20 Facts About Ron Swanson

Ronald Ulysses Swanson is a fictional character portrayed by Nick Offerman in the political satire sitcom Parks and Recreation.

Ron Swanson has a deadpan personality and actively works to make the government less effective.

Ron Swanson despises interacting with the public and claims to not be interested in the lives of those around him, but he is shown to care for his colleagues and has particularly strong respect for Knope.

Ron Swanson was described by some critics as one of the best characters in a comedy television series in decades, and his platonic relationship with Knope has been compared to that of Mary Richards and Lou Grant in The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Ron Swanson was created by Parks and Recreation creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.

Ron Swanson became more heavily involved in Parks and Recreation storylines during the second season, and Offerman largely credited Schur with the development of the character.

Ron Swanson reprised his role in a 2020 special featuring the original cast, titled A Parks and Recreation Special, which served as a fundraiser for Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund.

Ron Swanson is known for his deadpan personality and adherence to many stereotypically masculine traits, like supposedly only having cried two times.

Ron Swanson enjoys outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, and woodworking, as well as eating breakfast foods and red meat.

Ron Swanson is able to drink heavily without getting hungover and can chug an entire bottle of alcoholic beverages in one go.

Ron Swanson believes that parks should be privatized and run entirely by corporations for profit, and thus originally did not intend to help the deputy director Leslie Knope with the park project.

Ron Swanson is a strong advocate for small government and believes that the government model should be abolished.

Ron Swanson despises talking to members of the public, choosing to mount a shotgun on his desk to scare people away.

In "The Bubble", after Chris Traeger enacts numerous changes to the parks department that Ron Swanson thought did not play to his staff's strengths, he makes a deal for Traeger to undo the changes after he has spent one more week interacting with the public.

Ron Swanson develops an avuncular relationship with Andy Dwyer, and pays for Dwyer's college course when he cannot afford it in "Smallest Park".

Ron Swanson has stood up for Knope on multiple occasions, such as in "Freddy Spaghetti", where upon learning about the auditors' plan to fire Knope, he refuses and offers her his job instead.

Ron Swanson despises and fears both of his ex-wives, and they are among the few people who can break his usually unwavering stoicism.

In "How a Bill Becomes a Law", Ron Swanson meets Diane Lewis, the vice principal of a middle school.

Ron Swanson's music is especially popular with older women, who find Duke Silver attractive.

The character of Ron Swanson received universal acclaim; he developed a cult following and is widely considered the show's breakout character.