Name: Ryan Thomas Gosling
Birthdate: November 12, 1980
Hometown: London, Ontario
Fansite: http://goslingfan.com/
Before They Were Stars: Ryan Thomas Gosling was born to secretary Donna and paper mill worker Thomas Gosling. After they divorced, he was raised by his mother, who encouraged his adolescent entertainment aspirations. At 12, he landed his first professional gig on The All New Mickey Mouse Club alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. After the show’s cancelation, he headlined a few cheesy TV shows (Goosebumps, Young Hercules) before captivating critics as a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer.
Where Are They Now: Although The Notebook introduced him to his on-again off-again love Rachel McAdams and turned him into a certifiable heartthrob, Gosling is a true indie boy at heart. All of his lauded performances—a man in love with a blowup doll in Lars and the Real Girl, a young husband whose marriage explodes in Blue Valentine, a laconic stuntman-turned-getaway car driver in Drive, a crack addicted teacher in Half Nelson, which earned him his sole Oscar nod—have been in independent movies. Much like Johnny Depp, Gosling is an unconventional leading man who picks his projects meticulously, and seems completely disinterested in the Hollywood lifestyle. He even took three years off from making movies so he could tour with his band, Dead Man’s Bones. He’ll be working alongside some real bigwigs in his next project: The Gangster Squad, a retro crime drama set in L.A. costarring Sean Penn and Emma Stone.
Snakkle Snippet: Gosling lived with his The All New Mickey Mouse Club costar Justin Timberlake and his mom while appearing on the series.
Snakkle Buy: Buy Half Nelson to see Gosling’s Oscar-nominated performance.