Biography

Alan Michael Ritchson was born on November 28, 1982 in Grand Forks, North Dakota to Vickie Harrell, a high school teacher, and David Ritchson, a U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sergeant. Growing up in a military family, Alan and his brothers, Brian and Eric, relocated to different parts of the country quite frequently, settling in Illinois, then Florida. Ritchson graduated from Niceville High School in 2001, also being dual-enrolled at Okaloosa Walton Community College (now Northwest Florida State College), where he was a member of the Soundsations and Madrigal Singers. He graduated with an Associate or Arts degree from the college in 2003. Ritchson began modeling, notably for the Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue, PUMA, and the men’s online underwear store International Jock. He appeared in the third season of the competition series “American Idol”, where he got a ticket to Hollywood to continue through auditions, but was sent home before the live shows.

Ritchson began his acting career in 2005 portraying Arthur Curry aka Aquama on the popular series “Smallville”, where he would return to for three additional episodes through 2010. He took a stab at recording, releasing an independent album titled The is Next Time. Next, he went behind the microphone, voicing the character Chris in an episode of the animation television series “Wonder Pets!” in 2006. He followed that up with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him appearance in the Hallmark movie Though None Go with Me, then a role in the thriller The Butcher. In 2007, Ritchson would appear in Steam as Roy. The film revolves around three women who feel stuck in life until they each find a fulfilling new relationship. He also became the character model for Beowulf in the video game Beowulf: The Game. Ritchson also went on to voice Aquaman in Justice League: The New Frontier before the release of his next films, 2008’s Rex and 2009’s comedy Fired Up! and the Nora Roberts television movie Midnight Bayou. He would go on to have appearances on “Head Case”, CSI: Miami”, and “90210” in the next couple years.

2010 gave Ritchson his first series regular role as football captain Thad Castle in Spike TV’s comedy “Blue Mountain State”. He continued to book guest appearances on shows like “Fred: The Show”, “Hawaii Five-0”, and “Super Fun Night”. In 2013, he appeared in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire playing Gloss, one of the tributes in the 75th Hunger Games. He went on to portray Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the 2016 sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Into the Shadows, both voicing and doing the motion capture work for the character. Ritchson continued to appear on television in 2014 on “Holloway Heights” and “New Girl” as well as “Workaholics” in 2015. He also executive produced a short film titled Mojito in 2014. He returned to film in 2015, first in the Josh Gad-led comedy The Wedding Ringer as Kip / Carew, followed by the YouTube Red sci-fi comedy Lazer Team as Adam. As a co-writer and producer, Ritchson returned to his infamous character Thad Castle for Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland, where Alex decides to throw Thad the party of his dreams in hopes Thad will buy the Goat House after the Dean threatens to sell it. He portrayed the role of Paul in an episode of the popular Netflix series “Black Mirror” before teaming up with Christina Ochoa in the SyFy action series Blood Drive. Though Blood Drive only lasted a season, reviews rave it’s a fun adult horror comedy. Rounding out 2017, Ritchson wrote, directed, produced, and appeared in the short film Tree House Time Machine. The short film earned the Award Of Merit at the 2017 Best Shorts Competition.

2018 began with an appearance on the Netflix series “Alexa & Katie”, where he played the role of Robbie. He starred alongside Brenton Thwaites, Jane Levy, and Karan Soni in the horror comedy Office Uprising as Bob. The film follows an employee at a weapons factory discovering an energy drink is turning his co-workers into zombies. Ritchson returned to the DC universe stepping into the role of Hank Hall aka Hawk for the HBO/HBO Max series “Titans”. He was initially only supposed to be in two episodes, but was promoted to a series regular by the second season. 2019 brought him into an episode of the popular comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” before his next two films. Ritchson starred in Above the Shadows, a romantic drama following a young woman who faded to the point of becoming invisible until she comes across someone who can see her. The film also stars Olivia Thirlby, Jim Gaffigan, and Megan Fox. He earned the Pitch to Screen Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal in the film. He followed up with playing Ronnie Best in the comedy The Turkey Bowl, also starring Ryan Hansen and Kristen Hager. He also served as a producer for the biographical drama Seberg starring Kristen Stewart.

He starred alongside his “Titans” co-star Brenton Thwaites and Kyle Gallner in 2020 in the fantasy thriller Ghosts of War as Butchie. The film five battle-hardened American soldiers assigned to hold a French Chateau near the end of World War II. The next year, he co-wrote, directed, produced, and appeared in the comedy triller Dark Web: Cicadia 3301, starring Jack Kesy and Conor Leslie. The film was the first original project by Ritchson’s film fund, Phreaker Films. 2022 gave him the role of Jack Reacher for the Prime Video series “Reacher”. The first season was the most streamed series for the week of February 7, 2022, Amazon’s first production to achieve the feat and is certified fresh from Rotten Tomatoes with a 92% rating. Due to the overwhelming popularity of the series, a second season was announced soon after. “Reacher” was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Streaming Action & Adventure Series in 2022 while Ritchson was nominated for a Critics Choice Super Award for his portrayal. Joining The Fast Saga, he portrays Aimes, the new leader of Mr. Nobody’s agency in Fast X. The film is expected to hit the $300 million mark in its Opening Weekend.

Ritchson’s upcoming projects include Ordinary Angels, co-starring Hilary Swank and is expected to hit theaters October 13, 2023. Spring Break 83′ is a romantic comedy following a group of friends finding revenge on their bullies during spring break. The film also stars Morgan Fiarchild, Erik Estrada, and Lee Majors. He is also set to star alongside Henry Cavill, Eiza Gonzalez, Henry Golding, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin in the Guy Ritchie war drama The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. The film is currently in post-production. Ritchson is set to star in Motor City, following a recently released felon seeking revenge on those who framed him and put him in jail. He will also star in the horror Bad Seeds of Loving Spring, which follows a sadistic sheriff who enlists a fearless bounty hunter to track a legendary serial killer. Both films are currently in pre-production.

Ritchson enjoys to write and play music and spend time with his family. He has been married to Catherine Ritchson, a writer and producer, since 2006 and they have three children.