ACTOR · BORN 1980
Ryan Gosling
- Born
- 12 November 1980
- Known for
- The Notebook (2004), Project Hail Mary (2026), Only God Forgives (2013), Murder by Numbers (2002)
24 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Ryan Gosling (born 12 November 1980) is an actor best known for The Notebook, Project Hail Mary and Only God Forgives.
Ryan Gosling over the years
24 Interesting Facts About Ryan Gosling
Interesting Facts (2)
- #001
A series of videos entitled "Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal", which feature clips from various Gosling films with a spoonful of cereal superimposed over the footage, went viral in 2013, receiving millions of views on Vine and YouTube. When the creator of the videos, Ryan McHenry, passed away from osteosarcoma in May 2015, Gosling posted his own video on Vine, in which he can be seen eating a bowl of cereal in tribute to McHenry. He also offered his public condolences to McHenry's family.
Ryan Gosling: conversation sceneImage: Wikimedia Commons · Elen Nivrae from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 - #002
He first saw Blue Velvet (1986) when he was 14 years old. This movie left a strong impression on him.
Production Story (1)
- #003
He beat out 17,000 people for a place in The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) in January 1993.
Behind the Scenes (5)
- #004
He played all his filmed piano-playing scenes in La La Land, learning to play the instrument in the months before shooting.
- #005
He purchased the Jeep Cherokee driven by Ben Chaplin in Murder by Numbers (2002) from the set of the movie.
- #006
He appeared in two films with Michelle Williams: The United States of Leland (2003) and Blue Valentine (2010). They lived together for four weeks, while filming "Blue Valentine", in a house in Carbondale, Pennsylvania.
- #007
He gained 60 lbs to play Jack Salmon in The Lovely Bones (2009) by eating melted ice cream. Ultimately he was fired due to creative differences, which left him, in his words, "fat and unemployed".
- #008
He built the kitchen table featured in The Notebook (2004) in preparation for his role as Noah.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #009
His characters often suffer a broken nose, as seen in Blue Valentine (2010), Only God Forgives (2013), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017).
- #010
Ryan Gosling was originally cast as Jack Salmon in The Lovely Bones (2009), but he left the project one day before filming began and Mark Wahlberg was cast in his place.
Easter Eggs & References (1)
- #011
Ryan drives the same color and year model 2011 Chevy Impala in both Drive (2011) and The Ides of March (2011).
Career & Awards (2)
- #012
He has appeared in three films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Big Short (2015), La La Land (2016) and Barbie (2023).
- #013
Ryan Gosling is the first person born in the 1980s to be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar (he has been nominated in the category twice). The next four were Jesse Eisenberg (born 1983), Eddie Redmayne (one win, one nomination) (born 1982), Andrew Garfield (born 1983) and Daniel Kaluuya (born 1989).
Life & Family (11)
- #014
According to an interview in GQ, he was the only Mickey Mouse Club cast member who did not live in the same complex as the other cast members and their families. He and his family lived in a nearby trailer park, and he was the family's only source of income.
- #015
When he was young, his uncle gave him an empty scrapbook and told him to fill it with his accomplishments. He later recalled that the gesture motivated him to start doing things with his life so that the book would not remain empty.
- #016
In 1992, he was the only boy in a group of girl dancers on a TV talent show.
- #017
He traveled to Chad in 2005 to make a documentary on the Darfur refugees living there.
- #018
He is an accomplished jazz guitarist and a fan of Chet Baker; he started a band with his friend Zach Shields called Dead Man's Bones.
- #019
He can speak some basic, conversational Spanish. He began learning in 2011 after starting to date longtime friend and costar Eva Mendes. He said in 2012 he was attempting to read Zoé Valdés' Café Nostalgia in Spanish, and his two daughters with Mendes are being raised bilingual.
- #020
Unlike many successful actors near his age, he has no entourage and few close friends. He admits to often preferring solitude while not working, attributing it to his autonomous latter childhood.
- #021
He was taken out of elementary school as a child and taught at home by his mother because of constant abuse from other students.
- #022
His favorite actor is Gary Oldman.
- #023
In school, his nickname was Trouble.
- #024
Gosling's favorite film is East of Eden (1955).
Related pages
- Drive — Ryan Gosling comes up in the facts on that page
- Dallas Buyers Club — Ryan Gosling comes up in the facts on that page
- Damien Chazelle — Ryan Gosling comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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