Introduction
Patti Davis (born October 21, 1952) is an American actress and author. She is the daughter of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Reagan's second wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan.
Early life
Patricia Ann Reagan was born to Ronald and Nancy Reagan on October 21, 1952, in Los Angeles, California. She is the older sister of Ron Reagan, the half-sister of Michael Reagan and the late Maureen Reagan. She went to grade school at The John Thomas Dye School in Bel Air, and graduated from the Orme School of Arizona in 1970. She attended Northwestern University from 1970–71, where she studied Creative Writing and Drama. She then went to the University of Southern California for two years. She changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Davis, in an effort to have an independent career. She was active in the anti-nuclear movement before her father was elected president, and continued her activism through his term, stirring controversy and creating strife in the family.
Acting, modeling and writing careers
In the early 1980s, Davis acted in a few television shows before getting her first publishing deal. In 1986, she published her first novel, Home Front. She used elements of her own life to create a fictional story, and because of that the book became controversial and she was widely criticized. Following her second novel Deadfall, she wrote an autobiography called The Way I See It, in which she revealed many family dramas and secrets. She has since spoken publicly about her regrets over writing that book.
Davis posed for Playboy magazine with a "Full Frontal" view, in the July 1994 issue. This issue of the magazine also displays Davis on the cover. This particular issue is considered to be one of the magazine's most controversial covers. Davis has posed for other magazines such as More in 2011.
When her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's she began writing The Long Goodbye. It was published in 2004. During that time, she began writing for magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, Newsweek and Time. Her original screenplay, Spring Thaw, became the 2007 Hallmark Channel movie Sacrifices of the Heart starring Melissa Gilbert and Ken Howard.
Personal life
In the 1970s, Davis lived with Eagles guitarist Bernie Leadon. Together they cowrote the song "I Wish You Peace" which appeared on the Eagles album One of These Nights. In the 1980s, she dated Timothy Hutton and later had a two-year relationship with Peter Strauss. In 1984, she married Paul Grilley, a yoga instructor. They divorced in 1990.
In 2011, she launched "Beyond Alzheimer's" at UCLA, which she still runs.