Ryan Hurst
Hurst in 2017
Born
Ryan Douglas Hurst

(1976-06-19) June 19, 1976 (age 47)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present
Spouse
Molly Cookson
​
(m. 2005)​
ParentRick Hurst (father)

Ryan Douglas Hurst[1] (born June 19, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans (2000) and Opie Winston in the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2012). He portrayed the Norse god Thor in the 2022 video game God of War Ragnarök, for which he received a BAFTA Award nomination.[2]

Early life

Hurst was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Candace Kaniecki, an acting coach, who currently runs the Candace Kaniecki (Herman) Acting School, and Rick Hurst, an actor best known for playing "Deputy Cletus Hogg" in The Dukes of Hazzard.[3] He attended Santa Monica High School.[4] He converted to Sikhism and his Sikh name is Gobind Seva Singh. [5][6]

Career

Growing up in a Hollywood family, Hurst made a very early start in show business, with a recurring role in the NBC teen situation comedy series Saved by the Bell: The New Class.[7] In the 1998 epic war film Saving Private Ryan, Hurst portrayed Michaelson, a paratrooper who, despite a temporary hearing loss, is able to communicate to Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) the approximate location of Private Ryan. In 2000, Hurst followed this with a role in Rules of Engagement and the central supporting role of Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans. Additionally, he appeared in the war film We Were Soldiers (2002) as Sgt. Ernie Savage, played the football player Lump Hudson in the black comedy thriller film The Ladykillers (2004), and starred in the TNT police drama series Wanted (2005). From 2005 to 2007, Hurst gained recognition for portraying the recurring role of Allison DuBois' half-brother, Michael Benoit, in NBC's supernatural procedural drama series Medium.

Hurst's big break came when he was cast as Opie Winston in the FX crime drama series Sons of Anarchy. Originally a recurring cast member in the first season, he was promoted to main cast member for the following season and went on to become a fan favorite. His character, newly released from a five-year prison stint and "living right", but not making ends meet, goes back to SAMCRO to provide for his family, despite his wife's objections and his knowing the risks. Hurst's portrayal of Opie earned him the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2011. Also in 2011, Hurst voiced Jedidiah in the animated box office hit Rango. He also stars in the WGN America series Outsiders. In August 2018, it was announced that he would star as Beta on AMC's The Walking Dead.[8] His debut episode, "Guardians", premiered on March 3, 2019.[9]

In 2022, Hurst voiced Thor in God of War: Ragnarök and also provided the motion-capture.

Personal life

Hurst and Molly Cookson met in 1994 and married in May 2005.[10][11] Together, they founded the production company Fast Shoes.[12] In April 2013, Hurst purchased a 3,400 square-foot home in Woodland Hills, California, for $1.71 million.[13]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1997 The Postman Eddie March
1998 Patch Adams Neil
Saving Private Ryan Paratrooper Michaelson
2000 Rules of Engagement Captain Hustings
Remember the Titans Gerry Bertier
2001 Perfect Lover Guy
Venus and Mars Roberto
2002 We Were Soldiers Sgt. Ernie Savage
Lone Star State of Mind Tinker
2004 The Ladykillers Lump Hudson
2006 Noble Things Kyle Collins
2008 Chasing the Green Ross Franklin
2011 Rango Jedidiah Voice
2013 CBGB Mad Mountain
2018 A Million Little Pieces Hank
2020 Superman: Man of Tomorrow Lobo Voice
2023 Desperation Road [14]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1993 Saved by the Bell: The New Class Crunch Grabowski 2 episodes
1994 Beverly Hills, 90210 Student Actor Episode: "Divas"
1995–1996 Campus Cops Wayne Simko 9 episodes
1995 JAG Dirk Grover Episode: "Shadow"
1996 Boston Common Nikolai 2 episodes
Wings Barry Episode: "Too Beautiful for You"
1999 L.A. Doctors Kevn Raives 2 episodes
2002 Touched by an Angel Doug Episode: "Two Sides to Every Angel"
John Doe Elvis Braithwaite Episode: "Mind Games"
Taken Adult Tom Clarke 5 episodes
2004 Dr. Vegas Steve Episode: "All In"
2005 House Sam McGinley Episode: "The Mistake"
Wanted Agent Jimmy McGloin 13 episodes
2005–2007 Medium Michael Benoit 3 episodes
2006 Everwood Ed Carnahan Episode: "Across the Lines"
CSI: Miami Detective Michael Lloyd Episode: "Curse of the Coffin"
2007 Raines Marco Episode: "Pilot"
Heartland Mark Evans Episode: "Pilot"
2008–2012 Sons of Anarchy Harry "Opie" Winston 54 episodes
2011 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Doug Loveless Episode: "Bombshell"
2013 King & Maxwell Edgar Roy 10 episodes
2015–2017 Bates Motel Chick Hogan 15 episodes
2015 Axe Cop Chupacabra Voice, episode: "Night Mission: The Extincter"
2016–2017 Outsiders Li'l "Foster" Farrell 26 episodes
2019 Bosch Hector Bonner 8 episodes
2019–2020 The Walking Dead Beta Recurring (Season 9)
Main cast (Season 10)
14 episodes
2019 Fear the Walking Dead Episode: "Today and Tomorrow" (uncredited)[15]
2020–2022 S.W.A.T. Terry Luca 4 episodes
2021–present Paradise City Oliver Ostergaard TV spinoff of American Satan
2021–2022 The Mysterious Benedict Society Milligan Main role

Video games

Year Title Role
2022 God of War Ragnarök Thor

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2011 Satellite Awards Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Sons of Anarchy Won[16]
2023 British Academy Games Awards Performer in a Supporting Role God of War Ragnarök Nominated[17]

References

  1. ^ Foley, F. Kathleen (July 23, 2004). "Same inmates, different asylum in this 'Nest'". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ^ "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ryan Hurst Biography (1976-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  4. ^ "Ryan Hurst Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "Ryan Hurst Instagram with Sikh name". Instagram. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  6. ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Ryan Hurst on Sons of Anarchy". September 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Ryan Hurst Biography". Yahoo! Movies Canada. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  8. ^ Wigler, Josh (August 27, 2018). "'The Walking Dead' Adds 'Sons of Anarchy' Star as Key Comic Book Villain". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Mathews, Liam (March 3, 2019). "The Walking Dead's Ryan Hurst Breaks Down Beta's Imposing Arrival". TV Guide. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "A Tour of Ryan Hurst's Woodland Hills House". ICouldLiveHere.org. July 26, 2013.
  11. ^ Rice, Lynette (November 26, 2012). "'Son of Anarchy' star Ryan Hurst shaves his beard on camera for fans". Entertainment Weekly.
  12. ^ Sherman, Catherine (July 18, 2013). "'Sons of Anarchy' Star Buys Woodland Hills Home". Zillow.com.
  13. ^ "'Sons of Anarchy' Star Ryan Hurst - Drops $1.7 Million ... On Mansion To Die For". TMZ. July 18, 2013.
  14. ^ Yossman, K.J. (October 27, 2022). "Garrett Hedlund, Mel Gibson Set For Nadine Crocker Thriller 'Desperation Road,' Signature Entertainment Repping Sales (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Acuna, Kirsten. "'Fear TWD' had a huge hint about Beta's mysterious identity hiding in plain sight and 'Walking Dead' fans think they've already solved who he was before the zombie apocalypse". Insider. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "2011 Satellite Award Nominees and Winners". International Press Academy. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  17. ^ "BAFTA announces the nominations for the BAFTA Games Awards 2023". BAFTA. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.

External links

Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, Limited Series or Television Film
Authority control databases
Categories