Colton Ryan
Ryan in October 2017
Born (1995-06-10) June 10, 1995 (age 28)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
EducationBaldwin Wallace University (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active2015–present

Colton Ryan (born June 10, 1995) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his performance as Conrad "Coco" Roy in the Hulu 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.[1] 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.[2][3]

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.[4] He also is a Governor's School for the Arts 2011 alumni for musical theatre.[4] 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, which he stayed until 2017, when he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Baldwin Wallace University.[5] 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.[6][7]

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, 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.[8] His work in the series received critical acclaim, with TV Guide listing it as one of the 20 best TV performances of 2022.[9][10][11]

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.[12]

Theatre credits

Year(s) Title Role Location Notes
2015 The Secret Garden Dickon Idaho Shakespeare Festival[13] Regional
2016 My Fair Lady Freddy Eynsford-Hill Great Lakes Theater[14][15]
West Side Story Tony John Patrick Theatre[16]
2016–2017 Dear Evan Hansen s/b Evan Hansen
s/b Connor Murphy
s/b Jared Kleinman 		Music Box Theater[17] Broadway
2018 Girl From the North Country Gene Laine The Public Theater[17] Off-Broadway
2019 Alice by Heart White Rabbit / Alfred Hallam / March Hare MCC Theater[18]
West Side Story Tony Lexington Opera House[19] Regional
2020 Girl From the North Country Gene Laine Belasco Theatre[17] Broadway
2022 The Pirates of Penzance Frederic American Airlines Theatre[20]
2023 New York, New York Jimmy Doyle St. James Theatre[21]

Filmography

Film

Year Production Role Notes
2019 The Social Ones Dan Summers [22]
2019 Adam Brad
2020 Uncle Frank Bruce [23]
2021 Dear Evan Hansen Connor Murphy

Television

Year Production Role Notes
2017 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Andrew Drake Episode: "No Good Reason"[24]
2018 Homeland J.J. Elkins 3 episodes
2018 The Americans Vince Episode: "The Great Patriotic War"
2020 Little Voice Samuel Main role
2022 The Girl from Plainville Conrad "Coco" Roy Main role
2023 Poker Face Jed Episode: "The Night Shift"[25]

Awards

In 2019, he received a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance for Girl from the North Country.[26]

In 2023, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in New York, New York.[27]

References

  1. ^ Kroll, Justin (August 19, 2020). "Nik Dodani and Colton Ryan Join Universal's 'Dear Evan Hansen' Adaptation". Deadline.
  2. ^ Appler, Michael (February 17, 2020). "Colton Ryan on Why Girl From the North Country Is an 'Anti-Musical'". Broadway.com.
  3. ^ Clement, Olivia (October 25, 2019). "Colton Ryan and More Tapped for Sara Bareilles-Jessie Nelson Musical Series Little Voice". Playbill.
  4. ^ a b Woosley-Collins, Hannah (May 2, 2023). "Lexington native nominated for Tony award for best actor". WTVQ. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Fierberg, Ruthie (September 23, 2017). "Dear Evan Hansen's Colton Ryan Gets Fit". Playbill.
  6. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (October 1, 2018). "Off Broadway Review: 'Girl From the North Country' Featuring Bob Dylan Songs". Variety.
  7. ^ Moynihan, Caitlin (June 26, 2020). "Kimber Elayne Sprawl on Why Girl From the North Country Will Resonate Differently When It Returns". Broadway.com.
  8. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 6, 2021). "Colton Ryan Joins Elle Fanning in Texting Suicide Case Series 'The Girl from Plainville' at Hulu". Variety. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Hulu's bleak The Girl From Plainville struggles to justify its existence". The A.V. Club. March 29, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "The 20 Best TV Performances of 2022". TV Guide. December 7, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  11. ^ Lopez, Kristen (June 28, 2022). "8 Best Breakthrough TV Performances of 2022, So Far". IndieWire. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "2023 Tony Awards Nominees". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Oland, Dana (July 5, 2015). "Review: Talented kids, great ensemble singing highlight Idaho Shakespeare Festival's 'Secret Garden'". Idaho Statesman.
  14. ^ Simakis, Andrea (September 26, 2016). "Great Lakes Theater's 'My Fair Lady' balances tradition, timeliness in a ravishing reinvention (review)". The Plain Dealer.
  15. ^ Salamone, Shawn (November 23, 2016). "Broadway Snaps Up Talented BW Music Theatre Student Before He Graduates". Baldwin Wallace University.
  16. ^ "West Side Story at John Patrick Theatre 2016".
  17. ^ a b c "Colton Ryan". Playbill. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Brantley, Ben (February 26, 2019). "Review: Lost on a Magical Mystery Tour in 'Alice by Heart'". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Ryan WSS Interview
  20. ^ "The Pirates of Penzance (Broadway, American Airlines Theatre, 2022)". Playbill. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Ryan joins cast announcement
  22. ^ Leiber, Sarah Jae (February 21, 2020). "THE SOCIAL ONES Will Be Released March 3". BroadwayWorld.
  23. ^ Burr, Ty (November 24, 2020). "'Uncle Frank,' on Amazon, presents a different sort of American beauty". The Boston Globe.
  24. ^ Copley, Rich (October 17, 2017). "Lexington native in 'Law & Order' inspired by '13 Reasons Why'". Lexington Herald Leader.
  25. ^ Strause, Jackie (January 5, 2023). "Natasha Lyonne Is a "Human Lie Detector" in Trailer for Rian Johnson Detective Series 'Poker Face'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  26. ^ "Theatre World Awards Announces 2019 Winners". American Theatre. May 3, 2019.
  27. ^ Lexington native nominated for Tony Award

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