Colton Ryan
{{short description|American actor (born 1995)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Colton Ryan
| image = Colton Ryan headshot.jpg
| caption = Ryan in October 2017
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1995|6|10}}
| birth_place = Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
| education = Baldwin Wallace University (BFA)
| occupation = {{Hlist|Actor|singer}}
| years_active = 2015–present
}}
Colton Ryan (born June 10, 1995) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his performance as Conrad Roy in Hulu's miniseries, The Girl from Plainville (2022), for which he garnered critical acclaim, and for playing Connor Murphy, a role which he understudied in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen and reprised in the 2021 film adaptation.{{cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/nik-dodani-and-colton-ryannik-dodani-colton-ryan-join-universals-dear-evan-hansen-adaptation-1203017780/|title=Nik Dodani and Colton Ryan Join Universal's 'Dear Evan Hansen' Adaptation |website=Deadline |date= August 19, 2020}} He is also known for playing the main role of Samuel on the Apple TV+ series Little Voice and originating the roles of Gene Laine in Girl from the North Country and Jim Doyle in New York, New York, the latter of which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.{{cite web |last=Appler |first=Michael |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/198597/colton-ryan-on-why-girl-from-the-north-country-is-an-anti-musical/|title=Colton Ryan on Why Girl From the North Country Is an 'Anti-Musical' |website=Broadway.com |date= February 17, 2020}}{{cite web |last=Clement |first=Olivia |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/colton-ryan-and-more-tapped-for-sara-bareilles-jessie-nelson-musical-series-little-voice|title=Colton Ryan and More Tapped for Sara Bareilles-Jessie Nelson Musical Series Little Voice |website=Playbill |date= October 25, 2019}}
Early life
Ryan was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) for grades four through twelve, where he majored in vocal music and minored in theatre.{{cite news|url = https://www.wtvq.com/lexington-native-nominated-for-tony-award-for-best-actor/|title = Lexington native nominated for Tony award for best actor|work = WTVQ|last = Woosley-Collins|first = Hannah|date = May 2, 2023|accessdate = May 4, 2023}} He also is a Governor's School for the Arts 2011 alumnus for musical theatre. His acting career took off in 2015 while attending Baldwin Wallace University, when he played Dickon in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival production of The Secret Garden.
Career
He made his Broadway debut in 2016 as the standby for Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy and Jared Kleinman in Dear Evan Hansen. He remained with the show until 2017, when he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Baldwin Wallace University.{{cite web |last=Fierberg |first=Ruthie |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/dear-evan-hansens-colton-ryan-gets-fit|title=Dear Evan Hansen{{'}}s Colton Ryan Gets Fit |website=Playbill |date= September 23, 2017}} That same year, he made his television debut in a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and then played the recurring role of J.J. Elkins on the Showtime series Homeland the following year.
In 2019, he originated the role of White Rabbit / Alfred Hallam / March Hare in the Off-Broadway production of Alice By Heart and made his film acting debut in The Social Ones and Adam. In 2020, he starred in the Bob Dylan musical Girl from the North Country as Gene Laine, a role in which he originated in the 2018 Off-Broadway production, but the production was shut down that May due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |last=Stasio |first=Marilyn |url=https://variety.com/2018/legit/reviews/girl-from-the-north-country-review-bob-dylan-1202963902/|title=Off Broadway Review: 'Girl From the North Country' Featuring Bob Dylan Songs |website=Variety |date= October 1, 2018}}{{cite web |last=Moynihan |first=Caitlin |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/199537/kimber-elayne-sprawl-on-why-girl-from-the-north-country-will-resonate-differently-when-it-returns/|title=Kimber Elayne Sprawl on Why Girl From the North Country Will Resonate Differently When It Returns |website=Broadway.com |date=June 26, 2020}}
In 2020, he starred in the main role of Samuel on the Apple TV+ series Little Voice and as Bruce in the Amazon Studios film Uncle Frank. It was also announced that year that he would reprise the role of Connor Murphy in Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered as the Opening Night Gala Presentation of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and was followed by a theatrical release on September 24, 2021.
In 2021, he was cast opposite Elle Fanning in the Hulu drama series The Girl from Plainville, based on the death of Conrad Roy.{{Cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=May 6, 2021|title=Colton Ryan Joins Elle Fanning in Texting Suicide Case Series 'The Girl from Plainville' at Hulu|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/colton-ryan-elle-fanning-texting-suicide-case-series-girl-from-plainville-hulu-1234967887/amp/|url-status=live|access-date=December 22, 2021|website=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506175454/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/colton-ryan-elle-fanning-texting-suicide-case-series-girl-from-plainville-hulu-1234967887/amp/ |archive-date=May 6, 2021 }} His work in the series received critical acclaim, with TV Guide listing it as one of the 20 best TV performances of 2022.{{Cite web |date=March 29, 2022 |title=Hulu's bleak The Girl From Plainville struggles to justify its existence |url=https://www.avclub.com/hulu-the-girl-from-plainville-review-elle-fanning-tv-1848698406 |access-date=January 29, 2023 |website=The A.V. Club}}{{Cite web |date=December 7, 2022 |title=The 20 Best TV Performances of 2022 |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/features/the-20-best-performances-of-2022/ |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=TV Guide}}{{Cite web |last=Lopez |first=Kristen |date=June 28, 2022 |title=8 Best Breakthrough TV Performances of 2022, So Far |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2022/06/best-breakthrough-performances-tv-2022-1234735559/ |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=IndieWire}}
Ryan was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical in 2023, for his performance as Jimmy Doyle in ''New York, New York.{{Cite web |title=2023 Tony Awards Nominees |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/news/2023-tony-awards-nominees/ |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=www.tonyawards.com |language=en-US}}
Acting credits
=Theatre=
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Production ! Role ! Notes ! class="unsortable" | Ref. |
|---|
| 2019
| data-sort-value="Social Ones, The" | The Social Ones | Dan Summers | |
| 2019
| Adam | Brad | | |
| 2020
| Bruce | |
| 2021
| Connor Murphy | | |
| TBA
| Untitled Jesse Eisenberg musical comedy | | Filming |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Production ! Role ! Notes ! class="unsortable" | Ref. |
|---|
| 2017
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Andrew Drake | Episode: "No Good Reason" |
| 2018
| Homeland | J.J. Elkins | 3 episodes | |
| 2018
| data-sort-value="Americans, The" | The Americans | Vince | Episode: "The Great Patriotic War" | |
| 2020
| Samuel | Main role | |
| 2022
| data-sort-value="Girl from Plainville, The" | The Girl from Plainville | Lead role | |
| 2023
| Jed | Episode: "The Night Shift" |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Association ! Category ! Project ! Result ! class="unsortable" | Ref. |
|---|
| 2019
| Outstanding Debut Performance | {{won}} |
| 2023
| Best Leading Actor in a Musical | {{nom}} |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|nm8961313}}
- {{IBDB name|id=511441}}
- {{iobdb name|50910}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Colton}}
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:American male musical theatre actors
Category:American male film actors
Category:American male television actors
Category:Baldwin Wallace University alumni
Category:Male actors from Lexington, Kentucky