Ryan Douglas Hurst was born on June 19, 1976, in Santa Monica, California, to Candace Kaniecki, an acting coach, and Rick Hurst, an actor. Growing up in a Hollywood family, he began his career in show business at a young age with a recurring role in the NBC teen situation comedy series Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
Hurst's early work includes a notable performance in the 1998 epic war drama film Saving Private Ryan, where he portrayed Mandelsohn, a paratrooper with temporary hearing loss. He also appeared in the 2002 war film We Were Soldiers as Sgt. Ernie Savage and played the football player Lump Hudson in the black comedy thriller film The Ladykillers (2004).
From 2005 to 2007, Hurst gained recognition for his recurring role as Michael Benoit, the half-brother of Allison DuBois, in NBC's supernatural procedural drama series Medium. His breakthrough role came when he was cast as Opie Winston in the FX crime drama series Sons of Anarchy. Initially a recurring cast member in the first season, he was promoted to main cast member for the following season and became a fan favorite.
Hurst's portrayal of Opie earned him the 2011 Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film. He also voiced Jedidiah in the animated box office hit Rango in 2011 and stars in the series Outsiders. In August 2018, it was announced that he would star as Beta on The Walking Dead.
In his personal life, Hurst married Molly Cookson in May 2005, and together they founded the production company Fast Shoes. In April2013, he purchased a 3,400 square-foot home in Woodland Hills, California for $1.71 million.
