From Ontario, Canada, Ryan Gosling first rose to fame for his starring role in the romantic drama film, The Notebook (2004). Inspired to become an actor after watching Dick Tracy as a child, he kick started his career at the age of twelve on Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club. Following that, he appeared in a few other television series including Goosebumps (1996), and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1996). At the age of seventeen, he landed his first lead role in the comedy drama, Breaker High.
Born on November 12, 1980 in Ontario, Canada, Ryan Gosling is the son of Donna and Thomas Ray Gosling, a secretary and travelling salesman respectively. Due to his father’s work, the family moved around frequently during his childhood. Following his parents’ divorce when he was thirteen years old, he and his sister moved to live with their mother. Having caught the acting bug early on, he dreamed of working in the show biz ever since he was in grade school. Encouraged by his older sister Mandi, the two eventually started to perform on stage together- for instance at weddings and other events.
In 1993, the aspiring actor landed a part of Disney’s The Mickey Mouse Club after attending an open audition held in Montreal. Despite this, his on-screen time was limited as other children were often considered to be more talented; still, he described it to be the time of his life. During his time on the show, his cast mates included Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears. At one point, he became so close to Timberlake, that they had lived together for a few months.
Following the cancellation of the series, Gosling promptedly landed more work in Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1996), The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1996), Flash Forward (1996), Goosebumps (1996), and Road to Avonlea (1996), among others. Then at the age of seventeen, he landed his first major role as Sean Hanlon in the comedy drama, Breaker High (1997). Though he was later cast as another lead character in Young Hercules (1998), it wasn’t until the 2000’s that he started to gain more attention as an actor.
How Ryan Gosling Became Famous
Eventually deciding to move away from children’s television, Gosling starred in a few films during the early 2000’s including The Believer (2001), Murder by Numbers (2002), and The United States of LeLand (2003), all of which garnered him much praise from critics.
Then in 2004, the actor received mainstream attention after being cast in the romantic drama film, The Notebook opposite of actress, Rachel McAdams. Adapted from a novel by Nicholas Sparks, it centered around the relationship of a young couple who meet, and eventually fall in love during the 1940’s. Playing as the male lead, Gosling took on the role of Noah Calhoun, one of the young teens in question. Released in theaters on June 25, 2004, it ended up grossing $13.4 million during its opening weekend, putting it at number four at the box office. Despite mixed reviews, the movie eventually took in a total of $115.6 million world wide, rendering it a major success.
Though some critics felt that the film was too cliche, Gosling’s stellar performance netted him much recognition. For instance, his portrayal earned him high praise from The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. Easily one of the greatest highlights of his early career, The Notebook yielded him several industry awards including five Teen Choice Awards, and an MTV Movie Award nomination.
Ryan Gosling’s Other Major Roles on the Big Screen
Then in 2006, he was cast in Ryan Fleck’s drama film, Half Nelson which led his popularity to soar to a new high. Written by Anna and Fleck Boden, it revolves around a middle school teacher who forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students, after she discovers his secret of being a drug addict. While Gosling played as Dan Dunne, the young history teacher, actress Shareeka Epps plays as Drey, the thirteen year old who eventually comes to know his drug habit.
Met with critical acclaim, the film ended up taking in a total of $4.9 million at the box office from a budget of just $700,000. For his stunning portrayal of the drug-addicted teacher, the actor was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2006.
Over the next few years, he starred in several other high-profile films including Lars and the Real Girl (2007), Blue Valentine (2010), Crazy, Stupidy, Love (2011), The Ides of March (2011), and Drive (2011), to name a few.
More recently, he enjoyed even more success after starring in two critically acclaimed titles- Adam McKay’s comedy drama film, The Big Short and Damien Chazelle’s musical, La La Land. For his portrayal of the lead male in the latter, the star ended up receiving a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical.
Ryan Gosling’s Love Life
From 2002 to 2003, Gosling was in a relationship with Sandra Bullock, whom he’d met on the set of Murder by Numbers. Following that, he got into a relationship with Rachel McAdams- his co-star from The Notebook for close to two years from 2005 to 2007; though they reunited briefly in 2008, they ultimately went their separate ways again soon afterwards.
Currently, Gosling is dating Eva Mendes (his co-star from The Place Beyond the Pines), whom he’s been with since the fall of 2011- the couple have two children together.
Ryan Gosling Snapchat Name – rygosg1980
If you’d like to add Ryan Gosling to your friend’s list on Snapchat, you can do so easily by clicking here.
Ryan Gosling’s Other Social Media Accounts
Ryan Gosling’s Facebook Account
Want to follow The Notebook star on Facebook? You can do so by liking his official page at @ryangoslingofficialpage!
Ryan Gosling’s Twitter Account
Looking for a way to stay connected with the Canadian actor? Why not follow him on Twitter over at @RyanGosling?
Ryan Gosling’s Instagram Account
From the looks of it, Ryan Gosling does not currently use Instagram. We’ll let you know if he ever decides to join the photo-sharing app!
Ryan Gosling’s Youtube Channel
Unfortunately, it would also seem that he’s not active on Youtube at the moment.
