs about her spurned relationships, wrote several songs in Flavors of Entanglement about her rough relationship with Reynolds.

A year after his failed relationship with Alanis, Reynolds became engaged to actress Scarlett Johansson on May 5, 2008. This time the engagement was successful; the couple was married in Tofino, British Columbia on September 27, 2008. Along with being insanely attractive, the couple is incredibly social justice oriented. Johansson recruited Reynolds to campaign for Barack Obama in 2008, after she successfully volunteered for the Obama Campaign during the Iowa Caucus. The campaign inspired Reynolds to seek American citizenship. Here’s Johansson in the Yes We Can video, which she helped organize: 

Reynolds is a social justice activist in his own right. He famously wrote a deeply personal piece in The Huffington Post about running for his father in the New York City Marathon. Reynold’s father has struggled with Parkinson’s disease for 17 years, and Reynold’s ran in the marathon to give awareness of the disease. Here’s the article: “Why I’m Running the New York City Marathon”.

There you go. Everything pop culture has to offer on Ryan Reynolds. Now, if only they made a Ryan Reynolds themed Trivial Pursuit.