| Ryan Cooley | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 18 1988 Ontario, Canada |
Ryan Cooley (born May 18, 1988) is a Canadian television actor from Ontario, best known for his role as J. T. Yorke on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He's from Orangeville, Ontario and graduated from Orangeville District Secondary School in 2006. He is currently a student at the University of Toronto. Ryan likes James Bond movies and basketball. He hopes to continue in the Entertainment business once he graduates from the University of Toronto. As of February 2007 he is taking the Theatre 100 course in university. On a Degrassi: The Next Generation podcast dated February 6th 2007 he reportedly said that his favorite scene in his Degrassi: The Next Generation career was when Liberty (Sarah Barrable-Tishauer) his best female friend and ex-girlfriend found him lying up against his car after he was stabbed by a Lakehurst high school student. Ryan exclaimed that it was a climax and so full of emotion. The Next Generation is a modern spin-off of the classic Degrassi High and Degrassi Junior High series. He is a main character, going through storylines including a pregnancy with his girlfriend, an overdose on prescription drugs that he had stolen and dealt, and finally, being stabbed. His death and departure from the series occurs in the episode "Rock This Town", where he was stabbed to death by two guys attending a rival school. Cooley left the show to concentrate on college. Prior to joining the Degrassi cast, he had a two-year run as Pleskit, the alien lead in the television series I Was A Sixth Grade Alien. Cooley's other television credits include the series, Are You Afraid Of The Dark?, Queer as Folk, Lexx: The Series and Life with Derek. He has also appeared in the features Sachsenhausen 1944, Toy Men Disney Channel movie The Color of Friendship, the Animal Planet movie Cybermutt and CBC TV movie Happy Christmas Miss King alongside his Degrassi co-star Lauren Collins. In 2006, Cooley was nominated for a Young Artist Award (LA) in the category of Best Performance In a TV Comedy Series. His father, Charlie Cooley, is a drummer for the Canadian Idol winner Kalan Porter. His father used to be in the band Prairie Oyster. Ryan listens to old Rat Pack type music, such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr. Ryan is very close friends with his former co-star Sarah Barrable-Tishauer [1]
