Ryan plays the main cast role of Andy in feature film Catching Dust from Director Stuart Gatt. 2023 will also see Ryan star in the feature Sting, and on the small screen in the lead role for television series Limbo for Australia’s ABC. He can currently be seen in the supporting role of Ser Harwin in the Games of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, telling the story of House Targaryen. With a long list of impressive credits, Ryan’s charismatic on-screen presence and the breadth of his emotional and comedic range ensure he is in constant demand.
Ryan’s past feature film credits are compelling and varied, including work with some of our industry’s most imaginative and fascinating directors and writers. He starred in Stephen Johnson’s 1930’s action-thriller High Ground, which premiered at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival; led Maziar Lahooti’s debut feature film Below; and joined an extremely commanding cast in Mary Magdalene, from renowned director Garth Davis. Previous film work includes the award-winning Hacksaw Ridge, from director Mel Gibson; The Water Diviner, under the direction of Russell Crowe; Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek 2 and Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are. Recent television work includes Wakefield (ABC/Jungle Entertainment), The Commons (Stan Australia), The Secrets She Keeps (Channel Ten/Lingo Pictures), Hungry Ghosts (SBS/Matchbox Pictures) and the award-winning first season of Bloom (Stan Australia).
Recognised regularly in the industry for his striking performances, Ryan received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2019 Australian Film Critics Awards for his work on Bruce Beresford’s period drama Ladies in Black. He was also nominated for an AACTA Award for his lead role in 1% (a.k.a. Outlaws), and his outstanding portrayal of Tim Conigrave in Neil Armfield’s adaptation of the book Holding the Man earned him nominations for Best Actor at the 2016 AACTA and Australia’s Film Critics’ Circle Awards. His charming, comedic performance in feature film Not Suitable for Children saw him awarded Best Supporting Actor at the Film Critics’ Circle Award, and nominated for Best Supporting Actor with AACTA. Ryan was named the GQ Breakthrough Actor of 2015 and has received both the Australians in Film Heath Ledger Scholarship and the IF Out of the Box awards. His small screen performances have occasioned Logie nominations in the categories of Most Outstanding New Talent and Most Popular New Male Talent.
With several main cast TV credits to his name as a teenager, Ryan studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Upon graduation his career continued with full momentum, including lead roles on series such as Love Child, Tangle and Redfern Now, among many others. Ryan made his professional stage debut in Sex with Strangers for the Sydney Theatre Company (STC), a two-hander alongside Jacqueline Mackenzie. He was later reunited with the company in 2015 for its production of Arcadia. Also a skilled voice actor, audiobook narrations include Moonlite: The Tragic Love Story of Captain Moonlite and The Bloody End of the Bushrangers, both by Garry Linnell for Penguin Random House.