Ryan Hurst

Early life

Hurst was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Rick Hurst, an actor perhaps best known for playing Cletus on The Dukes of Hazzard, and Candace Kaniecki, an acting coach, who currently runs the Candace Kaniecki (Herman) Acting School. He attended Santa Monica High School.

Career

Growing up in a Hollywood family, Hurst made a very early start in show business, with a recurring role in the NBC teen situation comedy series Saved by the Bell: The New Class. In the 1998 epic war film Saving Private Ryan, Hurst portrayed Michaelson, a paratrooper who, despite a temporary hearing loss, is able to communicate to Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) the approximate location of Private Ryan. In 2000, Hurst followed this with a role in Rules of Engagement and the central supporting role of Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans. Additionally, he appeared in the war film We Were Soldiers (2002) as Sgt. Ernie Savage, played the football player Lump Hudson in the black comedy thriller film The Ladykillers (2004), and starred in the TNT police drama series Wanted (2005). From 2005 to 2007, Hurst gained recognition for portraying the recurring role of Allison DuBois' half-brother, Michael Benoit, in NBC's supernatural procedural drama series Medium.

Hurst's big break came when he was cast as Opie Winston in the FX crime drama series Sons of Anarchy. Originally a recurring cast member in the first season, he was promoted to main cast member for the following season and went on to become a fan favorite. His character, newly released from a five-year prison stint and "living right", but not making ends meet, goes back to SAMCRO to provide for his family, despite his wife's objections and his knowing the risks. Hurst's portrayal of Opie earned him the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2011. Also in 2011, Hurst voiced Jedidiah in the animated box office hit Rango. He also stars in the WGN America series Outsiders. In August 2018, it was announced that he would star as Beta on AMC's The Walking Dead. His debut episode, "Guardians", premiered on March 3, 2019.

In 2022, Hurst voiced Thor in the video game God of War Ragnarök and also provided the motion-capture.

In December 2024, Hurst was announced as a cast member in independent drama Out Come The Wolves based on the Rancid 1995 album of the same name.

In January 2026, he was announced to be returning to the God of War franchise, this time portraying the main character Kratos in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video live-action adaptation of the two Norse mythology-based games.

Personal life

Hurst and Molly Cookson met in 1994 and married in May 2005. Together, they founded the production company Fast Shoes. In April 2013, Hurst purchased a 3,400 square-foot home in Woodland Hills, California, for $1.71 million.

He converted to Sikhi and his Sikh name is Gobind Seva Singh.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (2 March 2023). "2023 BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". [[BAFTA]].
2. "Ryan Hurst Biography (1976-)". FilmReference.com.
3. "Ryan Hurst Biography". [[Yahoo! Movies]].
4. "Ryan Hurst Biography". [[Yahoo! Movies]] Canada.
5. Wigler, Josh. (August 27, 2018). "'The Walking Dead' Adds 'Sons of Anarchy' Star as Key Comic Book Villain". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
6. Mathews, Liam. (March 3, 2019). "''The Walking Dead''{{'}}s Ryan Hurst Breaks Down Beta's Imposing Arrival". [[TV Guide]].
7. Yang, George. (September 11, 2022). "How 'God of War Ragnarök's' Thor Was Inspired by The Hulk". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
8. (December 11, 2024). "Giancarlo Esposito, Harold Perrineau, Taryn Manning, Ryan Hurst Join Punk Indie Drama ‘Out Come the Wolves’ (Exclusive)".
9. Cordero, Rosy. (January 14, 2026). "Ryan Hurst Cast As Kratos In Prime Video's 'God of War'". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
10. (July 26, 2013). "A Tour of Ryan Hurst's Woodland Hills House". ICouldLiveHere.org.
11. Rice, Lynette. (November 26, 2012). "'Son of Anarchy' star Ryan Hurst shaves his beard on camera for fans". [[Entertainment Weekly]].
12. Sherman, Catherine. (July 18, 2013). "'Sons of Anarchy' Star Buys Woodland Hills Home". Zillow.com.
13. (July 18, 2013). "'Sons of Anarchy' Star Ryan Hurst - Drops $1.7 Million ... On Mansion To Die For". [[TMZ]].
14. "Ryan Hurst Instagram with Sikh name". [[Instagram]].
15. (September 16, 2020). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Ryan Hurst on Sons of Anarchy".
16. Yossman, K.J.. (October 27, 2022). "Garrett Hedlund, Mel Gibson Set For Nadine Crocker Thriller 'Desperation Road,' Signature Entertainment Repping Sales (EXCLUSIVE)".
17. Acuna, Kirsten. "'Fear TWD' had a huge hint about Beta's mysterious identity hiding in plain sight and 'Walking Dead' fans think they’ve already solved who he was before the zombie apocalypse".
18. "2011 Satellite Award Nominees and Winners". [[International Press Academy]].
19. (2 March 2023). "BAFTA announces the nominations for the BAFTA Games Awards 2023". [[BAFTA]].