Australian actor Ryan Kwanten was born on November 28, 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He actually got into the acting business through dance and by accident. His mother dropped him off at swimming training one day, while his brother was out auditioning for an acting agency. Getting tired of waiting in the car for his sibling, Ryan went into the building to see what was taking so long. An agent spotted him and asked if he was there to audition as well, and he was asked to try out despite a bit of hesitation on his part. He ended up getting into the agency and started acting full-time.
When he was only 15 years old, Ryan Kwanten got the part of lifeguard Vinnie Patterson on the Australian soap opera Home and Away. For his role, he won the award for Best Australian Actor at the Inside Soap Awards. He played the character since 1998, and chose to left the series in 2002. Before that, he got his start by appearing on several episodes of A Country Practice, as well as in Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord. He was also seen in 1994’s Signal One, and was cast in the TV production The Junction Boys.
Upon moving to the United States, Kwanten was given a role in the Lori Louglin-starring series, Summerland. His character was that of Jay Robertson, and he appeared on the show until 2005. Kwanten then got guest spots on shows like The Handler and Tru Calling, before he was cast in the film Flicka. This enabled him to work alongside Maria Bello, Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw. In 2007, he booked a leading role in the thriller Dead Silence, in which he plays Jamie Ashen. The next year, Kwanten joined the cast of the HBO series True Blood, portraying the character Jason alongside Anna Paquin and Sam Trammell.
