Matt Ryan (real name Matthew Darren Evans) is an English actor and producer. He became widely known after playing the lead role in the American mystical series "Constantine" on NBC. The series is based on the plot of the popular graphic novel "John Constantine: Messenger of Hell" from the DC Comics universe.
There are not many roles in the creative biography of the actor. He has appeared on the screen in three dozen films and TV series. Including the artist took part in the dubbing of the main character of the animated films about the adventures of detective John Constantine: "Constantine: City of Demons", "Dark Justice League".
Biography facts
The future actor was born in the coastal town of Wells County Swansea in the spring of 1981. His father once started out as a regular mail carrier and later became a music producer for Warner Bros., Warner / Chappell Music in Scandinavia. Mom was a professional dancer and choreographer. She opened her own studio called the Mary Evans Dance Academy.
His maternal great-grandfather, Viktor Dubensky, was a Jewish emigrant from Odessa. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he left Russia and settled in London, taking the name Dubens. He later married a woman of English descent.
Matt has an older brother. Together with him in childhood, he constantly watched action films with the participation of A. Schwarzenegger and S. Stallone. Parents were very unhappy with such a hobby of their sons, but the children still found time to watch their favorite films when their father and mother were not at home.
In the town where Matt spent his childhood, most of the residents were not very fond of theater and cinema. But the boy was brought up in a creative family. Therefore, at some point he decided that he wanted to perform on stage.
Ryan learned to dance while attending his mother's studio. When he was ten years old, he qualified for the musical Les Miserables and played the main character Gavroche at the West End Theater in London.
Then Matt switched to completely different activities. He became interested in motorcycles and fast driving, for a while he even wanted to become a mechanic.
One day the father noticed that his son had a very good ear and should try to learn how to play some musical instrument. Then he began to study music and mastered the guitar. In high school, his father suggested that he start studying to be a sound engineer and promised to help him with the work.
Matt received his elementary education at Penyrheol School, then went to college to become a sound engineer. The course included many subjects, among which were: acting, dancing and vocals.
In his student years, Matt had a best friend, Joseph Morgan. It was he who persuaded the young man to audition for the drama studio Bristol Old Vic. Matt passed the selection and was enrolled in an acting course.
After graduating, Ryan was admitted to the Royal Shakespeare Company and began performing on the stage. Within a couple of months, the young actor played the main roles in classical plays. For three years he played in many performances and appeared on stage with such famous actors as R. Goldie and G. Doran.
Ryan dreams that someday he will play the role of Hamlet. He played Horatio in Shakespeare's play, and Jude Law played the role of Hamlet. Matt was delighted with the actor's performance and gained a huge stage experience, constantly observing the work of a real master of disguise. Together with Jude Law, Ryan played in another play - "Henry V", where he played the role of Fluellen.
Film career
For the first time on the screen, Matt appeared in 2001. He performed several roles in short films that are practically unknown to the audience.
In 2004 he played in the television series "Mine, All Mine" in the first season in one of the episodes. Then he got a small role in the crime thriller Layer Cake, where he appeared on the set with the famous actors D. Craig and S. Miller.
Then Ryan starred in television projects for several years. On account of his roles in popular TV series: "Criminal Minds", "The Tudors", "Torchwood", "Holby Police", "Crash".
He also appeared in several films: "By Mutual Agreement", "Bloody Jungle", "Miss Pettigrew", "Mad December", "Velcro".
John Constantine
One of Ryan's most famous works was the role of detective John Constantine in the television project Constantine.
Interestingly, in order to get the role, he had to cut off the long dark hair that he needed to perform on the stage and dye it.
Arriving at the final auditions, the actor knew practically nothing about his character. And then he remembered a friend - a fan of comics about the adventures of Constantine. He went to him and for several hours listened to a friend's story about how the main character should look and what needs to be done to play this role.
A friend helped him with his hair, getting the right haircut, and dyeing Matt's hair the right color. Arriving at the studio, Ryan was fully prepared for pre-production. After auditioning, he got the lead role in the project.
About his character, Matt said that Constantine is a very attractive character with a sense of humor, cunning, wit and is fluent in magic.
In one of his interviews, the actor said that he was very happy when he was approved for the role of John Constantine. To prepare for filming, he had to read most of the comics about Constantine in order to have an idea of his character. This is what the actor did all his free time. In addition, good physical fitness was needed, and he spent many hours in the gym.
The first season of the project was well received by the audience, but the NBC channel, for unknown reasons, decided not to shoot the second season of the series. Ryan decided not to part with his hero. He appeared as Constantine in the TV series Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, and also voiced the character in the animated films Dark Justice League and Constantine: City of Demons.
Interesting Facts
Matt, along with his friend J. Morgan, is the owner of the film company M & R Films. They have already shot several of their own films and are writing scripts for new films.
Ryan loves actor Michael Keaton as Batman, considering him the best Batman ever. He's also a fan of director Tim Burton and the movie Beatlejuice.
Matt has a huge collectible statue of Superman at home, which was once given to him by his friends in the United States. The actor really likes the heroes of the comics Batman and Superman, but he still gives his preference to John Constantine.
Nothing is known about the actor's personal life. It was rumored that he was dating actress Beau Garrett, but how true this is is difficult to say.
