Who was Ryan Reynolds’ father, James Chester Reynolds? Deadpool star wishes late dad could’ve met his and Blake Lively’s daughters

Ryan Reynolds, who, along with his wife, Blake Lively, is amidst a difficult legal battle as he attempts to block Justin Baldoni’s case against him and Blake Lively, recently opened up about how he wished his children had met his father, who passed away in 2015. Ryan Reynolds, during his appearance at the Acadia Pharmaceuticals New York City Panel, talked about his father, James Chester Reynolds, who worked as a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman and suffered from Parkinson’s, adding that he believes his children could have helped his father in some way.

Blake Lively filed a case against Justin Baldoni in December 2024, alleging that the actor and director of their movie It Ends With Us was involved in alleged sexual harassment and in organizing a smear campaign against the Gossip Girl actress. Baldoni, in turn, filed his own lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, denying all allegations against him. The case is scheduled to go on trial next year on March 9.

More about Ryan Reynolds’ father, as the actor talks about his father’s difficult Parkinson’s diagnosis

In honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Ryan Reynolds appeared during the panel discussion at the Acadia Pharmaceuticals New York City Panel held on April 25, to shed light on some of the early and relatively unknown symptoms of the condition.

During the conversation with People magazine, the Free Guy actor opened up about how his three daughters might have helped their grandfather, whom they never met, to have a different perspective on life, and according to the Adam Project actor, they could have helped him on his Parkinson’s journey. Ryan Reynolds, who shares four children—three daughters and a son—with wife Blake Lively, said:

"I think my dad, being a father of four boys, if he had met these three little girls that we have, I think it would've changed profoundly if I really do," he said. "Obviously they changed me profoundly, but he really would've benefited. I think actually, I know this sounds maybe [like] a stretch...but I think his health would've improved if he'd been able to spend some time with them.

Ryan Reynolds’ father, James Chester Reynolds, was diagnosed in 1995 and battled the condition until his death in 2015, at the age of seventy-four. In 2014, the Red Notice actor, during an interview with Today, talked about how his father refused to acknowledge his condition.

"He comes from a pretty prideful generation, and he doesn’t talk about it too much. He’s maybe said it once or twice out loud.”

During his interview with People magazine, Ryan Reynolds also expressed that he now understands why his father, who grew up in a very different generation, refused to talk about his condition.

“A man with four children, working class, dealing with a disease that is degenerative and something that will one day render him physically unable to take care of himself or others, that is going to have a profound effect on the psyche,”

The "Deadpool & Wolverine" actor further talked about the emotional toll his father's diagnosis took on his mother, who was his primary caregiver.

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"My mom was that person. She was the primary caregiver for my father. And when you have somebody who's very prideful like that, he's not going to accept help from anyone else. So I feel for them as much as I do the patients. So when they reach out, I really make time for all of them, not just the one who's dealing with the disease.”

During the panel discussion, Ryan Reynolds also explained that the reason he was partnering with Acadia Pharmaceuticals is because of the innovative research they have done on Parkinson’s, adding that he knows that such research could have helped manage his father’s life better before his death.

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