Ryan Reynolds named 2017 Hasty Pudding Man of the Year

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Ryan Reynolds, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for playing the title role in 2016’s “Deadpool,” was named Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals student group on Friday.

The award is presented annually to performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.

“Ryan Reynolds is one of Hollywood’s most diverse leading men seamlessly transitioning through varied genres of drama, action and comedy in his rich and ever evolving career,” the group said in a statement.

Reynolds is scheduled to be roasted and receive his pudding pot on Feb. 3.

In addition to “Deadpool,” the Canadian-born actor has appeared recently in “R.I.P.D.,” ”Mississippi Grind” and “Self/less.”

He stars with Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson in the science fiction movie “Life” and with Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” both due out this year.

Reynolds also has a TV production company, DarkFire, which recently sold its first two projects.

He serves on the board of directors for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and in 2007 raised more than $100,000 when ran the New York City Marathon in honour of his father, who has Parkinson’s.

Last year’s Man of the Year was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Previous winners dating to 1963 include Bob Hope, Warren Beatty and Robin Williams.

The 2017 Woman of the Year hasn’t yet been announced.

Hasty Pudding bills itself as the nation’s oldest collegiate theatrical organization, tracing its roots to the late 1700s. It got its name because at the first meeting, students decided that members in alphabetical order must provide a pot of hasty pudding for every meeting.