​Reuven Rivlin was born in Jerusalem in 1939. A lawyer by profession, he holds an L.L.B. degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Rivlin served as Legal Adviser, Chairman and team manager of the Betar Jerusalem Sports Association. He was a member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council (1978-1983) and a member of the El Al Executive Council (1981-1986). He is a former member of the Board of Trustees fo the Khan Theater and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. He served as Chairman of the Likud Organization (1988-1993) and as Chairman of the Jerusalem Branch of the Herut Movement (from 1986).

Rivlin was first elected to the Knesset in 1988, and has since then served on a wide range of Knesset committees, among them: Foreign Affairs and Defense; Constitution, Law and Justice; State Control; Anti-Drug Abuse; Education and Culture; Ethics; Finance; House; and Advancement of the Status of Women. He also was a member of the Committee for Appointing Judges; the Committee for the Examination of the Maccabia Bridge Disaster; the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on the Continuing Financial Crisis of the Local Governments; and the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee on Violence in Sports.

Reuven Rivlin served as Minister of Communications from March 2001 until February 2003. He served as Speaker of the 16th Knesset from 2003-2006, and as Speaker of the 18th Knesset from 2009-2013. In February 2013 he was re-elected to the Knesset on the Likud Yisrael Beitenu list. In the 19th Knesset, until his election as president, Rivlin served as Chair of the Jerusalem Lobby. He also chaired the Knesset Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

On June 10, 2014, Reuven Rivlin was elected by the Knesset to serve as Israel's 10th president. He will assume office on July 24.

He is married, with four children.