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Ryan McCartan

Ryan Jerome McCartan^[1] (born June 14, 1993^[2][3]) is an American actor and singer.

As an actor, McCartan is known for playing Jason "J.D." Dean in the original Off-Broadway production of Heathers: The Musical and for playing Brad Majors in the 2016 Fox musical television film The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again. He also played the recurring role of Diggie Smalls on the Disney Channel sitcom Liv and Maddie. His Broadway credits include Fiyero TigelaarinWicked and Prince HansinFrozen.

McCartan was born in Excelsior, Minnesota.^[2] His father, Conn McCartan, was the principal at Eden Prairie High SchoolinEden Prairie, Minnesota.^[4]

McCartan began his career with a minor part in the stage versionofDisney's High School Musical in 2007.^[5] In 2011 he starred in the titular role in Minnesota's first regional production of The Phantom of the Opera.^[6] That same year, he won Best Performance by an Actor at the Jimmy Awards, given out by The Broadway League to the top performers in high school musical productions.^[7] McCartan also originated the role of Jason Dean in the original off-Broadway cast of the musical Heathers, which ran from March through August 2014, after playing the role in the Los Angeles tryout in 2013.

In 2013, McCartan began playing the recurring role of Diggie on the Disney Channel comedy Liv and Maddie.^[8] In 2015 he starred in the direct-to-video film R.L. Stine's Monsterville: Cabinet of Souls.^[9] In 2016 McCartan was cast in the lead role of Brad Majors in the 2016 Fox musical television film The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.^[10]

In May 2015, Dove Cameron announced that she and McCartan were officially forming a pop duo and would be releasing their first original song.^[11] In September 2015, they announced their group's name would be The Girl and the Dreamcatcher,^[12] and their first video was released in October 2015.^[13] The pair broke up in October 2016.^[14]

On September 11, 2018, McCartan made his Broadway debut as Fiyero in the musical Wicked.^[15] He remained with the show through May 12, 2019.^[16] In mid-2018 he originated the lead role of Eddie Corbin in the new musical Mutt House at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, and in August 2019 he played Lt. Cable in South Pacific at the Aspen Music Festival.^[17] In 2019, he starred in the role of Mac in the Roundabout Theatre Company's new musical Scotland PA.^[18] In November 2019 he made his solo show debut at Feinstein's/54 Below.^{[citation needed]} In April 2020, he hosted the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS viewing of 25 Years of Disney Broadway.^[19]

He joined the cast of Frozen on Broadway as Hans in February 2020 opposite McKenzie Kurtz as Anna and Ciara Renée as Elsa.^[20] However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all Broadway theatres were closed. Disney later announced, on May 14, 2020, that Frozen would not reopen after the lifting of the lockdown.^[21] During 2022, he played Hans in the Broadway National tour of Frozen for two runs, with his final performance being September 4, 2022. His first run would reunite him with Kurtz, his Broadway Anna.^[22][23]

In October 2022, McCartan was cast as Kyle Reed in, the spin-off of Supernatural, The Winchesters.^[24]

In June 2023, McCartan starred as Tony in a production of West Side Story at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.^[25][26][27]

In November 2023, McCartan starred as Cletis in the Off-Broadway production of Lone Star.^[28]

McCartan began dating actress and singer Dove Cameron who was his Liv & Maddie co-star in August 2013. He officially announced that Cameron was his fiancée on April 14, 2016,^[29][30] but the relationship ended in October 2016.^[14] In October 2017, McCartan began dating Samantha Fekete, with whom he runs a YouTube channel called The Stage Door.^[31] In September 2023, McCartan and Fekete revealed that they had amicably ended their romantic relationship, but planned to continue running The Stage Door together.

On July 29, 2014, McCartan revealed in a tweet that he has had Type-1 diabetes since age six.^[32] In 2019, McCartan stated in an interview that he had been sexually abused by a theatre mentor when he was 12.^[33]

In multiple Sam & Ryan videos and other Internet media, McCartan has self-identified as queer or bisexual.^{[34][35][36][non-primary source needed]}

* Credits in bold indicate Broadway venues

In 2011, he received a Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor.^[55]

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