Ryan Hurst

Hurst was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of Rick Hurst, an actor perhaps best known for playing Cletus on The Dukes of Hazzard, and Candace Kaniecki, an acting coach, who currently runs the Candace Kaniecki (Herman) Acting School.^[2] He attended Santa Monica High School.^[3]

Growing up in a Hollywood family, Hurst made a very early start in show business, with a recurring role in the NBC teen situation comedy series Saved by the Bell: The New Class.^[4] In the 1998 epic war film Saving Private Ryan, Hurst portrayed Michaelson, a paratrooper who, despite a temporary hearing loss, is able to communicate to Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) the approximate location of Private Ryan. In 2000, Hurst followed this with a role in Rules of Engagement and the central supporting role of Gerry Bertier in Remember the Titans. Additionally, he appeared in the war film We Were Soldiers (2002) as Sgt. Ernie Savage, played the football player Lump Hudson in the black comedy thriller film The Ladykillers (2004), and starred in the TNT police drama series Wanted (2005). From 2005 to 2007, Hurst gained recognition for portraying the recurring role of Allison DuBois' half-brother, Michael Benoit, in NBC's supernatural procedural drama series Medium.

Hurst's big break came when he was cast as Opie Winston in the FX crime drama series Sons of Anarchy. Originally a recurring cast member in the first season, he was promoted to main cast member for the following season and went on to become a fan favorite. His character, newly released from a five-year prison stint and "living right", but not making ends meet, goes back to SAMCRO to provide for his family, despite his wife's objections and his knowing the risks. Hurst's portrayal of Opie earned him the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2011. Also in 2011, Hurst voiced Jedidiah in the animated box office hit Rango. He also stars in the WGN America series Outsiders. In August 2018, it was announced that he would star as Beta on AMC's The Walking Dead.^[5] His debut episode, "Guardians", premiered on March 3, 2019.^[6]

In 2022, Hurst voiced Thor in the video game God of War Ragnarök and also provided the motion-capture.^[7]

In December 2024, Hurst was announced as a cast member in independent drama Out Come The Wolves based on the Rancid 1995 album of the same name.^[8]

In January 2026, he was announced to be returning to the God of War franchise, this time portraying the main character Kratos in the upcoming Amazon Prime Video live-action adaptation of the two Norse mythology-based games.^[9]

Hurst and Molly Cookson met in 1994 and married in May 2005.^[10][11] Together, they founded the production company Fast Shoes.^[12] In April 2013, Hurst purchased a 3,400 square-foot home in Woodland Hills, California, for $1.71 million.^[13]

He converted to Sikhism and his Sikh name is Gobind Seva Singh.^[14][15]