Blue-eyed, blond haired Matthew Ryan Phillippe (pronounced Fil-ip-ay) was born on September 10, 1974. He grew up in New Castle, Delaware with his parents and his three sisters, Kirsten, Lindsay and Katelyn.

His acting career did not begin until Ryan was about seventeen. In 1992, he landed the role of Billy Douglas on the TV soap opera "One Life To Live". The character was the first openly gay teenager on daytime TV, and Ryan was praised for his portrayal.

After acting in a few more TV roles (everything from TV movies to guest spots to regular TV roles), Ryan jumped right into movie roles. He started slowly, with small parts in big hits such as Crimson Tide alongside Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. But it was in 1994 that Ryan really started to get noticed. He won to part of the ill-fated Gil Martin in White Squall, alongside such stars as Jeff Bridges and Scott Wolf. Although he wasn't an overnight success with this one film, it can still be considered as his first big break into Hollywood.

After the release to the successful teen horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ryan became somewhat of a teen idol. The role of Barry Cox, boyfriend to Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, was a big step in Ryan's career since it led to recognition, which is what he needed at the time in order to be offered more quality roles.

Ryan had finally made it. After starring in a couple of independant films (Homegrown and Little Boy Blue), he was cast as the lead character in 54, the story of the infamous Studio 54 in New York in the 1970s, and he also played the tragic role of Keenan in Playing By Heart, alongside such seasoned actors as Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands.

Ryan can currently be seen on the big screen in Cruel Intentions, where he plays Sebastian Valmont, a too rich, too bored teenager in Manhattan.

Upcoming roles for this 5'9" actor so far only include Company Man, in which he states that he'll play a Russian ballet dancer.

Ryan Phillippe
c/o BWR
9100 Wilshire Blvd.
6th Floor, West Tower
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Click here to return to the main page.