Ronald Reagan before his Presidency

    Before Ronald Reagan became president he had many impressive achievements in the film industry. Reagan served in the Army Air Force during World War II, but he served on the film production unit. He made many films about the war, including Beyond the Line of Duty which later won the Academy Award for Best Short film. Beyond the Line of Duty was the pinnacle of his career, but before then he was an actor in many films. In 1937 Reagan signed a seven-year contract with Warner Bros and by 1939 he had appeared in 19 films. His most famous films were Dark Victory, Knute Rockne, All American, and Kings Row.

    At some point after the peak of his career, Reagan was hired by General Electric to host the General Electric Theater, a weekly TV drama series. Because he was part of GE, he would travel all over the US and give motivational speeches to GE employees. This was the start for Reagan because in 1964 Reagan spoke, through a speech, against conservative presidential contender Barry Goldwater. This speech was called "A Time for Choosing" and it showed many his national visibility. Californian Republicans were impressed with the speech and 1966 announced his campaign to become Governor of California. Reagan viewed Franklin D Roosevelt as a "true hero" and many could say he found his inspiration to be president through Roosevelt.