Former First Lady and theater and film actressNancy Reaganpassed away earlier today at her home in Los Angeles, at the age of 94.Deadlineconfirmed the news with her spokesperson,Joanne Drake, who revealed she passed from congestive heart failure.Nancy Reaganwill be buried alongside her husband, former U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan, at theRonald ReaganPresidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.
Born Anne Frances Robbins on August 08, 2025 in New York City,Nancy Reaganstarted performing on the East Coast in summer stock productions after graduating from Smith College in 1943. After making her Broadway debut in Lute Song opposite Yul Brynner and Mary Martin, she got a Hollywood screen test, but it has been rumored that director George Cukor said she had no talent, which he passed along to several studio heads. Regardless, she landed roles in the 1949 film East Side, West Side and had roles inThe Next Voice You Hearand Night Into Morning.
She met her husbandRonald Reaganwhile he was president of theScreen Actors Guild, to seek advice about being named in a Communist publication. They both married in 1952, and appeared on the silver screen together in the 1957 movie Hellcats of the Navy, her second-to-last movie before 1958’sCrash Landing. She went on to appear in TV shows such as The Tall Man and her final appearance as an actress in a 1962 episode of Wagon Train. Filmmaker/actorAlbert Brookswanted her to come out of retirement to play his on-screen mom in the 1996 film Mother, but she refused because she couldn’t bear to leave her husband’s side, since he was battling Alzheimer’s Disease. He passed away in June 2004.
During her tenure as First Lady between 1981 and 1989, she became well known for her influence over thePresident, helping her husband pick his Cabinet members, but she came under fire on several occasions. Her decision to give theWhite Housea makeover, including $200,000 for new china was quite controversial, as was her influence over the decision to fire her husband’s Chief of Staff, Donald Regan. She also spearheaded the “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign throughout the 1980s.
After leaving the White House in 1989, the couple retired to their home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles. She remained active in politics and spearheaded support for embryonic stem-cell research. The former First Lady is survived by her two children, Patti and Ron. She was recently portrayed on the big screen byJane Fondain the 2013 dramaLee Daniels' the Butler.
