Ryan Gosling
Encyclopedia
Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel
's Mickey Mouse Club
(1993–95) and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark?
(1995), Goosebumps
(1996), Breaker High
(1997–98) and Young Hercules
(1998–99). His first serious role was as a fanatic Neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), and he then built a reputation for playing misfits in independent films such as Murder by Numbers
(2002), The Slaughter Rule
(2002), The United States of Leland
(2003) and Stay
(2005).
He came to the attention of a wider audience in 2004 with a leading role in the romantic drama The Notebook
, for which he won four Teen Choice Awards and an MTV Movie Award. His performance as a drug-addicted junior high school teacher in Half Nelson
(2006) was nominated for an Academy Award and his appearance as a socially inept loner in Lars and the Real Girl
(2007) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
. In 2007, he starred in courtroom thriller Fracture
.
After a three-year acting hiatus, he starred in both Blue Valentine
and All Good Things
in 2010. The former performance as a frazzled husband earned him a second Golden Globe nomination. 2011 proved to be a landmark year for the actor as he appeared in three mainstream films: the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, the thriller Drive
and the political drama The Ides of March
. He is due to appear in five upcoming films: the bank heist film The Place Beyond the Pines, the period crime feature The Gangster Squad, the revenge drama Only God Forgives, Terrence Malick
's Lawless
and a remake of the sci-fi film Logan's Run.
His band, Dead Man's Bones
, released their self-titled debut album and toured North America in 2009. He is co-owner of Tagine, a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. He has had relationships with actors Sandra Bullock
(2002–03) and Rachel McAdams
(2005–08) and lives in New York City.
and raised in Cornwall, Ontario
. He is the son of Thomas Gosling, a paper mill worker, and Donna, a secretary who qualified as a high school teacher in 2011. His parents were Mormons
and Gosling has said that "it was a part of everything – what they ate, how they thought". His parents divorced when he was a child and he, his younger brother Ben, and his older sister, Mandi, were raised by their mother, an experience Gosling has credited with programming him "to think like a girl."
He was bullied in elementary school and had "no pals" – "not in a sad, ‘poor me’ way. I didn’t want any. I liked being alone. It was only when I was 14, 15 I got friends." "I hated being a kid. I didn't like being told what to do, I didn't like my body, I didn't like any of it." In Grade 1, having been heavily influenced by the film Rambo: First Blood, he brought steak knives to school and threw them at other children during recess. This incident lead to a suspension. While attending Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School
, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prescribed Ritalin, and placed in a class for special needs
students. He was unable to read which he found "pretty frustrating. I couldn't absorb any of the information, so I caused trouble." Consequently, his mother quit her job and homeschooled
him for a year. Gosling has said that homeschooling gave him "a sense of autonomy that I've never really lost".
He performed from an early age. He and his sister sang together at weddings; he performed with Elvis Perry, his uncle's Elvis Presley
tribute act
, and was involved with a local ballet company
. Performing was "the only thing I did I was praised for. It gave me self-confidence.” He developed an idiosyncratic accent because "as a kid I thought having a Canadian accent didn't sound tough. I thought guys should sound like Marlon Brando
. So now I have a phony accent that I can't shake." He dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen to focus on his acting career.
for a revival of Disney Channel
's Mickey Mouse Club
. He was given a two-year contract as a mouseketeer and moved to Orlando, Florida
. He appeared on-screen less frequently than others because he "wasn’t really up to snuff in comparison with what some of the other kids were able to do". Nonetheless, he has described the job as "the greatest two years ever."
Fellow cast members included Justin Timberlake
, Britney Spears
and Christina Aguilera
and Gosling has credited the experience with instilling in them "this great sense of focus." He became particularly close friends with Timberlake and they lived together for six months during the second year of the show. Timberlake's mother became Gosling's legal guardian after his mother returned to Canada for work reasons. Gosling has said that while they are no longer in touch, "he's very supportive of me, and I'm very, very supportive of him and extremely proud of him."
Following the show's cancellation in 1995, he returned to Canada and continued to appear in family entertainment television series including Are You Afraid of the Dark?
(1995), Goosebumps
(1996) and Breaker High
(1997–98). At the age of eighteen, he moved to New Zealand to film the Fox Kids
adventure series Young Hercules
(1998–99). While he initially enjoyed working on the series, he began to long for an opportunity to play different characters and decided not to accept any more television work.
He secured a role as a young Jewish neo-Nazi in 2001's controversial drama The Believer. Director Henry Bean
has said he cast Gosling because he "understood something about religion. Mormonism is very demanding, and it isolates you the way Judaism isolates you. And he got all that." His performance won ecstatic reviews. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised a " electrifying and terrifyingly convincing" performance while Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times found him "a powerful young actor". Todd McCarthy of Variety felt his "dynamite performance" could "scarcely have been better". Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described his performance as "explosive" and "riveting". Carly Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle said that "Gosling gives an impassioned performance throughout. The skinny former Mousketeer carries himself with such self-assured menace that he becomes imposing. You believe it when his character beats the stuffing out of a muscle-bound rival skinhead." The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
and Gosling has described it as "the film that kind of gift-wrapped for me the career that I have now. I suddenly found myself at Sundance, where people were asking me about my craft. So I had to pretend I had one."
In 2002's Murder by Numbers
, Gosling and Michael Pitt
portrayed a pair of high school seniors who believe they can commit the perfect murder. Sandra Bullock
starred as a detective tasked with investigating the crime. The film received a red carpet premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
which Gosling found "overwhelming": "I was scared to step on Sandy's dress, which I did a couple of times ... I was warned not to do that beforehand ... I tried not to pay attention to everything else." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described him as "a phenomenal talent even in junk like this". Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle stated: "Gosling's poise is uncanny in someone so young, and he holds the screen well in his encounters with Bullock." Peter Rainer of New York Magazine felt he had "a quicksilver screen presence". However, Todd McCarthy of Variety felt that the "strong and "charismatic" young actors were "let down by the screenplay".
In 2002, he appeared in The Slaughter Rule
which explores the relationship between a high school football player and his troubled coach in rural Montana. Gosling has said that the opportunity to work with David Morse
made him "a better actor". Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Gosling as "major star material" with a "rawness and an intensity that recall the young Matt Dillon
". Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times was won over by "Gosling's raw talent and the magnificence of the film's wide-open country".
In 2003, he starred in The United States of Leland
as a teenager imprisoned for the murder of a disabled boy. He was drawn to the role because " Leland was so different. It's this kind of character that's not in movies very often – characters that are emotionally disconnected for the whole film." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt that the "gifted actor does everything that can be done with Leland, but the character comes from a writer's conceits, not from life." A.O. Scott of The New York Times noted that "Mr. Gosling, whose watchful, wounded intelligence and close-set eyes can remind you of a young Sean Penn
, struggles to rescue Leland from the clutches of cliché". David Rooney of Variety felt that his "one-note, blankly disturbed act has none of the magnetic edge of his breakthrough work in The Believer".
in the sleeper hit
The Notebook
. The film made stars of its two leads, had huge popular culture resonance and frequently appears on Most Romantic Movies lists. The chemistry between Gosling and McAdams was often remarked upon, with The New York Times
writing, "Their performances are so spontaneous and combustible that you quickly identify with the reckless sweethearts, who embody an innocence that has all but vanished from American teenage life. And against your better judgment, you root for the pair to beat the odds against them."
In 2005, he appeared as a disturbed young art student in Stay
, a psychological thriller co-starring Naomi Watts
and Ewan McGregor
. In an uncomplimentary review of the film, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said that Gosling "like his fans, deserves better." Todd McCarthy of Variety felt that the "capable" McGregor and Gosling "deliver nothing new from what they've shown before". Gosling was unfazed by the negative reaction: "I had a kid come up to me on the street, 10 years old, and he says, ‘Are you that guy from Stay? What the f--- was that movie about?’ I think that's great. I'm just as proud if someone says, ‘Hey, you made me sick in that movie,’ as if they say I made them cry.”
In 2006, he starred in Half Nelson
as a drug-addicted junior high school teacher who forms a bond with a young student. His performance received rave reviews. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described "a mesmerizing performance, casual yet dominating, and one that shows the kind of deep understanding of character few actors manage." Claudia Puig of USA Today said the film "establishes Ryan Gosling as one of the finest actors of his generation." Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle drew comparisons with Marlon Brando
and said he inhabits his character "with every feature of his face and particle of his body and soul ... Nobody who cares about great acting will want to miss his performance". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said "this performance, coming after The Believer, proves he's one of the finest actors working in contemporary movies." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post felt his "performance here is reminiscent of his spectacular (and little-seen) performance" in The Believer while Manohla Dargis of The New York Times felt he "dazzles even brighter" than he did in The Believer. He was nominated for an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award
and won Best Actor at the Spirit Awards. He said the Oscar nomination "meant a lot to me because it meant a lot to the people that I love. Especially my mother, who fought with every teacher, every principal, every kid's mother — she's been fighting since I was born. So I was really thankful that the Academy made my mom happy."
He played an introvert who falls in love with a sex doll in the gently comedic 2007 film Lars and the Real Girl
. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt "a film about a life-sized love doll" had been turned into "a life-affirming statement of hope" because of "a performance by Ryan Gosling that says things that cannot be said". Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post described his performance as "a small miracle, not only because he's completely, vulnerably open as a man who's essentially shut off, but because he changes and grows so imperceptibly before our eyes." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times admired his "unwavering, unblinking sincerity". Claudia Puig of USA Today found "Gosling poignantly embodies the awkward Lars with signature gestures (a repeated blinking feels particularly authentic), bringing his sweet-natured character to vivid life." However, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times felt "the performance is a rare miscalculation in a mostly brilliant career." He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association
and won a Satellite Award.
He starred opposite Anthony Hopkins
in the 2007 courtroom thriller Fracture
. He originally turned down the role, but changed his mind when Hopkins signed on: "He's a master, and it's important to watch masters work". Critics relished the on-screen pairing of Gosling and Hopkins. Claudia Puig of USA Today declared that "watching a veteran like Hopkins verbally joust with one of the best young actors in Hollywood is worth the price of admission". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times felt it was a treat to watch "the spectacle of that crafty scene stealer Anthony Hopkins mixing it up with that equally cunning screen nibbler Ryan Gosling ... Each actor is playing a pulp type rather than a fully formed individual, but both fill in the blanks with an alchemical mix of professional and personal charisma." Kevin Crust of the Los Angeles Times noted that the film is at "its best when Hopkins and Gosling are on screen together, bobbing and weaving with considerable aplomb ... the actors appear to have a good time playing the game."
In 2010, he co-starred with Michelle Williams
in Derek Cianfrance's directorial debut, Blue Valentine
. The low-budget film was mainly improvised: "Most movies when you're acting you're trying to block out the lights and the trailers. Here, you had to remind yourself you were making a film," said Gosling. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that the film contained "two of the most explosive and emotionally naked performances you will see anywhere." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt he "brings a preternatural understanding of people to his performance". A.O. Scott of The New York Times found him "convincing as the run-down, desperate, older Dean, and maybe a bit less so as the younger version". Michael Philips of The Chicago Tribune described him as "an actor of considerable emotional resources" with "a nagging showboater's instinct to dazzle his way through a partially or largely improvised scene." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly noted that he "plays Dean as a snarky working-class hipster, but when his anger is unleashed, the performance turns powerful. It becomes a scary study in the woundedness of defensive manhood." Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe felt the performance – with its "crypto-Queens drawl, the Methody deliberateness, the all-purpose angst, trendy accoutrements of handsomeness" – was an example of "hipsterism misdirected". He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.
In 2010, he starred in All Good Things
. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone felt he "gets so deep into character you can feel his nerve endings." Mick La Salle of the San Francisco Chronicle found the "chameleonic Gosling is completely convincing as this empty shell of a man". Gosling was also honored with a nomination from the Prisim Awards for best actor, which recognize actors for their outstanding performances of substance abuse, addiction and mental illness onscreen, in television and feature films. Also in 2010, he narrated ReGeneration, a documentary that explores the cynicism in today’s youth towards social and political causes, Also, he narrated ReGeneration, a documentary that explores the cynicism in today’s youth towards social and political causes,
2011 saw him expand his horizons. He appeared in his first comedic role, in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post said his "seductive command presence suggests we may have found our next George Clooney
". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times found "the surprise is Ryan Gosling. I consider him a superb actor, and I've seen him play everything from an anti-Semite (The Believer) to a child killer (Murder by Numbers) ... But I didn't see him as a lounge lizard." Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe praised his "matinee-idol mystery ... Gosling is the most naturally sexual young actor the movies have." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone declared he "scores a comic knockout". Claudia Puig of USA Today felt he reveals a "surprising" "knack for comedy."
His first action role was in Drive
. Ann Hornday of The Washington Post said he "delivers a slow, white-hot burn of a performance in "Drive," a nervy, understated ode to one of Hollywood's most cherished archetypes, the sad-eyed man of few words." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times declared him "a charismatic actor, as Steve McQueen
was. He embodies presence and sincerity ... he has shown a gift for finding arresting, powerful characters [and] can achieve just about anything. Claudia Puig of USA Today felt that "in the hands of a lesser actor, Driver could have been an empty vessel. But Gosling pumps the minimalist character with brooding complexity." Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal "the ongoing mystery of how he manages to have so much impact with so little apparent effort. It's irresistible to liken his economical style to that of Marlon Brando
... But peerless though Brando was, he could be mannered to the point of self-parody. That hasn't happened to Mr. Gosling ... He and this powerful film, which is ultimately about a moment of grace, deserve each other. He's the medium's most graceful minimalist." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described him as "dynamite in the role, silent, stoic, radiating mystery."
He was also directed by George Clooney
in the political drama The Ides of March
, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival
. Claudia Puig of USA Today felt he demonstrated a "complex blend of idealist and opportunist." Joe Morganstern of the Wall Street Journal said that Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman
"are eminently well equipped to play variations on their characters' main themes. Yet neither actor has great material to conjure with in the script." In an generally tepid review, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times asserted that it was "certainly involving to see the charismatic Gosling verbally spar with superb character actors like Hoffman and [Paul] Giamatti." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt there was "one aspect to the character that Gosling can't quite nail down, that might simply be outside his sphere, which is idealism. He may just be too cool a customer. Thus, a character that should have been, in part, a true believer comes off as a cynic from his first moments." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt he was " once again playing a character with an insistent presence."
, and has described it as "the best experience I have ever had making a film." The ensemble cast includes Bradley Cooper
, Rose Byrne
, Eva Mendes
and Ray Liotta
and the film is set for release in 2013. Gosling will portray Luke, a motorcycle stunt rider who robs banks in order to provide for his family. He has spoken about the difficulties of filming robbery scenes with real bank employees: "I have to rob them about twenty times before they stop being excited to be in a movie. The first twenty takes are just basically people smiling with their hands up."
He is currently filming The Gangster Squad, a crime drama about the 1940s battle between the LAPD and the Los Angeles mob
. The cast includes Sean Penn
, Josh Brolin
, Emma Stone, Michael Pena
and Nick Nolte
and the film is set for release in October 2012. The actor will portray Sgt. Jerry Wooters, an LAPD officer who attempts to outsmart mob boss Mickey Cohen
. The director is Zombieland
s Ruben Fleischer
and Gosling has said, "it’s very, very different tonally [from his other films] and I think he’s doing a great job so far."
In January 2012, he will begin shooting Only God Forgives, his second collaboration with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. He will play a faith-deficit American gangster who faces off with a Thai ex-cop who believes he's God. The story revolves around his mother, played by Kristin Scott Thomas
, who orders her son to avenge his brother's death. Gosling has described the script as “the strangest thing I’ve ever read and it’s only going to get stranger.” He has already begun Muay Thai
training in preparation for the role.
He is attached to two other films which do not yet have official production dates. The first film is Terrence Malick
's Lawless
. The film will costar Christian Bale
, Cate Blanchett
, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett
. When asked to provide details of the film or his role, Gosling replied, "I can't comment. A chatty cathy that one." He is also scheduled to appear in a remake of sci-fi film Logan's Run, again directed by Winding Refn. He has yet to see the original film: "I’ll watch it, I hear it’s great but it’s so different from our idea, we want to go back more to the book ... I’ve been really enjoying the process of developing it, and we’re just focusing on that and making a movie that we want to see."
band Dead Man's Bones
. The two first met in 2005 when Gosling was dating Rachel McAdams
and Shields was dating her sister, Kayleen. They initially conceived of the project as a monster-themed musical
but settled on forming a band when they realized putting on a stage production would be too expensive. They recorded their self-titled debut with the Silverlake Conservatory
's Children's Choir and learned to play all the instruments themselves. Gosling contributed vocals, piano, guitar, bass guitar and cello to the record.
The album was released through ANTI- Records
on October 6, 2009 and received generally positive reviews. Pitchfork was won over by the "unique, catchy and lovably weird record" and conceded that "while most of the supernatural themes are more grade-school Halloween party than horror movie, there are a handful of genuinely unsettling moments". Prefix Magazine felt the album, "littered with old-house sounds and filled with delightfully sloppy reverb", "evokes all the right images of a haunted October, and with such sensitivity and sincerity, it’s rarely kitschy and never inappropriate." Spin Magazine felt the album "doesn't reverse the rule that actors make dubious pop musicians (see Keanu
, Jared Leto
, ScarJo
), but his rickety collaboration with budding thespian Zach Shields has an undeniable dark charm." However, Entertainment Weekly noted that "how you respond to this cloying, gothic preciousness — musically equivalent to Sufjan Stevens
beating up Arcade Fire leader Win Butler
on the way to see Where the Wild Things Are
— will have everything to do with your personal tolerance level for things like rough-hewn songcraft and small children chanting about zombies."
In September 2009, Gosling and Shields had a three-night residency at LA's Bob Baker Marionette Theater
where they performed alongside dancing neon skeletons and glowing ghosts. They then conducted a thirteen-date tour of North America
in October 2009, using a local children's choir at every show to "keep it interesting for us, because every time we'll get to work with new kids and get new ideas and hopefully tailor each performance to that experience." Instead of an opening act, a talent show was held each night. In September 2010, they performed at Los Angeles' FYF Festival.
In 2011, the actor spoke of his intentions to record a second Dead Man's Bones album. No children's choir will feature on the follow-up album because "you can't smoke, you can't swear, you can't get drunk. You have to make sure they have pizza and go to the bathroom. It's not very rock 'n' roll."
for a year from 2002 to 2003, after meeting on the set of Murder by Numbers
.
He had an on-off relationship with Canadian actress Rachel McAdams
from 2005 to 2008. They first met in 2003 while filming The Notebook
but had a combative working relationship. Nick Cassavetes, the film's director, has said that "they hated each other." "We inspired the worst in each other," Gosling has admitted. "It was a strange experience, making a love story and not getting along with your co-star in any way. Two years later I saw her in New York and we started getting the idea that maybe we were wrong about each other." When asked by a journalist in 2006 if they had plans to marry, he replied, "ask her". Following their split, Gosling described her as "one of the great loves of my life" and confessed that "women are mad at me ... like, 'How could you? How could you let a girl like that go?'" He added that their relationship was "a hell of a lot more romantic" than The Notebook.
He lives in New York
with his dog of eleven years, George. He has a tattoo of The Giving Tree
on his upper left arm.
Supportive of various social causes, he has worked particularly closely with the Enough Project
, traveling in 2010 to eastern Congo. He was Hollywood's representative at the Campus Progress
National Conference in 2008 where he spoke out about Darfur
. Gosling said, "For some reason, there's an interest in what people who do what I do have to say... I'm honored to have these experiences."
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
's Mickey Mouse Club
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
(1993–95) and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? may refer to:* Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a 1992 television series* Are You Afraid of the Dark? , a 2004 novel by Sidney Sheldon...
(1995), Goosebumps
Goosebumps (TV series)
Goosebumps is a Canadian children's horror anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's Goosebumps books.-Networks:...
(1996), Breaker High
Breaker High
Breaker High was a Canadian teen comedy-drama series that ran from 1997 to 1998, airing on YTV in Canada and on UPN in the United States.-Synopsis:...
(1997–98) and Young Hercules
Young Hercules
Young Hercules is a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It was aired on Fox Kids from September 12, 1998, to May 12, 1999. It lasted one season with 50 episodes and starred Ryan Gosling in the title role.-Plot:...
(1998–99). His first serious role was as a fanatic Neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), and he then built a reputation for playing misfits in independent films such as Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers is a 2002 psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder. It stars Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case....
(2002), The Slaughter Rule
The Slaughter Rule
The Slaughter Rule is an independent film, released in 2002 and starring Ryan Gosling and David Morse. The movie, set in contemporary Montana, explores the relationship between a small-town high school football player , and his troubled coach...
(2002), The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland is a 2003 American drama film by director Matthew Ryan Hoge and producer Kevin Spacey about a meek teenaged boy named Leland P. Fitzgerald who has inexplicably committed a shocking murder...
(2003) and Stay
Stay (2005 film)
Stay is a 2005 American psychological thriller film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Benioff. It stars Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Naomi Watts, with production by Regency and distribution by 20th Century Fox...
(2005).
He came to the attention of a wider audience in 2004 with a leading role in the romantic drama The Notebook
The Notebook (film)
The Notebook is a 2004 romance film directed by Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the early 1940s...
, for which he won four Teen Choice Awards and an MTV Movie Award. His performance as a drug-addicted junior high school teacher in Half Nelson
Half Nelson (film)
Half Nelson is a 2006 American drama film directed by Ryan Fleck and written by Anna Boden and Fleck; it stars Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps and Anthony Mackie. The film was scored by Juno Award winning Canadian band - Broken Social Scene. Gosling received an Academy Award nomination for lead actor...
(2006) was nominated for an Academy Award and his appearance as a socially inept loner in Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl is a 2007 American-Canadian comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson...
(2007) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
. In 2007, he starred in courtroom thriller Fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
.
After a three-year acting hiatus, he starred in both Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine (film)
Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. The film premiered in competition at the 26th Sundance Film Festival. Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling played the lead roles...
and All Good Things
All Good Things (film)
All Good Things is a 2010 romantic mystery film directed by Andrew Jarecki starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. The film is inspired by the life of accused murderer Robert Durst. All Good Things was filmed between April and July 2008 in Connecticut and New York...
in 2010. The former performance as a frazzled husband earned him a second Golden Globe nomination. 2011 proved to be a landmark year for the actor as he appeared in three mainstream films: the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love, the thriller Drive
Drive (2011 film)
Drive is a 2011 American crime neo-noir drama film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Ryan Gosling as the principal character, with Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks...
and the political drama The Ides of March
The Ides of March (film)
The Ides of March is a 2011 American political drama thriller film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay written by Clooney, along with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon. The film is an adaptation of Willimon's 2008 play Farragut North...
. He is due to appear in five upcoming films: the bank heist film The Place Beyond the Pines, the period crime feature The Gangster Squad, the revenge drama Only God Forgives, Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick is a U.S. film director, screenwriter, and producer. In a career spanning almost four decades, Malick has directed five feature films....
's Lawless
Lawless (film)
Lawless is an upcoming drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Haley Bennett....
and a remake of the sci-fi film Logan's Run.
His band, Dead Man's Bones
Dead Man's Bones
Dead Man's Bones is a band founded by actor Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. Their first album, Dead Man's Bones, was released on October 6, 2009 through ANTI- Records. The entire album is a collaboration with the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir started by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea...
, released their self-titled debut album and toured North America in 2009. He is co-owner of Tagine, a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. He has had relationships with actors Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
(2002–03) and Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook...
(2005–08) and lives in New York City.
Early life
Gosling was born in London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
and raised in Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
. He is the son of Thomas Gosling, a paper mill worker, and Donna, a secretary who qualified as a high school teacher in 2011. His parents were Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
and Gosling has said that "it was a part of everything – what they ate, how they thought". His parents divorced when he was a child and he, his younger brother Ben, and his older sister, Mandi, were raised by their mother, an experience Gosling has credited with programming him "to think like a girl."
He was bullied in elementary school and had "no pals" – "not in a sad, ‘poor me’ way. I didn’t want any. I liked being alone. It was only when I was 14, 15 I got friends." "I hated being a kid. I didn't like being told what to do, I didn't like my body, I didn't like any of it." In Grade 1, having been heavily influenced by the film Rambo: First Blood, he brought steak knives to school and threw them at other children during recess. This incident lead to a suspension. While attending Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School
Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School
Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School is a high school located in Cornwall, Ontario. It was built in 1806 and is one of the oldest schools in Canada. The school's bicentennial in 2006 attracted over 1500 former students back to the school....
, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), prescribed Ritalin, and placed in a class for special needs
Special needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
students. He was unable to read which he found "pretty frustrating. I couldn't absorb any of the information, so I caused trouble." Consequently, his mother quit her job and homeschooled
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
him for a year. Gosling has said that homeschooling gave him "a sense of autonomy that I've never really lost".
He performed from an early age. He and his sister sang together at weddings; he performed with Elvis Perry, his uncle's Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
tribute act
Tribute band
A tribute act is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act - sometimes one which has disbanded, ceased touring or is deceased. Probably the largest class of tributes acts are Elvis impersonators, individual performers who mimic the songs and style...
, and was involved with a local ballet company
Ballet company
A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballet, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year are the norm...
. Performing was "the only thing I did I was praised for. It gave me self-confidence.” He developed an idiosyncratic accent because "as a kid I thought having a Canadian accent didn't sound tough. I thought guys should sound like Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
. So now I have a phony accent that I can't shake." He dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen to focus on his acting career.
Child star
In 1993, at the age of twelve, Gosling attended an open audition in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for a revival of Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
's Mickey Mouse Club
Mickey Mouse Club
The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney...
. He was given a two-year contract as a mouseketeer and moved to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He appeared on-screen less frequently than others because he "wasn’t really up to snuff in comparison with what some of the other kids were able to do". Nonetheless, he has described the job as "the greatest two years ever."
Fellow cast members included Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
and Gosling has credited the experience with instilling in them "this great sense of focus." He became particularly close friends with Timberlake and they lived together for six months during the second year of the show. Timberlake's mother became Gosling's legal guardian after his mother returned to Canada for work reasons. Gosling has said that while they are no longer in touch, "he's very supportive of me, and I'm very, very supportive of him and extremely proud of him."
Following the show's cancellation in 1995, he returned to Canada and continued to appear in family entertainment television series including Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? may refer to:* Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a 1992 television series* Are You Afraid of the Dark? , a 2004 novel by Sidney Sheldon...
(1995), Goosebumps
Goosebumps (TV series)
Goosebumps is a Canadian children's horror anthology television series based on R. L. Stine's Goosebumps books.-Networks:...
(1996) and Breaker High
Breaker High
Breaker High was a Canadian teen comedy-drama series that ran from 1997 to 1998, airing on YTV in Canada and on UPN in the United States.-Synopsis:...
(1997–98). At the age of eighteen, he moved to New Zealand to film the Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
adventure series Young Hercules
Young Hercules
Young Hercules is a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It was aired on Fox Kids from September 12, 1998, to May 12, 1999. It lasted one season with 50 episodes and starred Ryan Gosling in the title role.-Plot:...
(1998–99). While he initially enjoyed working on the series, he began to long for an opportunity to play different characters and decided not to accept any more television work.
Move to independent film
At the age of nineteen, he decided to move into "serious film". He was dropped by his agent and initially found it difficult to secure work: "It’s very hard coming from kids' television to break the stigma. All you have is a VHS tape of you humping stuff on The Mickey Mouse Club and wearing fake tanner and fighting imaginary sphinxes."He secured a role as a young Jewish neo-Nazi in 2001's controversial drama The Believer. Director Henry Bean
Henry Bean
Henry Bean is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, novelist, and actor.Most famous as a screenwriter, Bean wrote the screenplays for Internal Affairs, Deep Cover, Venus Rising, The Believer , Basic Instinct 2 and Noise.Bean...
has said he cast Gosling because he "understood something about religion. Mormonism is very demanding, and it isolates you the way Judaism isolates you. And he got all that." His performance won ecstatic reviews. Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times praised a " electrifying and terrifyingly convincing" performance while Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times found him "a powerful young actor". Todd McCarthy of Variety felt his "dynamite performance" could "scarcely have been better". Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described his performance as "explosive" and "riveting". Carly Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle said that "Gosling gives an impassioned performance throughout. The skinny former Mousketeer carries himself with such self-assured menace that he becomes imposing. You believe it when his character beats the stuffing out of a muscle-bound rival skinhead." The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and Gosling has described it as "the film that kind of gift-wrapped for me the career that I have now. I suddenly found myself at Sundance, where people were asking me about my craft. So I had to pretend I had one."
In 2002's Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers is a 2002 psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder. It stars Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case....
, Gosling and Michael Pitt
Michael Pitt
Michael Carmen Pitt is an American actor and musician. Pitt is best known in film for his role in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers, and in television for his portrayal of James "Jimmy" Darmody in the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire.-Personal life:Pitt was born in West Orange, New Jersey, the...
portrayed a pair of high school seniors who believe they can commit the perfect murder. Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
starred as a detective tasked with investigating the crime. The film received a red carpet premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
which Gosling found "overwhelming": "I was scared to step on Sandy's dress, which I did a couple of times ... I was warned not to do that beforehand ... I tried not to pay attention to everything else." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described him as "a phenomenal talent even in junk like this". Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle stated: "Gosling's poise is uncanny in someone so young, and he holds the screen well in his encounters with Bullock." Peter Rainer of New York Magazine felt he had "a quicksilver screen presence". However, Todd McCarthy of Variety felt that the "strong and "charismatic" young actors were "let down by the screenplay".
In 2002, he appeared in The Slaughter Rule
The Slaughter Rule
The Slaughter Rule is an independent film, released in 2002 and starring Ryan Gosling and David Morse. The movie, set in contemporary Montana, explores the relationship between a small-town high school football player , and his troubled coach...
which explores the relationship between a high school football player and his troubled coach in rural Montana. Gosling has said that the opportunity to work with David Morse
David Morse
David Morse may refer to:* David A. Morse , American bureaucrat* David Morse , American stage, television, and film actor* David Morse , politician in Nova Scotia, Canada...
made him "a better actor". Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Gosling as "major star material" with a "rawness and an intensity that recall the young Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
". Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times was won over by "Gosling's raw talent and the magnificence of the film's wide-open country".
In 2003, he starred in The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland
The United States of Leland is a 2003 American drama film by director Matthew Ryan Hoge and producer Kevin Spacey about a meek teenaged boy named Leland P. Fitzgerald who has inexplicably committed a shocking murder...
as a teenager imprisoned for the murder of a disabled boy. He was drawn to the role because " Leland was so different. It's this kind of character that's not in movies very often – characters that are emotionally disconnected for the whole film." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt that the "gifted actor does everything that can be done with Leland, but the character comes from a writer's conceits, not from life." A.O. Scott of The New York Times noted that "Mr. Gosling, whose watchful, wounded intelligence and close-set eyes can remind you of a young Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, struggles to rescue Leland from the clutches of cliché". David Rooney of Variety felt that his "one-note, blankly disturbed act has none of the magnetic edge of his breakthrough work in The Believer".
The Notebook and Half Nelson
In 2004, he starred opposite Rachel McAdamsRachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook...
in the sleeper hit
Sleeper hit
A sleeper hit, a.k.a. surprise hit , refers to a film, book, single, album, TV show, or video game that gains unexpected success or recognition...
The Notebook
The Notebook (film)
The Notebook is a 2004 romance film directed by Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the early 1940s...
. The film made stars of its two leads, had huge popular culture resonance and frequently appears on Most Romantic Movies lists. The chemistry between Gosling and McAdams was often remarked upon, with The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
writing, "Their performances are so spontaneous and combustible that you quickly identify with the reckless sweethearts, who embody an innocence that has all but vanished from American teenage life. And against your better judgment, you root for the pair to beat the odds against them."
In 2005, he appeared as a disturbed young art student in Stay
Stay (2005 film)
Stay is a 2005 American psychological thriller film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Benioff. It stars Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Naomi Watts, with production by Regency and distribution by 20th Century Fox...
, a psychological thriller co-starring Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts is a British actress. Watts began her career in Australian television, where she appeared in series such as Hey Dad..! , Brides of Christ , and Home and Away . Her film debut was the 1986 drama For Love Alone...
and Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
. In an uncomplimentary review of the film, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said that Gosling "like his fans, deserves better." Todd McCarthy of Variety felt that the "capable" McGregor and Gosling "deliver nothing new from what they've shown before". Gosling was unfazed by the negative reaction: "I had a kid come up to me on the street, 10 years old, and he says, ‘Are you that guy from Stay? What the f--- was that movie about?’ I think that's great. I'm just as proud if someone says, ‘Hey, you made me sick in that movie,’ as if they say I made them cry.”
In 2006, he starred in Half Nelson
Half Nelson (film)
Half Nelson is a 2006 American drama film directed by Ryan Fleck and written by Anna Boden and Fleck; it stars Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps and Anthony Mackie. The film was scored by Juno Award winning Canadian band - Broken Social Scene. Gosling received an Academy Award nomination for lead actor...
as a drug-addicted junior high school teacher who forms a bond with a young student. His performance received rave reviews. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described "a mesmerizing performance, casual yet dominating, and one that shows the kind of deep understanding of character few actors manage." Claudia Puig of USA Today said the film "establishes Ryan Gosling as one of the finest actors of his generation." Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle drew comparisons with Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and said he inhabits his character "with every feature of his face and particle of his body and soul ... Nobody who cares about great acting will want to miss his performance". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said "this performance, coming after The Believer, proves he's one of the finest actors working in contemporary movies." Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post felt his "performance here is reminiscent of his spectacular (and little-seen) performance" in The Believer while Manohla Dargis of The New York Times felt he "dazzles even brighter" than he did in The Believer. He was nominated for an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award
Broadcast Film Critics Association
The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada , representing approximately 250 television, radio and online critics....
and won Best Actor at the Spirit Awards. He said the Oscar nomination "meant a lot to me because it meant a lot to the people that I love. Especially my mother, who fought with every teacher, every principal, every kid's mother — she's been fighting since I was born. So I was really thankful that the Academy made my mom happy."
He played an introvert who falls in love with a sex doll in the gently comedic 2007 film Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl is a 2007 American-Canadian comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson...
. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt "a film about a life-sized love doll" had been turned into "a life-affirming statement of hope" because of "a performance by Ryan Gosling that says things that cannot be said". Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post described his performance as "a small miracle, not only because he's completely, vulnerably open as a man who's essentially shut off, but because he changes and grows so imperceptibly before our eyes." Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times admired his "unwavering, unblinking sincerity". Claudia Puig of USA Today found "Gosling poignantly embodies the awkward Lars with signature gestures (a repeated blinking feels particularly authentic), bringing his sweet-natured character to vivid life." However, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times felt "the performance is a rare miscalculation in a mostly brilliant career." He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951...
, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association
Broadcast Film Critics Association
The Broadcast Film Critics Association is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada , representing approximately 250 television, radio and online critics....
and won a Satellite Award.
He starred opposite Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
in the 2007 courtroom thriller Fracture
Fracture (2007 film)
Fracture is a 2007 legal/crime suspense film from New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment, directed by Gregory Hoblit, starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling...
. He originally turned down the role, but changed his mind when Hopkins signed on: "He's a master, and it's important to watch masters work". Critics relished the on-screen pairing of Gosling and Hopkins. Claudia Puig of USA Today declared that "watching a veteran like Hopkins verbally joust with one of the best young actors in Hollywood is worth the price of admission". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times felt it was a treat to watch "the spectacle of that crafty scene stealer Anthony Hopkins mixing it up with that equally cunning screen nibbler Ryan Gosling ... Each actor is playing a pulp type rather than a fully formed individual, but both fill in the blanks with an alchemical mix of professional and personal charisma." Kevin Crust of the Los Angeles Times noted that the film is at "its best when Hopkins and Gosling are on screen together, bobbing and weaving with considerable aplomb ... the actors appear to have a good time playing the game."
Wider recognition
Following a three year absence from the big screen, Gosling starred in five high-profile movies in 2010 and 2011. "I’ve never had more energy,” Gosling has said. “I’m more excited to make films than I used to be. I used to kind of dread it. It was so emotional and taxing. But I’ve found a way to have fun while doing it. And I think that translates into the films.” He has also spoken of feeling "depressed" when not working.In 2010, he co-starred with Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (actress)
Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. After starting her career with television guest appearances in the early 1990s, Williams achieved recognition for her role as Jen Lindley on the WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek, which she played from 1998 to 2003...
in Derek Cianfrance's directorial debut, Blue Valentine
Blue Valentine (film)
Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. The film premiered in competition at the 26th Sundance Film Festival. Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling played the lead roles...
. The low-budget film was mainly improvised: "Most movies when you're acting you're trying to block out the lights and the trailers. Here, you had to remind yourself you were making a film," said Gosling. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that the film contained "two of the most explosive and emotionally naked performances you will see anywhere." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt he "brings a preternatural understanding of people to his performance". A.O. Scott of The New York Times found him "convincing as the run-down, desperate, older Dean, and maybe a bit less so as the younger version". Michael Philips of The Chicago Tribune described him as "an actor of considerable emotional resources" with "a nagging showboater's instinct to dazzle his way through a partially or largely improvised scene." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly noted that he "plays Dean as a snarky working-class hipster, but when his anger is unleashed, the performance turns powerful. It becomes a scary study in the woundedness of defensive manhood." Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe felt the performance – with its "crypto-Queens drawl, the Methody deliberateness, the all-purpose angst, trendy accoutrements of handsomeness" – was an example of "hipsterism misdirected". He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.
In 2010, he starred in All Good Things
All Good Things (film)
All Good Things is a 2010 romantic mystery film directed by Andrew Jarecki starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. The film is inspired by the life of accused murderer Robert Durst. All Good Things was filmed between April and July 2008 in Connecticut and New York...
. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone felt he "gets so deep into character you can feel his nerve endings." Mick La Salle of the San Francisco Chronicle found the "chameleonic Gosling is completely convincing as this empty shell of a man". Gosling was also honored with a nomination from the Prisim Awards for best actor, which recognize actors for their outstanding performances of substance abuse, addiction and mental illness onscreen, in television and feature films. Also in 2010, he narrated ReGeneration, a documentary that explores the cynicism in today’s youth towards social and political causes, Also, he narrated ReGeneration, a documentary that explores the cynicism in today’s youth towards social and political causes,
2011 saw him expand his horizons. He appeared in his first comedic role, in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post said his "seductive command presence suggests we may have found our next George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times found "the surprise is Ryan Gosling. I consider him a superb actor, and I've seen him play everything from an anti-Semite (The Believer) to a child killer (Murder by Numbers) ... But I didn't see him as a lounge lizard." Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe praised his "matinee-idol mystery ... Gosling is the most naturally sexual young actor the movies have." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone declared he "scores a comic knockout". Claudia Puig of USA Today felt he reveals a "surprising" "knack for comedy."
His first action role was in Drive
Drive (2011 film)
Drive is a 2011 American crime neo-noir drama film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Ryan Gosling as the principal character, with Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks...
. Ann Hornday of The Washington Post said he "delivers a slow, white-hot burn of a performance in "Drive," a nervy, understated ode to one of Hollywood's most cherished archetypes, the sad-eyed man of few words." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times declared him "a charismatic actor, as Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
was. He embodies presence and sincerity ... he has shown a gift for finding arresting, powerful characters [and] can achieve just about anything. Claudia Puig of USA Today felt that "in the hands of a lesser actor, Driver could have been an empty vessel. But Gosling pumps the minimalist character with brooding complexity." Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal "the ongoing mystery of how he manages to have so much impact with so little apparent effort. It's irresistible to liken his economical style to that of Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
... But peerless though Brando was, he could be mannered to the point of self-parody. That hasn't happened to Mr. Gosling ... He and this powerful film, which is ultimately about a moment of grace, deserve each other. He's the medium's most graceful minimalist." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described him as "dynamite in the role, silent, stoic, radiating mystery."
He was also directed by George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
in the political drama The Ides of March
The Ides of March (film)
The Ides of March is a 2011 American political drama thriller film directed by George Clooney from a screenplay written by Clooney, along with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon. The film is an adaptation of Willimon's 2008 play Farragut North...
, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
. Claudia Puig of USA Today felt he demonstrated a "complex blend of idealist and opportunist." Joe Morganstern of the Wall Street Journal said that Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
"are eminently well equipped to play variations on their characters' main themes. Yet neither actor has great material to conjure with in the script." In an generally tepid review, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times asserted that it was "certainly involving to see the charismatic Gosling verbally spar with superb character actors like Hoffman and [Paul] Giamatti." Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt there was "one aspect to the character that Gosling can't quite nail down, that might simply be outside his sphere, which is idealism. He may just be too cool a customer. Thus, a character that should have been, in part, a true believer comes off as a cynic from his first moments." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt he was " once again playing a character with an insistent presence."
Upcoming projects
Gosling has completed work on bank heist film The Place Beyond the Pines, directed by Blue Valentines Derek CianfranceDerek Cianfrance
-Biography:Cianfrance earned a B.F.A. in Film Production from the University of Colorado, studying under avant-garde filmmakers Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. At 23, he wrote, directed and edited his first feature film, Brother Tied, which was well-received at festivals including Sundance.His...
, and has described it as "the best experience I have ever had making a film." The ensemble cast includes Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
, Rose Byrne
Rose Byrne
Mary Rose Byrne is an Australian actress.Byrne made her screen debut in 1994 with a small role in the film Dallas Doll...
, Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes is an American actress.She began acting in the late 1990s, and after a series of minor roles and performances in several smaller films such as Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror and Urban Legends: Final Cut , she broke into the mainstream, appearing in leading roles in Hollywood...
and Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta
[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
and the film is set for release in 2013. Gosling will portray Luke, a motorcycle stunt rider who robs banks in order to provide for his family. He has spoken about the difficulties of filming robbery scenes with real bank employees: "I have to rob them about twenty times before they stop being excited to be in a movie. The first twenty takes are just basically people smiling with their hands up."
He is currently filming The Gangster Squad, a crime drama about the 1940s battle between the LAPD and the Los Angeles mob
Los Angeles crime family
The Los Angeles crime family is an Italian American criminal organization based in Los Angeles, as part of the American Mafia . Since its inception in the early 1900s, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the L.A. family gained power...
. The cast includes Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
, Josh Brolin
Josh Brolin
Josh James Brolin is an American actor. He has acted in theater, film and television roles since 1985, and won acting awards for his roles in the films W., No Country for Old Men, Milk and True Grit.-Early life:...
, Emma Stone, Michael Pena
Michael Peña
Michael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
and Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
and the film is set for release in October 2012. The actor will portray Sgt. Jerry Wooters, an LAPD officer who attempts to outsmart mob boss Mickey Cohen
Mickey Cohen
Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
. The director is Zombieland
Zombieland
Zombieland is a 2009 American zombie comedy film directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse...
s Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Fleischer
Ruben Fleischer is an American film director, advertisement/copy writer, and music video director. He is currently based in Los Angeles. He is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed and financially successful Zombieland, his first feature film. He followed it by making 30 Minutes...
and Gosling has said, "it’s very, very different tonally [from his other films] and I think he’s doing a great job so far."
In January 2012, he will begin shooting Only God Forgives, his second collaboration with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. He will play a faith-deficit American gangster who faces off with a Thai ex-cop who believes he's God. The story revolves around his mother, played by Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
, who orders her son to avenge his brother's death. Gosling has described the script as “the strangest thing I’ve ever read and it’s only going to get stranger.” He has already begun Muay Thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
training in preparation for the role.
He is attached to two other films which do not yet have official production dates. The first film is Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick
Terrence Frederick Malick is a U.S. film director, screenwriter, and producer. In a career spanning almost four decades, Malick has directed five feature films....
's Lawless
Lawless (film)
Lawless is an upcoming drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Haley Bennett....
. The film will costar Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
, Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
, Rooney Mara and Haley Bennett
Haley Bennett
Haley Bennett is an American singer and actress.She will star in the new FX series Outlaw Country with Luke Grimes and Mary Steenburgen.-Life and career:...
. When asked to provide details of the film or his role, Gosling replied, "I can't comment. A chatty cathy that one." He is also scheduled to appear in a remake of sci-fi film Logan's Run, again directed by Winding Refn. He has yet to see the original film: "I’ll watch it, I hear it’s great but it’s so different from our idea, we want to go back more to the book ... I’ve been really enjoying the process of developing it, and we’re just focusing on that and making a movie that we want to see."
Music career
In 2007 Gosling made making a solo recording called Put Me In The Car available for download on the internet. Also that year, Gosling and his friend Zach Shields formed indie rockIndie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Dead Man's Bones
Dead Man's Bones
Dead Man's Bones is a band founded by actor Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. Their first album, Dead Man's Bones, was released on October 6, 2009 through ANTI- Records. The entire album is a collaboration with the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir started by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea...
. The two first met in 2005 when Gosling was dating Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook...
and Shields was dating her sister, Kayleen. They initially conceived of the project as a monster-themed musical
Musical
Musical is the adjective form of music. It may also refer to:*MusicAL: Albanian Television channel which broadcasts Albanian folk music*Musical artist*Musical composer...
but settled on forming a band when they realized putting on a stage production would be too expensive. They recorded their self-titled debut with the Silverlake Conservatory
Silverlake Conservatory of Music
Silverlake Conservatory of Music is a non-profit educational organization formed in California. It was founded in 2001 by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Michael "Flea" Balzary and Keith "Tree" Barry to foster music education...
's Children's Choir and learned to play all the instruments themselves. Gosling contributed vocals, piano, guitar, bass guitar and cello to the record.
The album was released through ANTI- Records
ANTI-
ANTI- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label of Epitaph Records.While Epitaph's focus has shifted over the last decade from mostly punk rock, nowadays ANTI- has a more diverse roster, ranging from country , hip hop , reggae , Soul , folk , rap-rock , indie rock...
on October 6, 2009 and received generally positive reviews. Pitchfork was won over by the "unique, catchy and lovably weird record" and conceded that "while most of the supernatural themes are more grade-school Halloween party than horror movie, there are a handful of genuinely unsettling moments". Prefix Magazine felt the album, "littered with old-house sounds and filled with delightfully sloppy reverb", "evokes all the right images of a haunted October, and with such sensitivity and sincerity, it’s rarely kitschy and never inappropriate." Spin Magazine felt the album "doesn't reverse the rule that actors make dubious pop musicians (see Keanu
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
, Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
, ScarJo
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
), but his rickety collaboration with budding thespian Zach Shields has an undeniable dark charm." However, Entertainment Weekly noted that "how you respond to this cloying, gothic preciousness — musically equivalent to Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
beating up Arcade Fire leader Win Butler
Win Butler
Win Butler is the lead vocalist and songwriter of the Montreal-based indie rock band Arcade Fire. His wife Régine Chassagne and his brother William Butler are both members of the band.-Life and career:...
on the way to see Where the Wild Things Are
Where the Wild Things Are (film)
Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 American fantasy drama film directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book Where the Wild Things Are. It combines live action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery...
— will have everything to do with your personal tolerance level for things like rough-hewn songcraft and small children chanting about zombies."
In September 2009, Gosling and Shields had a three-night residency at LA's Bob Baker Marionette Theater
Bob Baker Marionette Theater
The Bob Baker Marionette Theater, founded by Bob Baker and Alton Wood in 1963, is the oldest children's theater company in Los Angeles. In June 2009, the theater was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.-History:...
where they performed alongside dancing neon skeletons and glowing ghosts. They then conducted a thirteen-date tour of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in October 2009, using a local children's choir at every show to "keep it interesting for us, because every time we'll get to work with new kids and get new ideas and hopefully tailor each performance to that experience." Instead of an opening act, a talent show was held each night. In September 2010, they performed at Los Angeles' FYF Festival.
In 2011, the actor spoke of his intentions to record a second Dead Man's Bones album. No children's choir will feature on the follow-up album because "you can't smoke, you can't swear, you can't get drunk. You have to make sure they have pizza and go to the bathroom. It's not very rock 'n' roll."
Restaurant owner
Gosling co-owns Tagine, a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills, California. "I oversee the menus," he has said. "I'm a real foodie ... I never really wanted to own it but one of my best friends called me one night, said his cousin was leaving town and needed to sell it ... At the time I wasn't very busy so I spent all my money on this restaurant." "I was broke afterwards and had to do all the renovations by myself." "I spent a year working in it and now I love it."Personal life
Gosling dated American actress Sandra BullockSandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
for a year from 2002 to 2003, after meeting on the set of Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers
Murder by Numbers is a 2002 psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder. It stars Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case....
.
He had an on-off relationship with Canadian actress Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre program at York University, Toronto in 2001, she worked steadily as an actress until finding fame in 2004 with starring roles in teen comedy Mean Girls and romantic drama The Notebook...
from 2005 to 2008. They first met in 2003 while filming The Notebook
The Notebook (film)
The Notebook is a 2004 romance film directed by Nick Cassavetes, based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the early 1940s...
but had a combative working relationship. Nick Cassavetes, the film's director, has said that "they hated each other." "We inspired the worst in each other," Gosling has admitted. "It was a strange experience, making a love story and not getting along with your co-star in any way. Two years later I saw her in New York and we started getting the idea that maybe we were wrong about each other." When asked by a journalist in 2006 if they had plans to marry, he replied, "ask her". Following their split, Gosling described her as "one of the great loves of my life" and confessed that "women are mad at me ... like, 'How could you? How could you let a girl like that go?'" He added that their relationship was "a hell of a lot more romantic" than The Notebook.
He lives in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with his dog of eleven years, George. He has a tattoo of The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree
The Giving Tree, first published in 1964 by Harper and Row, is a children's book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein. This book has become one of Silverstein's best known titles and has been translated into more than 30 languages.-Plot:...
on his upper left arm.
Supportive of various social causes, he has worked particularly closely with the Enough Project
Enough Project
Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress , based in Washington, D.C., created to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Its Co-Founders are John Prendergast and Gayle Smith; its Executive Director is John C. Bradshaw, J.D....
, traveling in 2010 to eastern Congo. He was Hollywood's representative at the Campus Progress
Campus Progress
Campus Progress, launched in February 2005, is an American non-profit organization that promotes progressive political and social policy through support for student activists and journalists on college campuses in the United States...
National Conference in 2008 where he spoke out about Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
. Gosling said, "For some reason, there's an interest in what people who do what I do have to say... I'm honored to have these experiences."
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Awards and Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Frankenstein and Me | Kenny | |
| 1999 | Josh | ||
| 2000 | Remember the Titans Remember the Titans Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. Inspired by real events, the plot was conceived from a screenplay written by Gregory Allen Howard. The film starts as a new coach of the Titans, a football team previously coached by the... |
Alan Bosley | |
| 2001 | Danny Balint | Russian Guild of Film Critics Russian Guild of Film Critics The Russian Guild of Film Critics is a Russian organization of professional film critics. A member of FIPRESCI since 1999, the guild critiques Russian and Foreign films. Beginning in 1998, the guild began conferring annual awards in several categories... Award for Best Foreign Actor Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Chicago Film Critics Association The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong... Award for Most Promising Performer Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male |
|
| 2002 | Murder by Numbers Murder by Numbers Murder by Numbers is a 2002 psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder. It stars Sandra Bullock, Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case.... |
Richard Haywood | Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Chicago Film Critics Association The Chicago Film Critics Association is an American film critic association.-Members:Current members include:*Sarah Knight Adamson*Zbigniew Banas*Shelley Cameron*Dave Canfield*Vittorio Carli*Erik Childress*Camerin Courtney*Bonnie DeShong... Award for Most Promising Performer |
| 2002 | Roy Chutney | ||
| 2003 | Leland P. Fitzgerald | ||
| 2004 | Noah Calhoun | MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss This is a following list for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss.This is a following list for the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Kiss.... Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor – Drama Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Performance – Male Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Liplock Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Choice Movie Love Scene Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Choice Movie Dance Scene |
|
| 2005 | Stay Stay (2005 film) Stay is a 2005 American psychological thriller film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Benioff. It stars Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Naomi Watts, with production by Regency and distribution by 20th Century Fox... |
Henry Letham | |
| 2006 | Half Nelson Half Nelson (film) Half Nelson is a 2006 American drama film directed by Ryan Fleck and written by Anna Boden and Fleck; it stars Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps and Anthony Mackie. The film was scored by Juno Award winning Canadian band - Broken Social Scene. Gosling received an Academy Award nomination for lead actor... |
Dan Dunne | Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male Stockholm International Film Festival Stockholm International Film Festival The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year in the second half of November... Award for Best Actor Seattle International Film Festival Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees... Award for Best Actor Las Palmas Film Festival Award for Best Actor National Board of Review National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr.'s revocation of moving-picture exhibition licenses on Christmas Eve 1908. The mayor believed that the new medium... Award for Breakthrough Male Performance Village Voice Film Poll Village Voice Film Poll The Village Voice Film Poll is an annual polling by The Village Voice film section of more than 100 major film critics for alternative media sources. Although the majority of the critics work for the alt-weeklies, a number are former Voice critics who now work for the mainstream media or have... – Best Actor Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.-List of winners and nominees:*1995: Kevin Bacon - Murder in the First as Henri Young... Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and international... Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor The Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor is an annual film award given by the Online Film Critics Society to honor the best lead actor of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is one of the annual awards given by the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is one of the annual awards given by the Toronto Film Critics Association.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
| 2007 | Fracture Fracture (2007 film) Fracture is a 2007 legal/crime suspense film from New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment, directed by Gregory Hoblit, starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling... |
Willy Beachum | Nominated — Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor – Horror/Thriller |
| 2007 | Lars and the Real Girl Lars and the Real Girl Lars and the Real Girl is a 2007 American-Canadian comedy-drama film written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. It stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson... |
Lars Lindstrom | Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.-List of winners and nominees:*1995: Kevin Bacon - Murder in the First as Henri Young... Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Nominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and international... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated — PRISM Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is one of the annual awards given by the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.-2000s:-2010s:... |
| 2010 | All Good Things All Good Things (film) All Good Things is a 2010 romantic mystery film directed by Andrew Jarecki starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. The film is inspired by the life of accused murderer Robert Durst. All Good Things was filmed between April and July 2008 in Connecticut and New York... |
David Marks | Nominated — PRISM Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film |
| 2010 | Blue Valentine Blue Valentine (film) Blue Valentine is a 2010 romantic drama film written and directed by Derek Cianfrance. The film premiered in competition at the 26th Sundance Film Festival. Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis wrote the film, and Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling played the lead roles... |
Dean Pereira | Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actor or actors whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and international... Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Broadcast Film Critics Association.-List of winners and nominees:*1995: Kevin Bacon - Murder in the First as Henri Young... Nominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Nominated — Detroit Film Critics Society Detroit Film Critics Society The Detroit Film Critics Society is a film critic organization in Detroit, Michigan, United States.-2007 Awards:The nominees for the Detroit Film Critics Society Awards 2007 were announced on 15 December and the winners were announced on 21 December 2007.-Best Actor:**George Clooney - Michael... Award for Best Actor Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year Nominated — Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor The Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor is an annual film award given by the Online Film Critics Society to honor the best lead actor of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Utah Film Critics Association Award Utah Film Critics Association Awards 2010 The 6th Utah Film Critics Association Awards honoring the best filmmaking of 2010, were announced on December 23, 2010.-Best Actor:*Jeff Bridges - True Grit*Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network*Colin Firth - The King's Speech... for Best Actor |
| 2010 | ReGeneration | Narrator | Documentary |
| 2011 | Crazy, Stupid, Love. | Jacob Palmer | |
| 2011 | Drive Drive (2011 film) Drive is a 2011 American crime neo-noir drama film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Ryan Gosling as the principal character, with Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks... |
The Driver | Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead |
| 2011 | Stephen Meyers | ||
| 2012 | Sgt. Jerry Wooters | Filming | |
| 2013 | Luke | Post-production | |
| 2013 | Lawless Lawless (film) Lawless is an upcoming drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, starring Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, and Haley Bennett.... |
Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Episode(s) & Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1995 | Mickey Mouse Club Mickey Mouse Club The Mickey Mouse Club is an American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney... |
Himself | Television series Television program A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series... |
| 1995 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? Are You Afraid of the Dark? Are You Afraid of the Dark? may refer to:* Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a 1992 television series* Are You Afraid of the Dark? , a 2004 novel by Sidney Sheldon... |
Jamie Leary | 5.02 "The Tale of Station 109.1" |
| 1996 | PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal is a Canadian science fiction drama television series which was filmed in and around Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and aired 88 episodes over four seasons from 1996 to 2000... |
Adam | 1.01 "Dream House/UFO Encounter" |
| 1996 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is a spin-off of the 1972-1975 television series Kung Fu. David Carradine and Chris Potter starred as a father and son trained in kung fu - Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective. This series aired in syndication for four seasons, from January 27,... |
Kevin | 4.09 "Dragon's Lair" |
| 1996 | Road to Avonlea Road to Avonlea Road to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from... |
Bret McNulty | 7.09 "From Away" |
| 1996 | Goosebumps Goosebumps Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional children being involved in scary situations... |
Greg Banks | 1.15 "Say Cheese and Die" |
| 1996 | Sean | 1.01 "The Case of the Burning Building" | |
| 1996 | Flash Forward Flash Forward Flash Forward is a Disney Channel Original Series produced in Canada for pre-teens and teenagers which aired on both the Disney Channel and ABC from 1996-1997.... |
Scott Stuckey | 1.11 "Double Bill" and 1.21 "Skate Bait" |
| 1996 | Ready or Not | Matt Kalinsky | 4.05 "I Do, I Don't" |
| 1997–1998 | Breaker High Breaker High Breaker High was a Canadian teen comedy-drama series that ran from 1997 to 1998, airing on YTV in Canada and on UPN in the United States.-Synopsis:... |
Sean Hanlon | Television series |
| 1998 | Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy was a CBC Television television show based upon the adventures of author and rancher Richmond P. Hobson, Jr. in Northern British Columbia. It is based upon the eponymous book and also The Rancher Takes a Wife.... |
Tommy | Television film |
| Young Hercules Young Hercules Young Hercules is a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It was aired on Fox Kids from September 12, 1998, to May 12, 1999. It lasted one season with 50 episodes and starred Ryan Gosling in the title role.-Plot:... |
Hercules | Television series | |
| Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles... |
Zylus | 5.17 "The Academy" | |
| 2005 | I'm Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust | Ilya Gerber (voice) | Television documentary Television documentary Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes.... |