Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling (born November 12, 1980, London, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian actor who went from appearing on television shows as a child to being one of the biggest movie stars of the early 21st century. Adept at both comedy and drama, he has starred in such films as The Notebook (2004), Half Nelson (2006), La La Land (2016), and Barbie (2023)

Early life and The All-New Mickey Mouse Club

Gosling was raised in Cornwall, Ontario, by working-class parents who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began performing when he was a child, participating in talent shows alongside his sister as well as in dance competitions. When he was 12, he successfully auditioned for a role on the The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, joining a cast that included future music stars Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake from 1993 to 1995. He was able to segue from his recurring role on the show into a full-time acting career, appearing as a teenager in the 1990s on various shows, including the children’s horror anthology shows Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps.

Remember the Titans and The Notebook

Gosling made the leap from the small screen to the silver screen when he was cast in a supporting role in the teen sports drama Remember the Titans (2000), which starred Denzel Washington. He followed that up with a starring role in the biopic The Believer (2001), in which he played a neo-Nazi who was secretly Jewish. The film was a hit with critics, who cited Gosling’s performance as one of its particular highlights. In addition, he starred alongside Sandra Bullock in the 2002 crime thriller Murder by Numbers.

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In 2004 Gosling had his breakout performance in the romantic drama The Notebook, which was based on a 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks. The movie tells the tale of two young people—Noah Calhoun, played by Gosling, and Allie Hamilton, played by Rachel McAdams—who share a whirlwind romance in the 1940s despite the disapproval of Allie’s relationship with lower-class Noah by the affluent members of her family. The movie was praised by critics for the passionate performances and on-screen chemistry between Gosling and McAdams (the pair dated for two years after filming the movie).

Half Nelson, The Big Short, and La La Land

Gosling played the role of a drug-addicted high-school teacher in the independent drama Half Nelson (2006), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination for best actor. Lars and the Real Girl (2007) saw Gosling portray the titular character, a shy and sweet, albeit delusional, man who has what he feels is a meaningful relationship with a sex doll he purchased online. He starred alongside Michelle Williams in the romantic drama Blue Valentine (2010) before appearing in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) alongside fellow A-listers Steve Carell, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, and Marisa Tomei. That same year Gosling played a stunt driver who runs afoul of a group of gangsters after a robbery gone wrong in the stylish neo-noir film Drive. The movie was a critical and box-office hit, with much of the praise focusing on Gosling’s portrayal of the unnamed protagonist as an unconventional antihero, whose reserved demeanor is punctuated by moments of intense violence.

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After two high-profile releases that had middling success—The Ides of March (2011) with George Clooney and the period crime drama Gangster Squad (2013)—Gosling moved to the other side of the camera, writing and directing the modern dark fairy tale Lost River (2014), which was poorly received. He rebounded with a costarring role in the Oscar-winning ensemble comedy-drama The Big Short (2015), which he followed by starring alongside Russell Crowe in the action-comedy The Nice Guys (2016), a box-office bomb that later gained a cult following. He then reunited with Emma Stone to play a pair of young lovers who try to hold their relationship together while chasing their dream careers as performers in the jazz-focused romantic musical La La Land (2016). Directed by Damien Chazelle, the film was a massive hit and earned 14 Academy Award nominations, including Gosling’s second best actor nod.

Barbie and The Fall Guy

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In 2017 Gosling appeared in Terrence Malick’s Song to Song and in Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, the latter of which was the long-awaited sequel to the classic sci-fi film Blade Runner (1982). Despite the return of Harrison Ford in his iconic role of Rick Deckard from the original movie and rave reviews from critics, Blade Runner 2049 underperformed at the box office, much like its predecessor. Gosling then portrayed Neil Armstrong in Chazelle’s biopic First Man (2018), another critically well-received movie that did not find a wide audience. Following a four-year period during which Gosling stepped away from Hollywood to spend more time with his partner, actress Eva Mendes, and their two children, he returned to film in 2022, starring with Chris Evans in the Netflix thriller The Gray Man.

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Gosling’s next movie was Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie (2023), about the iconic—and polarizing—toy doll. Margot Robbie was cast in the title role, while Gosling portrayed Ken. The comedy follows the two characters as they enter the real world and face an identity crisis. Barbie was a blockbuster, and Gosling earned praise—as well as an Oscar nomination—for his performance, which included him singing the popular song “I’m Just Ken.” In 2024 he starred opposite Emily Blunt in the action-comedy The Fall Guy.