10 Americans You Won't Believe Were Accused Of Being Communists

By Chris Waugh /

7. Nancy Reagan

Wife of actor-turned-US President Ronald, Nancy Reagan was named on the Hollywood blacklist of suspected Communist sympathisers in 1949 and her own thespian work quickly dried up, Bizarrely, however, Nancy Reagan's (or Nancy Davis as she was then) accusation of being a Communist was merely a case of mistaken identity. There was another Hollywood actress with the same name (Nancy Davis), but studios and producers were unsure which one the list referred to. In order to attempt to have her name expunged from the list, she contacted Ronald Reagan - who was president of the Screen Actors Guild at the time - and asked him if he could help. Instead, they hit it off - and were married within three years. So basically it appears accusing Nancy Reagan of being a Communist worked out well for her...