External image
Ryan McCartan IMDb photo

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

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.

As a music artist, McCartan is known as half of the former pop duo The Girl and the Dreamcatcher.

Early life

McCartan was born in Excelsior, Minnesota, on June 14, 1993.^[3][4] He was raised Roman Catholic, but he considers himself spiritual rather than religious.^[5] He was bullied during his youth, but McCartan stayed true to his dreams of acting and music.^[6][7] His parents are Conn and Pam McCartan.^[8] His father, Conn McCartan, retired as the principal at Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.^[9] Conn McCartan also retired from Perpich Arts High School after several years of service as the principal.^[10]

McCartan has been performing and making art all over the world since he was eight years old, and by his teenaged years, had earned top acting honors on the Minneapolis theater scene.^[11][2][12]

McCartan graduated from Minnetonka High School in 2011.^[13] 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.^[14] It is a top honor given to only two students at the National High School Musical Theater Awards.^[13] He received a $10,000 scholarship.^[13][15][16]

In addition, in 2011, McCartan was the recipient of the Presidential Scholar.^[17][18] Also, in 2011, McCartan is an alumnus of the YoungArts.^[19][20]

McCartan attended the University of Minnesota's Guthrie BFA Program before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.^[21][13][12]

He has a sister, Alison, who is also an actress.^[22][17]

Career

McCartan began his career with a minor part in the stage version of Disney's High School Musical in 2007.^[23]

In 2011, he starred in the titular role in Minnesota's first regional production of The Phantom of the Opera.^[24]

McCartan 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.^[25]

In 2014, McCartan was cast as a recurring character, William "Cinco" Phipps V, in Royal Pains.^[26]

From 2013-2017, McCartan began playing the recurring role of Diggie on the Disney Channel comedy Liv and Maddie.^[27]

In April 2015, he was cast as Billie on the Disney Channel comedy Austin & Ally.^[28][29]

In 2015, he starred in the direct-to-video film R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls as Hunter.^[30][31]

In May 2015, McCartan starred in Summer Forever as Liam.^[32][33]

In May 2015, McCartan and Dove Cameron announced they were officially forming a pop duo and would be releasing their first original song.^[34] In September 2015, they announced their group's name would be The Girl and the Dreamcatcher,^[35] and their first video was released in October 2015.^[36] Due to their break up, in October 2016, the Girl and the Dreamcatcher music group disbanded.^[37][38]

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.^[39][40]

In August 2016, McCartan was cast in The Standoff as Farrell Bennett.^[41][42]

In October 2017, McCartan was cast in a recurring role as Oliver in the television show Freakish.^[43][44]

In mid-2018 he originated the lead role of Eddie Corbin in the new musical Mutt House at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.^[45][46]

On September 11, 2018, McCartan made his Broadway debut as Fiyero in the musical Wicked.^[47][48] He remained with the show through May 12, 2019.^[49]

In 2018, McCartan played a minor role, Dylan, in Love Daily.^[50]

In 2019, he played Lt. Cable in South Pacific at the Aspen Music Festival^[51] and starred in the role of Mac in the Roundabout Theatre Company's new musical Scotland PA.^[52][53]

In November 2019 he made his solo show debut at Feinstein's/54 Below.^[54]

In April 2020, he hosted the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS viewing of 25 Years of Disney Broadway.^[55]

He joined the cast of Frozen on Broadway as Hans in February 2020 opposite McKenzie Kurtz as Anna and Ciara Renée as Elsa.^[56] 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.^[57] 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.^[58][59]

In October 2022, McCartan was cast as Kyle Reed in, the spin-off of Supernatural, The Winchesters.^[60][61]

In June 2023, McCartan starred as Tony in a production of West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.^[62][63][64]

In November 2023, McCartan starred as Cletis in the Off-Broadway production of Lone Star.^[65]

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,^[66][67] but the relationship ended in October 2016.^[37]

In October 2017, he began dating actress, author, director, and blogger Samantha Fekete, with whom he runs a YouTube channel called Sam & Ryan.^[68][69]https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8175128/^[70] In 2018, they ended the relationship, and, in 2019, they reconciled with each other and got back together.^[71] It was announced in September 2023 that the romantic relationship had ended at some point in 2023, but the two continue to work together.^[72][73]

On July 29, 2014, McCartan revealed in a tweet that he has had Type 1 diabetes since age six.^[74][17][75] On Halloween 2016, McCartan was admitted to hospital due to food poisoning, dehydration, and complications to diabetes, but he made a full recovery.^[76][77][17]

In November 2019, McCartan stated, in an interview, that he had been sexually abused by a theatre mentor when he was 12.^[78] In March 2023, he revealed that he had been sexually assaulted "three separate times by three different men."^[79]

Since December 2020, McCartan has talked about his struggle with depression and anxiety.^{[80][81][82][83]}

McCartan is queer, but does not label himself, and he denounces the idea of forcing labels onto others.^[84][85]

Filmography

Stage credits

Discography

Awards

In 2011, he received a Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor.^[103] In 2011, he was the recipient of the Presidential Scholar.^[18] In 2011, he is an alumnus of the YoungArts.^[20]

References

External links

• Ryan McCartan at IMDb