[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ryangosling.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkpCP9R1Jjc On the lookout for cereal to avoid eating.]]]]
->''"All my characters are me. I'm not a good enough actor to become a character. I hear about actors who become the role and I think 'I wonder what that feels like.' Because for me, they're all me."''

Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor.

Gosling got his start as a Mouseketeer on ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'' in the early '90s before doing several other TV shows. His first major role was as one of the leads in 2004's ''Film/TheNotebook'', which established him as a heartthrob. Over the next few years, he drew critical acclaim for his turns as the lead characters in both the offbeat comedy ''Film/LarsAndTheRealGirl'' and the inner-city drama ''Half Nelson'' (the latter of which got him his first MediaNotes/AcademyAward nomination). Since then, Gosling has established himself firmly as a powerful dramatic actor, with special mention going to his performances as the [[NoNameGiven nameless]] lead character in ''[[Film/Drive2011 Drive]]'' and the similarly [[TheStoic stoic]] K in ''Film/BladeRunner2049'', and he has also established his comedic chops through films such as the aforementioned ''Lars'', ''Film/CrazyStupidLove'' (as Jacob Palmer), ''Film/TheNiceGuys'' (as Holland March), and perhaps most notably ''Film/{{Barbie|2023}}'' (as Beach Ken, or [[{{Pun}} just]] Ken).

He's also become something of a FountainOfMemes over the years. These include the "Feminist Ryan Gosling" meme, where someone takes a picture of the man and adds (often pseudo-)feminist text that begins with "Hey girl"[[note]]It stemmed from [[https://youtu.be/wrKPZUNMQ2s a statement he made protesting]] ''Film/BlueValentine''[='=]s inital NC-17 rating because of a scene of oral sex[[/note]]; the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkpCP9R1Jjc "Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal"]] Website/{{Vine}} series, where perpetually uneaten spoons of cereal slowly approach the mouths of on-screen Goslings[[note]]Following the passing of the series' creator, Ryan [=McHenry=], Gosling paid tribute to him by [[https://vine.co/v/eZiWE0E0dOQ finally eating his cereal]][[/note]]; and the "Literally Me" sigma male memes popularized in the early 2020s by his most famously stoic characters, such as the Driver and K. (His role as Ken is a whole other entity of its own.) While he's avoided saying anything too specific about his memes, he allowed a book based on the "Feminist Ryan Gosling" meme to use his likeness, and honestly, [[JustForFun/OneOfUs his silence is a bit telling]].

Gosling has lived with and been in a relationship with Creator/EvaMendes since 2011, and they have two daughters.

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!!Selected filmography:
!!!As actor:

* ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'' (1993 -- 1995) {{as himself}} / various characters
* ''Series/AreYouAfraidOfTheDark'' (1995) as Jamie Leary [[note]]episode: "The Tale of Station 109.1"[[/note]]
* ''Series/{{Goosebumps|1995}}'' episode "[[Recap/Goosebumps1995S1E15SayCheeseAndDie Say Cheese and Die!]]" (1996) -- as Greg Banks
* ''Series/FlashForward1996'' -- as Scott Stuckley
* ''Series/BreakerHigh'' (1997 -- 1998) as Sean Hanlon
* ''Series/YoungHercules'' (1998 -- 1999) as Series/{{Hercules|TheLegendaryJourneys}}
* ''Film/RememberTheTitans'' (2000) as Alan Bosley
* ''Film/TheBeliever'' (2001) as Danny Balint
* ''Film/{{Murder By Numbers|2002}}'' (2002) as Richard Haywood
* ''Film/TheUnitedStatesOfLeland'' (2003) as Leland Fitzgerald
* ''Film/TheNotebook'' (2004) as Noah Calhoun
* ''Film/{{Stay}}'' (2005) as Henry Letham
* ''Half Nelson'' (2006) as Dan Dunne [[note]]UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor[[/note]]
* ''Film/LarsAndTheRealGirl'' (2007) as Lars Lindstrom
* ''Film/{{Fracture|2007}}'' (2007) as Willy Beachum
* ''Film/BlueValentine'' (2010) as Dean Pereira
* ''Film/{{All Good Things|2010}}'' (2010) as David Marks
* ''Film/CrazyStupidLove'' (2011) as Jacob Palmer
* ''Film/{{Drive|2011}}'' (2011) as The Driver
* ''Film/TheIdesOfMarch'' (2011) as Stephen Meyers
* ''Film/ThePlaceBeyondThePines'' (2012) as Luke Glanton
* ''Film/GangsterSquad'' (2013) as Sgt. Jerry Wooters
* ''Film/OnlyGodForgives'' (2013) as Julian
* ''Film/TheBigShort'' (2015) as Jared Vennett
* ''Film/TheNiceGuys'' (2016) as P.I. Holland March
* ''Film/LaLaLand'' (2016) as Sebastian Wilder [[note]]Another UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actor[[/note]]
* ''Film/BladeRunner2049'' (2017) as Officer K / "Joe"
* ''Film/FirstMan'' (2018) as UsefulNotes/NeilArmstrong
* ''Film/{{The Gray Man|2022}}'' (2022) as Court Gentry
* ''Film/{{Barbie|2023}}'' (2023) as Beach Ken (or just "Ken")
* ''Film/{{The Fall Guy|2024}}'' (2024) as Colt

!!!As writer and director:
* ''Film/LostRiver'' (2014)
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!!Tropes that apply to him:
* DyeingForYourArt: He bleached his hair, lost 10 kilos and got a tan to play Ken in ''Film/Barbie2023''. His hair was still mostly white-blond during the promo tour for ''The Gray Man'' due to it overlapping with production of ''Barbie''
* FakeAmerican: He's Canadian but most of his roles thus far have had him play Americans.
* MemeAcknowledgment:
** He knows about and enjoys the Vines of him not eating cereal. When the creator of said Vines passed away from cancer, Gosling paid tribute by filming himself finally eating a bowl.
** Gosling is also more than aware of the "Literally Me" memes surrounding his characters, and by the time his role as Ken gained popularity, he joked during a panel that the trifecta of [[Film/BladeRunner2049 K]], [[Film/Drive2011 the Driver]], and Ken has been collected into a Neapolitan of personalities for men to emulate.
* MrFanservice: Has a huge female fanbase due to him frequently playing ''very'' strikingly good-looking men with gratuitous shirtless scenes, and he's good-looking enough to even have certain men [[EvenTheGuysWantHim question their sexuality]] over him. His role in ''Film/{{Barbie|2023}}'' is a {{parody}} and {{deconstruction}} of this.
* PassThePopcorn: Was famously seen smirking during the infamous ''Film/LaLaLand''/''Film/{{Moonlight|2016}}'' debacle at the Oscars, which many fans were quick to notice.
* PerpetualSmiler: Usually has a small smirk in real life.
* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Has a notably high-pitched scream heard in a good chunk of his movies, one that can be especially jarring to hear given his deep, smooth voice. This even becomes a RunningGag in the comedy film ''Film/TheNiceGuys''.
* TheStoic: Although he can be as expressive as the role calls for, he's often cast as this, with his most iconic roles of this type being in ''Film/Drive2011'' and ''Film/BladeRunner2049''; and he's not precisely loud himself.
* ThoseTwoActors: With Creator/EmmaStone, they've shared the screen in three movies, always as LoveInterests. Stone also put in a cameo when he hosted ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''.
* TranquilFury: He's a master at getting across explosive rage with barely any changes in his facial expression and without raising his voice.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** He was invited to audition for the Music/BackstreetBoys by bandmember AJ [=McLean=], a personal friend of his. Gosling initially turned him down, as he wanted to focus on his acting career rather than joining what he thought would just be a Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock ripoff that would [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail never go anywhere]]. He later changed his mind and called [=McLean=] to say he was interested, but it went to the answering machine and [=McLean=] never called him back. It's probably safe to say Gosling has gotten over his disappointment by now.
** He was approached for the role of the Joker in ''Film/{{Suicide Squad|2016}}'' before Creator/JaredLeto was cast. However, he turned down the offer due to the multi-picture deal the studio was requiring.
** He had discussions with Creator/MarvelStudios for the part of [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Stephen Strange]] in ''Film/{{Doctor Strange|2016}}'' before the casting of Creator/BenedictCumberbatch.
** He was originally cast as Jack Salmon in ''Film/TheLovelyBones'', but dropped out of the project a day before shooting began.
** He was also rumoured to be in consideration for the Beast/the Prince in the live action ''Film/{{Beauty and the Beast|2017}}''.
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