Ryan commenced his acting career in 2003, when he first appeared in the short film
Trouble in Paradise, before receiving a minor role in his first feature film, in the 2005 Indian romantic comedy,
Salaam Namaste. This was followed by appearances in films including,
The Sapphires, with
Chris O'Dowd and
Deborah Mailman, the 2013 adaptation of
The Great Gatsby, with
Leonardo DiCaprio, and
Blue World Order, which stars
Billy Zane, while his television credits consist of recurring roles in
Underbelly,
House Husbands, and a notable appearance in the
Foxtel prison drama series,
Wentworth (a reimagining of the classic
Network Ten prison drama
Prisoner), in which he played Harry Smith, the abusive husband of leading character
Bea Smith (
Danielle Cormack), for which Cormack's character was sentenced for the attempted murder of Harry. His duration in the series lasted from 2013 to 2015 when his character was killed-off. He also appeared in three episodes of the short-lived horror
web television series
Wolf Creek, which was based on the popular films
Wolf Creek and
Wolf Creek 2. In 2016 Ryan was cast in Australian soap opera
Home and Away as
Robbo, a man who suddenly appears in
Summer Bay with amnesia, and having no recollection of prior events. His true identity is revealed as Ryan Shaw, a federal police officer, during the run-up to the 2017 season finale. He made his first appearance on 25 July 2017 during the 30th season. For the role, Ryan lost 13 kg ahead of filming. In addition, Ryan appeared in the 30th anniversary special documentary,
Endless Summer: 30 Years of Home and Away, which screened on the Seven Network on 17 July 2018. In late 2018, Ryan took a brief hiatus from
Home and Away, when he was cast in the leading role of
New Zealand film
Savage, directed by Sam Kelly and was inspired by real-life Kiwi street gangs. He departed
Home and Away during the 90-minute opening episode of the 33rd season, which aired on 27 January 2020. His character was killed off following a car accident. Ryan decided to leave, as he did not think there was much more for his character to do. In 2021 Ryan appeared in the feature film
Streamline. On 19 July 2024, Ryan was named as part of the cast for the Netflix series
Territory. ==Personal life==