Actor Ronald Reagan's run for the presidency led him to be the 40th President of the United States. He served from 1981-1989.
He had previously served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and got his start in politics working for General Electric. Reagan was a member of the Democratic Party but then switched and became a Republican in 1962. Reagan then sought and won the governorship of California, and served from 1967-1975.
The former actor had run for president two other times before being successful in 1980. He tried for the Republican nomination in both 1968 and 1976.
