Patrick Reynolds

NOTE: Although Patrick Reynolds became an anti-smoking advocate, his book 'The Gilded Leaf' is a colorful biography of the scandalous RJ Reynolds tobacco family. He and co-author Tom Shachtman never allowed the work to become a platform for Mr. Reynolds anti-tobacco career. Instead, The Gilded Leaf tells the unvarnished life stories of three generations of RJ Reynolds family members, including Mr. Reynolds himself in the closing chapters.

CURRENT VIDEOS OF PATRICK REYNOLDS' LIVE TALKS

See www.tobaccofree.org/clips/

VIDEOS FROM PATRICK REYNOLDS' ACTING CAREER:

Resume on IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0126267/

ELIMINATORS Patrick Reynolds plays the lead role in this 1986 action -adventure - sci-fi film. Reynolds plays Mandroid, a half-man, half-machine bent on revenge against an evil scientist. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008C4IAQ2 or http://www.amazon.com/SciFi-Marathon-America-Eliminators-Guardians/dp/B00C7A8WZQ

BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR In this F Scott Fitzgerald short story made for PBS set in the 1920's, Reynolds plays Draycott Deyo, the shy teenage son of a minister who can hardly bring himself to ask Bernice (Shelley Duvall) on a date. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002VGSP8

A ROSE FOR EMILY A William Faulkner short story made for PBS, the film is set in the post Civil War South. Patrick Reynolds plays a suitor for Angelica Huston's hand. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N7SXBG

EDUCATIONAL VIDEO: THE TRUTH ABOUT TOBACCO

A live talk to teens by Patrick Reynolds

This acclaimed educational video shows a talk Patrick Reynolds gave to 1,000 9th graders. It has been purchased by over 11,000 US middle schools and high schools. Today Mr. Reynolds is a frequent speaker before youth in school, universities and community groups. http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Tobacco-2011-Anti-Smoking/dp/B0045W5YVY

For video clips of Mr. Reynolds' recent speaking work, see www.tobaccofree.org/clips/

BIOGRAPHY

Patrick Reynolds' advocacy work and motivational talks to youth and adults have made him a well known and respected champion of a smokefree society. He has helped remind people of the dangers of smoking. 

Patrick watched his father, RJ Reynolds, Jr., his oldest brother RJ Reynolds III, and other members of his family die from cigarette-induced emphysema and lung cancer. Concerned about the mounting health evidence, he made the decision to speak out against the industry his family helped build.

A grandson of cigarette company founder RJ Reynolds, Patrick first spoke out publicly at a Congressional hearing in favor of a ban on all tobacco advertising (1986). Former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop commented in 2003, "Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smokefree America. His testimony is invaluable to our society."

Mr. Reynolds serves as Executive Director of the Foundation for a Smokefree America, a nonprofit group he founded in 1989. Its mission is to motivate youth to stay tobacco free, and to empower smokers to quit successfully. The website is www.TobaccoFree.org.

Together with biographer Tom Shachtman, Mr. Reynolds coauthored a biography about his colorful family history, The Gilded Leaf, spanning three generations of the RJ Reynolds family and fortune. The book was first published by Little Brown to critical acclaim in 1989. Photos, reviews and a synopsis may be found at www.Tobaccofree.org/book/.

In 2011 Tobaccofree.org released a new, updated edition of his educational video for grades 6 - 12, The Truth About Tobacco, 2011 Edition. The video shows a live talk Patrick gave to 1,000 9th graders, and is illustrated with award-winning TV spots, film clips and anti-smoking graphics. Available on Amazon.com, it sends an empowering message to youth.

As he does in his current live talk for middle and high schools, in the video Reynolds covers watching his father die from smoking, the addictiveness of nicotine, cigarette advertising, and smoking by stars in the movies. He also tells the tragic, powerful story of Sean Marsee in the video, showing before and after pictures. Marsee was a teen track star who died at age 19 from chewing tobacco.

Reynolds closes the video and all his live talks with his unique initiation into life for teens. He follows with an inspiring message of hope for the future, which he feels is especially needed by youth in a time of terrorism and uncertainty. He closes with a promise of a coming tobaccofree society. "It's coming in your lifetime -- and it's coming because of you. I believe in you," he says. Mr. Reynolds' video has won much acclaim from educators.

In 2003, former US Surgeon General C. Everett Koop commented, "Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation's most influential advocates of a smokefree America. His testimony is invaluable to our society."

Mr. Reynolds was a longtime champion of the 2009 Federal tobacco tax hike of 62 cents, signed into law by Obama on his 17th day in office, and vetoed twice by President Bush. In September, 2012, a study was published that the new tobacco tax had resulted in 3 million fewer US smokers, $30 billion in revenue to date, and an immediate drop in youth smoking rates of 10% to 13% upon implementation of the tax.

In March, 2009, Mr. Reynolds met with Rep. Henry Waxman, a co-sponsor of the proposed Congressional bill for FDA regulation of tobacco, to offer his support. The bill was signed into law by President Obama in June, 2009.

In April the same year Mr. Reynolds was invited to Greece by Health Minister Avramopoulos to help build public awareness of Greece's new no-smoking law, and to call attention to the serious health hazards posed by second hand smoke and tobacco use. There was strong Greek news coverage; Mr. Reynolds was profiled in numerous national Greek media outlets.

Mr. Reynolds' Foundation is presently contacting Health Ministers in China, Russia, India, the Middle East, and other nations with high smoking rates. He hopes to meet publicly in each country with the Health Minister, and speak to children on the same day to call public attention to the problem of tobacco use.

The Greek Health Ministry provided a letter of recommendation to Ministers of Health, saying in part, "Mr. Reynolds gave a well-informed, polished and persuasive speech, and there was strong and very positive national media coverage of his visit. Moreover, his talk to youth at one of our local schools was a tremendous success. Mr. Reynolds has made a noticeable difference to our national efforts against smoking."

In addition to speaking to youth in schools, Patrick Reynolds is also a frequent speaker at universities and before community groups, presenting his unique and informative talk Tobacco Wars with passion and authenticity.

Since 1986 he has spoken before dozens of municipal and State legislatures in support of proposed smoking ordinances which became law. He has campaigned for numerous State cigarette tax increases, Statewide 100% smoking bans, and laws to limit youth access to cigarettes. He approached several members of the US Congress about the aggressive advertising of US brands in the Third World and Asia.

Patrick Reynolds has also been a frequent proponent of spending a portion of State tobacco revenues on teen smoking prevention programs. He points out, "Studies have proven that States with well funded tobacco prevention programs have significantly lower rates of youth smoking, while the ones with poorly funded programs have significantly higher levels of teen smoking. In short, these programs work."To check your state's current spending on smoking prevention programs, please see www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements. For your State's most recent overall tobacco report card, see StateofTobaccoControl.org.

In 1988, the UN's World Health Organization honored him with a special award. In 1989, Chicago's Mt. Sinai Hospital awarded him its Humanitarian of the Year award.

In 1987 Mr. Reynolds testified again in Congress, joining the many voices who helped bring about the first 2 hour ban of smoking on all US domestic flights.

In 2008, he founded a Christmas charity for underprivileged children, www.BeAnElf.org.

In college, Reynolds studied filmmaking at Berkeley, UCLA and later USC. He filmed a documentary titled 'Berkeley' which was shown at the Cannes film festival. Director Robert Altman invited Patrick to appear in his film Nashville in 1975, and following that, Reynolds studied acting and appeared in several films and television shows, notably 'Eliminators' in 1986, viewable on YouTube. His full acting resume may be found on IMDB.com under Patrick Reynolds(1).

In 2007 he married Alexandra Olympios in Los Angeles, and they have a son, born in 2009.

Additional resources

High-resolution photos and video: www.tobaccofree.org/photos

Videos of recent live talks by Mr. Reynolds: www.tobaccofree.org/clips/

Recent cable TV debates: www.tobaccofree.org/tv/

Patrick Reynolds' educational video for youth: www.tobaccofree.org/videotruth.htm

Comments by past speaking clients: http://www.tobaccofree.org/clients/

Contact:

Tobaccofree.Org

Tel: +1 (310) 577-9828

(800) 541-7741