Ryan Kwanten

Ryan Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. After his stint ended he joined the American teen drama series Summerland, portraying Jay Robertson. In 2008, he was cast as Jason Stackhouse in True Blood.

Early life

Kwanten was born in Sydney, Australia to Eddie Kwanten, a worker at NSW Maritime, and Kris, a lifeline op shop coordinator. His father is Dutch. Kwanten has two brothers, Mitchell, who is a musician and Lloyd, who is a doctor. He attended St Paul's College in Manly and later earned a degree in commerce from the University of Sydney.

Career

Kwanten began acting on the television shows A Country Practice, Hey Dad..! and Spellbinder. In 1997, he joined the cast of the Australian soap opera Home and Away, playing lifeguard Vinnie Patterson. He eventually chose to leave the series in 2002, shortly after his character married and became a father. Kwanten had previously guested on the serial as Robbie Taylor in 1994. Moving to the United States, Kwanten was cast as Jay Robertson in the Lori Loughlin-starring series Summerland, which ran from 2004 to 2005. He appeared in the films Flicka, with Maria Bello, Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw, and Dead Silence, a horror film in which he played the leading role.