Ryan was born in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea to an Australian missionary family. His father traveled through PNG, Vanuatu, Australia and New Zealand. After high-school in Auckland, New Zealand, Ryan fought competitively in taekwondo and won two tournaments. He worked as a carpenter for six years and was brought to New York in 2008 to be featured in the DKNY Jeans campaign with Behati Prinsloo. His rugged good looks landing him in campaigns for Armani Exchange with Izabel Goulart, Abercrombie and Fitch, Hugo Boss underwear, Trussardi Jeans and Esprit underwear with Gisele Bündchen and Erin Wasson. He's been in TV commercials around the globe for brands such as Paramount pictures, Rock Port, Garnier, Macy's, A+F and Just Jeans. Since fashion, Ryan is making strides into leading man territory onscreen, playing Jake Bolin the "Flirtual Killer" on MTV's Eye Candy (2015) and appeared in Rough Night (2017) opposite Scarlett Johansson and Kate McKinnon. Ryan will also be seen playing Owen in the TV adaptation of the New York Times bestselling novel Confess (2017), written and directed by Elissa Down. Ryan continues to build his body of work spending time writing, directing and developing skills in all areas of the film world. His short film Left Behind (2014) is about the confrontation between a mother struggling with her depression and a son's unorthodox methods to help her see reason. It was inspired by the loss of loved ones and in an effort to raise awareness for those suffering with mental illnesses and depression. Ryan continues to work alongside Susan Batson and Anthony Meindl as he explores characters in his writing and grows as an artist.