Ian Ruskin is a renowned graduate of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where he honed his craft in the city's esteemed Repertory Theater and London's West End. His impressive credits include the iconic title role in Jack the Ripper, alongside notable television appearances such as King Lear (1983) with the legendary Lawrence Olivier, and Michael Mann's The Keep (1983).
After relocating to Los Angeles, Ruskin's work has spanned a diverse range of projects, from the popular Murder, She Wrote series' Dead Man's Gold (1986) to the critically acclaimed one-man play, Alan Drury's The Man Himself. His extensive voice work has been featured in radio, commercials, and over 100 films and television programs.
In addition to his performing career, Ruskin is the founder of The Harry Bridges Project, established in 2000. He has written, performed, and produced numerous plays, radio, and film documentaries, including the acclaimed From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks (2007),which tells the story of labor leader Harry Bridges. His most recent production, To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine (2016),explores the life and legacy of the renowned American philosopher and revolutionary thinker.
The film versions of both the Bridges and Paine plays were directed and shot by the esteemed multi-Academy Award winner Haskell Wexler. Ruskin has performed each play hundreds of times to a close to 100,000 audience members, including appearances at the Houses of Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, ACLU, The American Philosophical Society, Harvard Law School, the California Judges Association, Conway Hall in London, the Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians, and in Canada, Hawai'i, Australia, and England.
To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine (2016) continues Ruskin's mission to share the stories of forgotten and misunderstood heroes from American and European history. He is currently working to distribute the film in England, France, Canada, and Australia, as Paine was a citizen of the world.
In 2014, Ruskin completed a new radio documentary, A Wild Woman Sings the Blues, which explores the life and work of the renowned Barbara Dane. He is also developing a treatment for a feature film based on the 1934 San Francisco General Strike.
Ruskin has recently begun work on his next project, a new one-man play about the enigmatic Nikola Tesla, often referred to as "the man who invented the 20th century." When not running The Harry Bridges Project or writing and performing new plays, Ruskin is a prolific voice over actor in Los Angeles, CA.
