Michelle Ryan was born on April 22nd, 1984, in Enfield, Middlesex, England. She started her career in the entertainment industry by performing in a Dance Gala at The London Palladium with Wayne Sleep in 1998. Her first television role was as Dolores in the children's program Fair Is Foul and Fouls Are Fair in 2000.
Ryan then went on to play the role of Zoe Slater in the BBC Soap EastEnders from 2000 to 2005. Her character shared the screen with her mother, Kat Slater, in a two-hander episode that drew in 19 million viewers and won the Best Single Episode award at the British Soap Awards in 2002. Ryan was also nominated for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards in 2005.
Michelle's first movie role was in Cashback in 2004, followed by appearances in Flick in 2008, I Want Candy in 2007, and 4.3.2.1. in 2010. She has also taken on independent movie roles in Girl Walks Into a Bar in 2011, The Man Inside in 2012, and Cockneys vs Zombies in 2012.
Ryan has appeared in a number of UK television series, including Jekyll in 2007, Mansfield Park in 2007, and Bionic Woman in 2007. She has also appeared in Merlin in 2008, Planet of the Dead in 2009, and Mister Eleven in 2009. In addition to her TV and film work, Michelle has appeared in theatre productions such as "Who's the Daddy" in 2005, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" in 2010, and "Cabaret" in 2012.
Michelle joined Piper Perabo for a 6-episode arc as CIA agent Helen Hanson in Covert Affairs in 2013 for the USA Network. She can also be seen in Andron in 2015, starring alongside Alec Baldwin and Danny Glover.
