Colton Ryan (born June 10, 1995) is an American actor and singer. He is known for his performance as Conrad Roy in Hulu's miniseries, The Girl from Plainville (2022), for which he garnered critical acclaim, and for playing Connor Murphy, a role which he understudied in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen and reprised in the 2021 film adaptation. He is also known for playing the main role of Samuel on the Apple TV+ series Little Voice and originating the roles of Gene Laine in Girl from the North Country and Jim Doyle in New York, New York, the latter of which earning him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.
Early life Ryan was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) for grades four through twelve, where he majored in vocal music and minored in theatre. He also is a Governor's School for the Arts 2011 alumnus for musical theatre. His acting career took off in 2015 while attending Baldwin Wallace University, when he played Dickon in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival production of The Secret Garden.
Career He made his Broadway debut in 2016 as the standby for Evan Hansen, Connor Murphy and Jared Kleinman in Dear Evan Hansen. He remained with the show until 2017, when he graduated with his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Baldwin Wallace University. That same year, he made his television debut in a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and then played the recurring role of J.J. Elkins on the Showtime series Homeland the following year.
In 2019, he originated the role of White Rabbit / Alfred Hallam / March Hare in the Off-Broadway production of Alice by Heart and made his film acting debut in The Social Ones and Adam. In 2020, he starred in the Bob Dylan musical Girl from the North Country as Gene Laine, a role in which he originated in the 2018 Off-Broadway production, but the production was shut down that May due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, he starred in the main role of Samuel on the Apple TV+ series Little Voice and as Bruce in the Amazon Studios film Uncle Frank. It was also announced that year that he would reprise the role of Connor Murphy in Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, which premiered as the Opening Night Gala Presentation of the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and was followed by a theatrical release on September 24, 2021.
In 2021, he was cast opposite Elle Fanning in the Hulu drama series The Girl from Plainville, based on the death of Conrad Roy. His work in the series received critical acclaim, with TV Guide listing it as one of the 20 best TV performances of 2022.
Ryan was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical in 2023, for his performance as Jimmy Doyle in New York, New York.
Acting credits Theatre Year(s) Title Role Location NotesRef. 2015 The Secret Garden Dickon Idaho Shakespeare FestivalRegional 2016 My Fair Lady Freddy Eynsford-Hill Great Lakes Theater West Side Story Tony John Patrick Theatre 2016–2017 Dear Evan Hansen s/b Evan Hansens/b Connor Murphys/b Jared Kleinman Music Box Theater Broadway 2018 Girl From the North Country Gene Laine The Public TheaterOff-Broadway 2019 Alice by Heart White Rabbit / Alfred Hallam / March Hare MCC Theater West Side Story Tony Lexington Opera HouseRegional Ryan WSS Interview 2020 Girl From the North Country Gene Laine Belasco TheatreBroadway 2022The Pirates of PenzanceFredericAmerican Airlines Theatre 2023 New York, New York Jimmy Doyle St. James Theatre Ryan joins cast announcement 2024 Glory Days Will Symphony Space Off-Broadway Derek Klena, Colton Ryan, Jordan Dobson, George Salazar Star in Glory Days Concert February 12
Film Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2019 The Social Ones Dan Summers 2019 Adam Brad 2020 Uncle Frank Bruce 2021 Dear Evan Hansen Connor Murphy 2026 The Debut Zachary
Television Year Title Role Notes Ref. 2017 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Andrew Drake Episode: "No Good Reason" 2018 Homeland J.J. Elkins 3 episodes 2018 The Americans Vince Episode: "The Great Patriotic War" 2020 Little Voice Samuel Main role 2022 The Girl from Plainville Conrad Roy Main role 2023 Poker Face Jed Episode: "The Night Shift" 2025 Devil in Disguise: John Wayne GacyBilly KindredEpisode: "Billy" 2025–2026 Chad Powers Gerry Dougan 5 episodes TBA Discretion Boone Upcoming series
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Project Result Ref. 2019 Theatre World Award Outstanding Debut Performance Girl from the North Country 2023 Tony Award Best Leading Actor in a Musical New York, New York Lexington native nominated for Tony Award
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