Ryan Drummond facts for kids

Ryan Shawn Drummond (born January 10, 1973) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is best known for being the first English voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. He voiced Sonic from 1998 to 2004.

Early Life and Education

Ryan Shawn Drummond was born in Lima, Ohio, on January 10, 1973. When he was seven years old, in 1980, he started acting in children's theatre. This was at Clague Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both of his parents were also involved in theatre. They were actors and directors for the children's plays Ryan performed in.

In 1993, while still in college, he got his first paid acting job. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1995. He earned a degree in theatre. After graduating, he moved to San Diego, California, in 1996 to start his acting career.

Acting Career Highlights

Television and Film Roles

In 1997, Drummond got his first TV acting role. He played DJ Johnny Jam in an episode of the show Baywatch. He later appeared in other TV shows. These included Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place and Bring It On. In Bring It On, a teen comedy film from 2000, he played a character called Theatre Boy.

Voice Acting for Video Games

Ryan Drummond has voiced many characters in video games. In 1998, he became the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog for SEGA. He continued to voice Sonic for six years. Some of the games he worked on include Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes. He also voiced other characters in the Sonic universe. He was Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic Shuffle and Metal Sonic in Sonic Heroes. He even briefly voiced Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic Adventure 2.

Beyond Sonic, he voiced Elliot Ballade in Blue Stinger. He was also Insider in AirBlade. More recently, in 2020, he voiced the Doctor character in Mafia: Definitive Edition. He also did the motion-capture for that role.

Drummond had hoped to voice Sonic in the anime show Sonic X. He even offered to move to New York for the part. However, another actor, Jason Griffith, was chosen instead. Later, Sega offered him a chance to audition for Sonic again for Sonic Generations. He turned down the role because Sega would not offer him a union contract.

Other Voice Work

Ryan Drummond has also done voice work for commercials. He voiced Sonic the Hedgehog for McDonald's and Sega Dreamcast ads. He also provided voices for theme parks. He was the voice of Shamu at SeaWorld Orlando for several years. He also voiced various characters at Legoland California.

Theatre and Comedy

Outside of his screen work, Drummond has a strong background in comedy. He has worked as a mime artist and a clown.

Today, theatre is a big part of Drummond's career. He has starred in many musical theatre productions. These include Forever Plaid, Godspell, and Into the Woods. He has also performed in The Producers and Hairspray. More recently, he appeared in Groundhog Day.

In 2020, Ryan Drummond returned to voice Sonic. This was for a fan-made radio web-series called Sonic and Tails R.

Music Career

Ryan Drummond was a member of a music group called The A.Y.U. Quartet. He was the bass vocalist for five years. The group released three albums during that time.

Personal Life

Ryan Drummond met his wife, Lisa, after moving to San Diego, California. They were married on October 8, 2002. They have two sons together. The couple divorced in 2019. Ryan currently lives in San Francisco, California. He used to share updates about his life with fans on his online blog.

Selected Filmography

Film

Television

Video Games

Web Series

Theme Parks

Discography

• S.C.R.A.M. (1994) – Harmony, lead vocals
• Atomic Young Ultrasonics (1996) – Harmony, lead vocals
• Acappella Yuletide Uproar (2010) – Harmony, lead vocals

See also

In Spanish: Ryan Drummond para niños