Ronald Reagan’s 5 Kids: All About Maureen, Michael, Christine, Patti and Ron

Ronald Reagan’s legacy stretches well beyond his time in the White House — it lives on through his family.

Before his political rise, Reagan was building a career in Hollywood when he fell in love with actress Jane Wyman. They married in 1940 and welcomed daughters Maureen and Christine, along with son Michael. Christine was born prematurely and died just hours after birth on June 26, 1947, according to the Reagan Library.

After Reagan and Wyman divorced, he later married Nancy Reagan in 1952. That same year, they welcomed their daughter Patti, and in 1958 they expanded their family again with the birth of their son Ron.

As Reagan’s political career accelerated — culminating in his inauguration as the 40th president of the United States in 1981 — his children built lives and careers in their own right across entertainment, media, advocacy and politics. Reagan died in 2004, a decade after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

His death came three years after the loss of his daughter Maureen, who died from melanoma in 2001 at age 60. His oldest son, Michael, died on Jan. 4 at age 80.

Below is a look at Reagan’s children: Maureen, Michael, Christine, Patti and Ron.

---

Maureen Elizabeth Reagan

Ronald and Wyman welcomed their first child, Maureen Elizabeth Reagan, on Jan. 4, 1941.

The couple met while filming the 1938 comedy-drama Brother Rat and married two years later. Maureen later wrote about her childhood — and what life was like before her father entered politics — in her 1989 memoir First Father, First Daughter: A Memoir. She recalled long talks with him while driving around Los Angeles and spending time together at home, but said the family dynamic changed after her parents divorced in 1948.

As Reagan moved into politics — first as governor of California and later as president — Maureen pursued acting and other interests. She told The New York Times that she left Marymount College after her freshman year because she wanted broader life experience before committing fully to acting.

She later became active in Republican politics and was elected co-chair of the Republican National Committee in 1987, according to United Press International. During her time in public life, she supported women’s issues, including abortion rights.

Maureen was married three times. She was married to public relations executive Dennis Revell for 20 years, and they shared one daughter, Rita. Maureen died from melanoma on Aug. 8, 2001, at age 60.

---

Michael Edward Reagan

Ronald and Wyman welcomed their son, Michael Edward Reagan, on March 18, 1945, through adoption.

Like other members of his family, Michael worked in entertainment early on. He appeared in a handful of acting roles, including five episodes of the CBS soap opera Falcon Crest — a show in which his mother had a leading role — and he was named the first host of the game show Lingo.

Michael later shifted into political talk radio. In the early 2000s, he launched The Michael Reagan Show, focusing on conservative political commentary. The syndicated program ran for nearly two decades and reportedly reached around 5 million listeners, according to his Newsmax bio.

After stepping away from radio, he continued as a political strategist and media commentator, including work as a contributor to Newsmax. He also wrote about his life and family in books including On the Outside Looking In (1988) and Twice Adopted (2004).

Michael died from cancer on Jan. 4, 2026, according to ABC News. He is survived by his wife, Colleen, and their two children, Ashley and Cameron.

In a tribute shared on X, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said Michael lived with “conviction, purpose, and an abiding devotion to President Reagan’s ideals,” calling him a “steadfast guardian” of his father’s legacy.

---

Christine Reagan

Reagan and Wyman’s second daughter, Christine, was born prematurely and died just hours after her birth on June 26, 1947, according to the Reagan Library.

---

Patricia “Patti” Davis

Ronald and Nancy welcomed their first child together, daughter Patricia “Patti” Davis, on Oct. 21, 1952. Born Patricia Reagan, she later took her mother’s maiden name.

Patti has written extensively about her relationship with her parents and her upbringing. She addressed family life in works including The Way I See It: An Autobiography (1992) and Dear Mom and Dad: A Letter About Family, Memory, and the America We Once Knew (2024).

In interviews, she has described her relationship with Nancy as complicated, and said she spent years trying to understand the emotional distance between them. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in February 2024, she said she came to a place of greater insight, forgiveness and acceptance regarding their relationship.

In a March 2024 interview with The Guardian, Patti recalled that politics often dominated family conversations during her childhood, even at the dinner table. As she grew older — especially once her father became president — family discussions around politics grew more difficult because her views differed from Ronald and Nancy’s conservative beliefs.

Later, Patti became more involved in her father’s life during his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and the final years of his life. In a September 2021 interview, she described how caring for him after his 1994 diagnosis reshaped their relationship and helped her see him more clearly outside the pressures of politics and family expectations.

Her father’s illness and her mother’s role as caregiver inspired Patti’s advocacy work related to Alzheimer’s, with a focus on supporting caretakers. She created the group Beyond Alzheimer’s, described on the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement website as a space for people to talk openly about what they are experiencing.

Patti also acted, with roles in the TV series Hart to Hart and films including Tango & Cash and The Curse of the Pink Panther. She later continued her writing career, publishing novels and memoirs, including Home Front and Till Human Voices Wake Us.

She married her yoga teacher, Paul Grilly, in 1984. They later divorced in 1990.

---

Ronald “Ron” Prescott Reagan

Ronald and Nancy welcomed their second child together, Ronald “Ron” Prescott Reagan, on May 20, 1958.

Ron has long spoken publicly about how his views differed from his parents’ — including their strong Christian faith. In an April 2020 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said he was 12 when he told his father he would stop going to church, explaining he didn’t want to be “hypocritical” or “fake it.” He recalled that his father didn’t push him hard to change his mind, marking the beginning of their contrasting outlooks.

Ron briefly attended Yale’s Davenport College but left after one semester to pursue ballet. According to The New York Times, he made that decision after attending a performance of The Nutcracker with his sister Patti in 1976.

He went on to train at the Stanley Holden School of Ballet, later earning a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet School in 1979. He eventually joined the Joffrey Ballet company and rose through the ranks before asking to be released early from his contract in 1983. At the time, Ronald and Nancy publicly expressed support, saying they stood behind him in whatever direction he chose.

Ron later explored acting, appearing in the film Soul Man and TV shows such as Webster and Cinemax Comedy Experiment. He also hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live during his father’s second term and joked about the unusual position of being the sitting president’s son.

In later years, Ron became a political commentator and host, including The Ron Reagan Show, and co-hosted Connected: Coast to Coast on MSNBC. After his late-night program ended, he brought the show to Air America Radio.

In 2011, he published My Father at 100, offering a personal look at his upbringing and his father’s private side. At Nancy Reagan’s funeral in 2016, he reflected on his parents’ relationship and said her devotion helped shape the man the public came to know as president.

Ron was married to Doria Palmieri for 33 years until her death in 2014.