Ryan McCartan
Born (1993-06-14) June 14, 1993 (age 30)
Excelsior, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active2011–present
WebsiteOfficial website

Ryan Jerome McCartan[1] (born June 14, 1993[2][3]) is an American actor and singer.

As an actor, he is known for playing Jason "J.D." Dean in the original off-Broadway production of Heathers: The Musical (2014) and for playing Brad Majors in the 2016 Fox musical television film The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again. McCartan played the recurring role of Diggie Smalls on the Disney Channel sitcom Liv and Maddie. His further Broadway credits include Fiyero in Wicked and Hans in Frozen.

Early life

McCartan was born in Excelsior, Minnesota.[2] His father, Conn McCartan, was the principal at Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.[4]

Career

McCartan began his career with a minor part in the stage version of Disney's High School Musical in 2007.[5] In 2011 he starred in the titular role in Minnesota's first regional production of The Phantom of the Opera.[6] That same year, he won Best Performance by an Actor at the Jimmy Awards, given out by The Broadway League to the top performers in high school musical productions.[7] McCartan also originated the role of Jason Dean in the original off-Broadway cast of the musical Heathers, which ran from March through August 2014, after playing the role in the Los Angeles tryout in 2013.

In 2013, McCartan began playing the recurring role of Diggie on the Disney Channel comedy Liv and Maddie.[8] In 2015 he starred in the direct-to-video film R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls.[9] In 2016 McCartan was cast in the lead role of Brad Majors in the 2016 Fox musical television film The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.[10]

In May 2015, Dove Cameron announced that she and McCartan were officially forming a pop duo and would be releasing their first original song.[11] In September 2015, they announced their group's name would be The Girl and the Dreamcatcher,[12] and their first video was released in October 2015.[13] The pair broke up in October 2016.[14]

On September 11, 2018, McCartan made his Broadway debut as Fiyero in the musical Wicked.[15] He remained with the show through May 12, 2019.[16] In mid-2018 he originated the lead role of Eddie Corbin in the new musical Mutt House at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and in August 2019 he played Lt. Cable in South Pacific at the Aspen Music Festival.[17] In 2019, he starred in the role of Mac in the Roundabout Theatre Company's new musical Scotland PA.[18] In November 2019 he made his solo show debut at Feinstein's/54 Below.[citation needed] In April 2020, he hosted the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS viewing of 25 Years of Disney Broadway.[19]

He joined the cast of Frozen on Broadway as Hans in February 2020 opposite McKenzie Kurtz as Anna and Ciara Renée as Elsa.[20] However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all Broadway theatres were closed. Disney later announced, on May 14, 2020, that Frozen would not reopen after the lifting of the lockdown.[21] During 2022, he played Hans in the Broadway National tour of Frozen for two runs, with his final performance being September 4, 2022. His first run would reunite him with Kurtz, his Broadway Anna.[22][23]

In October 2022, McCartan was cast as Kyle Reed in, the spin-off of Supernatural, The Winchesters.[24]

In June 2023, McCartan starred as Tony in a production of West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.[25][26][27]

In November 2023, McCartan starred as Cletis in the Off-Broadway production of Lone Star.[28]

Personal life

McCartan began dating actress and singer Dove Cameron who was his Liv & Maddie co-star in August 2013. He officially announced that Cameron was his fiancée on April 14, 2016,[29][30] but the relationship ended in October 2016.[14] Since October 2017, he has been dating Samantha Fekete with whom he runs a YouTube channel called Sam & Ryan.[31]

On July 29, 2014, McCartan revealed in a tweet that he has had Type-1 diabetes since age six.[32] In 2019, McCartan stated in an interview that he had been sexually abused by a theatre mentor when he was 12.[33]

In multiple Sam & Ryan videos and other Internet media McCartan has self-identified as queer or bisexual.[34][35][36]

Filmography

Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Summer Forever Liam
R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls Hunter Direct-to-video film
2016 Emma's Chance Jacob Murphy
The Standoff Farrell Bennett
2022 Love You Anyway Daniel Direct-to-video film
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Extremely Decent Jeff Television film
2013 The Middle Ryan Episode: "Valentine's Day IV"
Monday Mornings Daniel Episode: "The Legend and the Fall"
2013–2017 Liv and Maddie Diggie Recurring role
2014 Last Man Standing Matt Episode: "Tasers"
Royal Pains William "Cinco" Phipps V Recurring role (season 6)
2015 Austin & Ally Billie Episode: "Duos & Deception"[37]
2016 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again Brad Majors Television film
2017 Midnight, Texas Jeremy Episodes: "Riders on the Storm", "The Virgin Sacrifice"
Freakish Oliver Recurring role (season 2)
2018 Love Daily Dylan Episode: "Love and Cheese"
Princess Rap Battle Mad Hatter Digital Episode: "Dorothy vs. Alice"
2022 The Winchesters Kyle Reed 4 episodes

Theater credits

Year Title Role Notes
2007 High School Musical on Stage! Ensemble Children's Theater Company’s Cargill Stage, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2010 The Master Butchers Singing Club Franz Waldvogel The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying J. Pierrepont Finch Won a Jimmy Award
2011 The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera Minnetonka High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota
2013 Heathers: The Musical Jason "J.D." Dean Hudson Backstage Theatre in Los Angeles, California
2014 Off-Broadway at New World Stages
2018 Mutt House Eddie Corbin The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, California
2018-2019 Wicked Fiyero Tigelaar Gershwin Theatre
2019 South Pacific Lieutenant Joseph Cable, USMC Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado
Scotland, PA Mac Off-Broadway at Laura Pels Theatre
2020 Frozen Prince Hans of the Southern Isles St. James Theatre
2022 U.S. National Tour:
March 17 – April 17, July 12 – September 4
2023 West Side Story Tony Lyric Opera of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois[25]
Lone Star Cletis Off-Broadway at the Theatre Row Building[38]

* Credits in bold indicate Broadway venues

Discography

See also: The Girl and the Dreamcatcher § Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
Heart Attack
  • Released: October 13, 2015
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Minty Swirl Records

Soundtrack albums

Title Album details
Heathers: The Musical
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again

Extended plays

Title Details
The Opposite
  • Released: May 18, 2018[40]
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
  • Label: Ryan's Gate Music
Seventh Avenue
  • Released: September 20, 2019[41]
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
  • Label: Ryan's Gate Music

Singles

Title Year Album
"When You Went Away"[42] 2017 Non-album singles
"Everything"[43]
"Right Now"[44]
"Changed My Mind"[45] 2018 The Opposite
"He Don't Know You"[46]
"Acting Like You Don't"[47] 2019 Seventh Avenue
"High and Low"[48] 2020 TBA
"Politician"[49] 2021
"Pink and Green"[50]

Promotional singles

Title Year Album
"You Can't Unlove Me" 2014 Non-album promotional single

Other appearances

Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Ours To Lose" 2015 Megan Nicole, Anna Grace Barlow, Alyson Stoner Summer Forever
"About Tonight" Megan Nicole
"Big Time" None
"Pulled Back Down" 2020 Within Earshot, Britney Johnson Within Earshot: Anthems For The In-Between
"This Nearly Was Mine" 2021 None R&H Goes Pop!

Music videos

Title Year Director
"This Nearly Was Mine" 2021 Jeff Barry & Shawn Willis[51]

Awards

In 2011, he received a Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor.[52]

References

  1. ^ Ryan McCartan [@ryanmccartan] (September 9, 2013). ""@NJBergs: My middle name is jerome" reppin' proud. Best middle name ever. Nathan Jerome and Ryan Jerome #ForLife" (Tweet). Retrieved January 30, 2020 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "Ryan McCartan". Hollywood.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  3. ^ "Ryan McCartan on Instagram: "26 🎂"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Eden Prairie High School Principal Conn McCartan". USA Today. Gannet. November 25, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  5. ^ Skinner, Quinton (January 8, 2007). "Review: 'Disney's High School Musical'". Variety. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  6. ^ Denette, Kelsey (March 21, 2011). "Minnetonka High School Presents MN's First PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Production". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Hershberg, Marc (June 26, 2017). "Jimmy Awards Jump-Start Broadway Careers". Forbes. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Craig Turpin (May 4, 2016). "Disney's Liv and Maddie stars perform at N.J. balloon festival". NJ.com. Retrieved February 20, 2017. Ryan McCartan appears as recurring character Diggie on the show, which airs on Sunday nights.
  9. ^ Lesas, Sylvie (July 9, 2015). "R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls Releases on DVD and Digital HD September 29, 2015". Evigshed Mag. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  10. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 4, 2016). "TV News Roundup: Victoria Justice to Star in Fox's 'Rocky Horror' Special & More". Variety. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  11. ^ Devoe, Noelle (July 16, 2015). "Disney Channel's Dove Cameron & Ryan McCartan Take a Major Step in Their Adorable Relationship". Seventeen. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  12. ^ Osmanski, Stephanie (September 29, 2015). "Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan Announce Their Band Name". M Magazine. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  13. ^ Johnson, Zach (October 2, 2015). "Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan Release "Written in the Stars" Music Video as Duo The Girl and the Dreamcatcher". E! Online. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Alexia Fernández (October 6, 2016). "Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan Split Less Than Six Months After Getting Engaged". People. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  15. ^ "Ryan McCartan Joins WICKED As Fiyero Beginning September 11". BroadwayWorld. August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  16. ^ Lefkowitz, Andy (May 14, 2019). "Wicked Welcomes Hannah Corneau as Elphaba in Broadway Debut". Broadway.com. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Steiman, Harvey (July 24, 2019). "Review: 'South Pacific' at Aspen Music Festival". Aspen Times.
  18. ^ "Ryan McCartan & Taylor Iman Jones to Lead Off-Broadway Musical Scotland, PA; Full Cast Set". Broadway.com. July 3, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  19. ^ "25 Magical Years of Disney on Broadway Concert Streamed For BroadwayCares-Equity Fights AIDS COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund - Times Square Chronicles". t2conline.com. April 6, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  20. ^ Gans, Andrew (February 18, 2020). "Ciara Renée and McKenzie Kurtz Are Frozen's New Elsa and Anna on Broadway Starting February 18". Playbill. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  21. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 14, 2020). "Broadway's Frozen Will Not Reopen Post-Pandemic". Playbill.
  22. ^ Brunner, Raven (March 1, 2022). "Ryan McCartan Joins Frozen North American Tour For Limited Run". Playbill. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  23. ^ Gans, Andrew (June 28, 2022). "Ryan McCartan Will Return to Cast of Disney's Frozen Tour". Playbill. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "'The Winchesters' boss talks complicating things for John and Mary with those new characters". EW.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Ryan McCartan and Kanisha Marie Feliciano Will Star in Lyric Opera of Chicago's West Side Story | Playbill". Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  26. ^ "West Side Story Musical Review – A Beautiful Return to Chicago's Lyric Stage – Splash Magazines". Splash Magazines Worldwide: Adding Style to Your Life. June 12, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "West Side Story at the Lyric is a masterful production of a perfect show |". June 17, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  28. ^ Wild, Stephi. "Ryan McCartan Will Lead Off-Broadway Premiere of LONE STAR This Fall". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  29. ^ "See Ryan McCartan Tower Over Kirstin Chenoweth and Dove Cameron". WhoSay. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  30. ^ Vulpo, Mike (October 5, 2016). "Dove Cameron and Ryan McCartan Call Off Their Engagement". E! News. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  31. ^ "Sam & Ryan - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  32. ^ McNamara, Brittney (November 2, 2016). "Why Ryan McCartan Spent Halloween in the Hospital". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  33. ^ Bowling, Suzanna (November 7, 2019). "Ryan McCartan Talks About Being Sexually Abused and How He Has Conquered and Won". Times Square Chronicle. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  34. ^ Getting Drunk And Gossiping! (Disney Channel, Friendships, & More), retrieved December 13, 2023
  35. ^ Your Assumptions About Us Were So Accurate It's Scary... (reacting to assumptions about us!), retrieved December 13, 2023
  36. ^ "https://twitter.com/shadedisneybrat/status/1180678190185844736/mediaViewer?currentTweet=1180678190185844736&currentTweetUser=shadedisneybrat". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved December 13, 2023. ((cite web)): External link in |title= (help)
  37. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (April 7, 2015). "Watch: Bella Thorne & Zendaya Reunite on 'K.C. Undercover' (Exclusive Clip)". Variety. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  38. ^ "Frozen's Ryan McCartan Joins Off-Broadway Cast of Lone Star | Playbill". Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  39. ^ "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again". iTunes. October 21, 2016.
  40. ^ "The Opposite – EP by Ryan McCartan". May 18, 2018 – via iTunes.
  41. ^ "Seventh Avenue – EP by Ryan McCartan". September 20, 2019 – via iTunes.
  42. ^ "When You Went Away - Single by Ryan McCartan". January 12, 2017 – via iTunes.
  43. ^ "Everything - Single by Ryan McCartan". February 14, 2017 – via iTunes.
  44. ^ "Right Now - Single by Ryan McCartan". November 17, 2017 – via iTunes.
  45. ^ "Changed My Mind - Single by Ryan McCartan". March 29, 2018 – via iTunes.
  46. ^ "He Don't Know You - Single by Ryan McCartan". May 7, 2018 – via iTunes.
  47. ^ "Acting Like You Don't - Single by Ryan McCartan". September 6, 2019 – via iTunes.
  48. ^ "High and Low - Single by Ryan McCartan". October 30, 2020 – via iTunes.
  49. ^ "Politician - Single by Ryan McCartan". January 22, 2021 – via iTunes.
  50. ^ "Pink and Green - Single by Ryan McCartan". March 26, 2021 – via iTunes.
  51. ^ "Ryan McCartan "This Nearly Was Mine" R&H Goes Pop! (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 27, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  52. ^ "2011 Jimmy Awards | The National High School Musical Theatre Awards". www.jimmyawards.com. Retrieved February 11, 2021.

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