Ryan Michael Douglas Spong was born on March 18, 1992, in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, to Sharon, a receptionist, and Michael, a plasterer. He has a younger brother, Ben, and his two middle names, Michael and Douglas, are coincidental and hold no reference to the actor, Michael Douglas. He took the name 'Michael' from his father and granddad, and 'Douglas' from his other granddad, who passed away twelve years before he was born.
As a young child, Ryan was fascinated by films and would repeatedly watch The Lion King, The Mask, and surprisingly, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. His first experience of acting was in primary school when he played a dragon, and he was repeatedly told to be quiet at home for practicing his roar, as his parents were unaware that he was rehearsing for an upcoming part.
During secondary school, Ryan was more interested in sports than performing, captaining his school football and cricket teams. It wasn't until his final year that he got involved with the annual school play. At 16, Ryan began studying Performing Arts at Wiltshire College, Trowbridge, but dropped out at 18, just three months before finishing his second year, as he started auditioning for various projects and wanted to focus on acting work.
He worked on a couple of feature films and short films before making the move to London in 2012, on the day of the Olympics opening ceremony. Shortly after arriving in London, he booked his first TV commercial for the UK Home Office and MTV, working on an abuse awareness campaign to help prevent abuse in teenage relationships. He then went on to shoot campaigns for various brands, including Proximus, Snickers, Popchips, and Tog 24.
To make money between acting jobs, Ryan would sometimes take random jobs abroad to satisfy his need for adventure and indulge in the different experiences life has to offer. One of these jobs took him to Finland for five weeks as an activity guide, driving elves and families to various locations, creating fires in the snow, and leading snowmobile excursions through the forest. Another job took him to France for six weeks to work on the horse team in the small north-central village of Fontaine-Le-Port.
