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Ryan Merriman | |
|---|---|
 Merriman in the 2012 filmCheesecake Casserole | |
| Born | Ryan Earl Merriman (1983-04-10)April 10, 1983 (age 42) Choctaw, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Ryan Earl Merriman (born April 10, 1983)[1] is an American actor. He began his career at the age of ten and has appeared in several feature films and television shows. He is best known for a handful ofDisney Channel original movies and for portraying Jake Pierce inThe Ring Two, Kevin Fischer inFinal Destination 3, and Ian Thomas inPretty Little Liars.
Merriman was born inChoctaw, Oklahoma, the son of Earl and Nonalyn Merriman.[2] He has a sister named Monica. At a young age, he began acting incommercials, print work, vocal performances, andlocal theater (Stage Struck Studios) inOklahoma.
Merriman's first major role was on the television seriesThe Mommies, which ran from 1993 to 1995. He stated in a 1999 interview alongsideBobbie Wygant that he auditioned for the lead role inNorth (1994) beforeElijah Wood was cast in 1993.[3] During the 1990s, he appeared in most episodes ofThe Pretender as a younger version of Jarod, the series' main character. He has starred in severaltelevision films, includingSmart House,The Luck of the Irish, and as a youngMeyer Lansky inLansky. He appeared in the 1999 feature filmThe Deep End of the Ocean, playing the lost son ofMichelle Pfeiffer's character, and subsequently starred as the main character, a Jewish boy fromthe Bronx, in the 2000 filmJust Looking. In 2002, he playedAdam Eddington in anotherDisney Channel original movie,A Ring of Endless Light. He then returned to television roles, appearing inDangerous Child,Taken, andSmallville.
Merriman's other roles include the horror filmsHalloween: Resurrection (2002),The Ring Two (2005), andFinal Destination 3 (2006). He starred inHome of the Giants, a high school drama. He appeared in the CBS miniseriesComanche Moon in January 2008. He played Henry Dunn in the original pilot presentation forHarper's Island, but was replaced byChristopher Gorham when the series was picked up by CBS. From 2010 to 2014, Merriman portrayedIan Thomas onABC Family'sPretty Little Liars. In 2012, he starred as Dennis Mack in the 16th episode of Season 2 inHawaii Five-0.
Dwight Little wanted Merriman to playJin Kazama in his filmTekken, but Merriman turned it down. He starred in the Hallmark Channel original movieElevator Girl as Jonathan, a successful young lawyer who finds himself falling for a free-spirited young woman who is way below his pay grade. In 2011, he appeared as linebackerJon Abbate inThe 5th Quarter, a film aboutthe 2006 football season ofWake Forest University.
Merriman was married to Micol Duncan from 2004 to 2011. On January 1, 2012, he became engaged to Kristen McMullen.[4] They were married in September 2014.[5] Their daughter Chloe was born in July 2018 and their son Jack was born in 2023.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Deep End of the Ocean | Benjamin "Ben" Cappadora / Sam Karras - Age 12 | Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor |
| Just Looking | Lenny Levine | Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor | |
| 2002 | Halloween: Resurrection | Myles "Deckard" Barton | |
| 2003 | Spin | Eddie Haley | |
| 2005 | Rings | Jake Pierce | Short film |
| The Ring Two | |||
| 2006 | Final Destination 3 | Kevin Fischer | |
| 2007 | Home of the Giants | Matt Morrison | |
| 2009 | Wild Cherry | Stanford | |
| 2011 | The 5th Quarter | Jon Abbate | |
| 2012 | Cheesecake Casserole | Andy | |
| Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader | Kyle | ||
| My Hometown | Rick Dickson | ||
| 2013 | Dose of Reality | Matt | |
| 42 | Dixie Walker | ||
| 2015 | The Last Rescue | Paratrooper Griggs | |
| 2016 | The Congressman | Jared Barnes | |
| A Sunday Horse | Jonathan Collier | ||
| Domain | Denver | ||
| Fortune Cookie | Bryce | ||
| 2018 | The Jurassic Games | The Host | |
| 2019 | Portal | Steven | |
| 2020 | Robot Riot | Main Role | Amazon Prime |
| 2024 | Model House | The Neighbor |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1995 | The Mommies | Blake Kellogg | Main role, 30 episodes Nominated — Young Artist Award for Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series |
| 1995 | The Client | Jeff Dietrich | Episode: "The Way Things Were" |
| 1996–2000 | The Pretender | Young Jarod / Gemini | Main role, 50 episodes Nominated — Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Supporting Young Actor (1997) Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Supporting Young Actor (1998, 1999) |
| 1997 | What's Right With America | Todd Gordon | Television film |
| 1998 | Everything That Rises | Nathan Clay | Television film Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Mini-Series or Series – Leading Young Actor |
| 1999 | Night Ride Home | Justin | Television film |
| Smart House | Ben Cooper | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
| Lansky | Meyer Lansky | Television film | |
| 2000 | Rocket's Red Glare | Todd Baker | |
| 2001 | The Luck of the Irish | Kyle Johnson | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| Touched by an Angel | Jason Harris | Episode: "Visions of thy Father" | |
| Dangerous Child | Jack Cambridge | Television film Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Special – Leading Young Actor | |
| 2002 | Taken | Sam Crawford | Episode: "Acid Tests" Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-Series or Special – Supporting Young Actor |
| A Ring of Endless Light | Adam Eddington | Disney Channel Original Movie | |
| 2003–2004 | Veritas: The Quest | Nikko Zond | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2004 | Smallville | Jason Dante | Episode: "Velocity" |
| 2005 | The Colt | Jim Rabb | Television film (Hallmark) |
| 2008 | Comanche Moon | Jake Spoon | 3 episodes |
| Backwoods | Adam | Television film | |
| 2010 | Elevator Girl | Johnathan | |
| 2010–2014 | Pretty Little Liars | Ian Thomas | Recurring role, 16 episodes |
| 2012 | Hawaii Five-0 | Dennis Mack | Episode: "I Helu Pu" |
| 2013 | Independence Daysaster | Pete Garsette | Television film |
| 2015 | Ballers | Frat Boy | Episode: Pilot |
| How Not to Propose | Travis | Television film | |
| 2019 | A Christmas Movie Christmas | Dustin |
