Alan Ritchson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Ritchson
Ritchson at GalaxyCon Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, March 2022
Born	Alan Michael Ritchson (1982-11-28) November 28, 1982 (age 42) Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.
Education	Okaloosa Walton Community College (AA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Catherine Ritchson ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	3

Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing strong characters in action and superhero shows. He first became famous as Aquaman in the TV series Smallville. Later, he starred in the comedy show Blue Mountain State. He also played Hawk in the superhero series Titans. Since 2022, he has been the main character, Jack Reacher, in the popular action series Reacher on Amazon Prime Video.

Outside of television, Alan Ritchson has been in many movies. He played Raphael in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. He also appeared in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Fast X. In 2021, he directed and starred in his first movie, Dark Web: Cicada 3301.

About Alan Ritchson's Early Life

Alan Ritchson was born on November 28, 1982, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. His mother, Vickie, was a high school teacher. His father, David, was a retired U.S. Air Force officer. Alan has two brothers, one older and one younger. Because of his father's job, his family moved often. They lived in Guam and Rantoul, Illinois, before settling in Niceville, Florida, when Alan was 10. He graduated from Niceville High School in 2001. He grew up in the Catholic faith.

Alan's School Days and College Experience

While in high school, Alan loved acting and performing in school musicals. He looked up to actor Jim Carrey. He even started taking college-level music and dance classes while still in high school. From 1999 to 2001, he was a student at both his high school and Okaloosa Walton Community College (now Northwest Florida State College). After high school, he received a scholarship to study music and theater there. He was part of the college's singing groups. However, Alan left college after two years because he wanted to try new things. For a short time, he worked at a gas station. Then, he signed with a modeling agency in Miami Beach, Florida.

Alan Ritchson's Career Journey

Modeling Work

Alan Ritchson worked as a model for several years. He appeared in catalogs for brands like Abercrombie & Fitch. He also worked as a runway model.

Television Roles

Ritchson (left) with Alex O'Loughlin filming for Hawaii Five-0 in 2013

Alan Ritchson first became known in 2004 when he appeared on American Idol. He was one of the top 87 contestants in the third season. During his audition, he impressed judge Paula Abdul. After the show, he decided to stay in Los Angeles to become an actor.

His first big TV role was as Aquaman (Arthur Curry) in the superhero series Smallville. This was the first time Aquaman was shown in a live-action TV show. He appeared in four seasons of the show. Alan also had a small role in the 2006 movie Though None Go with Me. In 2009, he was in the TV movie Nora Roberts' Midnight Bayou. He also appeared in episodes of CSI: Miami and 90210.

In 2010, Alan began his main role as Thad Castle in Blue Mountain State. He played the captain of a college football team. The show ran for three seasons until 2012. He also appeared in other TV shows like Hawaii Five-0. In 2015, he was a regular on the variety show I Can Do That. In 2016, he appeared in an episode of the show Black Mirror called "Nosedive".

In 2017, he starred in the Syfy series Blood Drive. From 2018 to 2021, Alan played Hank Hall / Hawk in the DC Universe series Titans. He started as a recurring character and then became a main cast member. In 2020, it was announced that Alan Ritchson would play Jack Reacher in a new series for Amazon Prime. This show, Reacher, became very popular.

Movie Appearances

Alan Ritchson with the cast and director at the Lazer Team premiere in September 2015

Alan Ritchson has been in many movies. In 2006, he was in The Butcher. In 2007, his face and body were used for the main character in the animated movie Beowulf. He had a small role in the 2009 movie Fired Up!.

In 2013, Alan played Gloss in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. He then played Raphael in the 2014 movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its 2016 sequel. He also returned as Thad Castle in the Blue Mountain State movie, Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland. In 2016, he co-starred in the science fiction comedy Lazer Team. He also had a role in The Wedding Ringer.

In 2018, Alan Ritchson directed, co-wrote, and produced the comedy-thriller film Dark Web: Cicada 3301. He also acted in it as an agent. This was the first movie from his own film fund, Phreaker Films. The movie was released digitally in 2021. In 2022, he joined the cast of the action movie Fast X. In 2024, Alan appeared in the drama movie Ordinary Angels and the action-comedy The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Other Projects

Alan Ritchson released an independent music album called This Is Next Time in 2005. He also appeared in a commercial for Orbit gum. He has a web series called Enormous Friends with his Blue Mountain State co-star, Rob Ramsay. Alan also supports the creation of Christian films.

Alan Ritchson's Personal Life

Alan Ritchson met his wife, Catherine, in a dance class at college. They got married in 2006. They have three sons. For many years, they lived in Florida. In 2023, the family decided to sell their home and travel. This allows Alan to spend more time with his family. They stay in Airbnbs and hotels. Catherine, who is a financial analyst, teaches their sons at home.

Alan Ritchson has openly shared that he has bipolar disorder. He talks about his experiences with this health condition. He is a Christian and often discusses how important his faith is to him. In 2022, he started a YouTube channel called InstaChurch, where he shares his Christian beliefs. In 2024, Alan spoke about a difficult experience he had in the modeling industry, which led him to leave that career.

In a 2025 interview, Alan Ritchson mentioned that a former congressman, Matt Gaetz, was a classmate of his. Alan said they did not get along.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	The Butcher	Mark
2007	Steam	Roy
2008	Rex	Chase
2009	Fired Up!	Bruce
2013	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire	Gloss
2014	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	Raphael	voice and motion capture
2015	The Wedding Ringer	Kip Loyola / Carew
2016	Lazer Team	Adam
	Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland	Thad Castle	Also producer and writer
	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows	Raphael	voice and motion capture
2018	Office Uprising	Bob
2019	Above the Shadows	Shayne
	The Turkey Bowl	Ronnie Best	Also executive producer
2020	Ghosts of War	Butchie
2021	Dark Web: Cicada 3301	Agent Carver	Directorial debut and producer, writer
2023	Fast X	Agent Aimes
2024	Ordinary Angels	Ed Schmitt
	The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare	Anders Lassen
2025	The Man with the Bag	Vince	Post-production; also producer
rowspan="4" 0TBA	Playdate	Jeff	Post-production
Motor City	John Miller
War Machine	0TBA
Runner	Hank Malone	Filming; also producer

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2004	American Idol	Himself	Episode 3.1
2005–2010	Smallville	Arthur Curry / Aquaman	4 episodes
2006	Though None Go with Me	Army officer	Television film
2009	Head Case	N/A	Episode: "Tying the... Not"
	Midnight Bayou	Lucian Manet	Television film
2010–2011	Blue Mountain State	Kevin Devlin "Thad" Castle	Main role
2010	CSI: Miami	Paul Arnett	Episode: "Spring Breakdown"
2011	90210	Tripp Wilson	Episode: "The Enchanted Donkey"
2012	Fred: The Show	Expired Cow	Episode: "Expired Cow"
2013	Hawaii Five-0	Freddie Hart	Episode: "Olelo Paʻa"
2014	The Rebels	Tyler Stokley	Episode: "Pilot"
	New Girl	Matt	Episode: "Micro"
	Infomercials	Kent Ross	Episode: "Alpha Chow"
2015	I Can Do That	Himself	Contestant
	Workaholics	Troy Torpey	Episode: "Speedo Racer"
2016	Black Mirror	Paul	Episode: "Nosedive"
2017	Blood Drive	Arthur Bailey	Main role
2018–2021	Titans	Hank Hall / Hawk	Recurring role (season 1); main role (seasons 2–3)
2018	Alexa & Katie	Robbie	Episode: "Thanksgiving"
2019	Brooklyn Nine-Nine	Young Norm Scully	Episode: "Hitchcock & Scully"
	Supergirl	Hank Hall / Hawk	Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One"
2020	Legends of Tomorrow		Episode: "Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part 5"
2022–present	Reacher	Jack Reacher	Lead role, also executive producer
0TBA	Neagley		Guest star role

Video games

• Beowulf: The Game (2007), as Beowulf (character model)

Discography

Albums

• This Is Next Time (2006)

See also

In Spanish: Alan Ritchson para niños