Biography
Actor and singer Ryan McCartan parlayed his love of musical theater into a fast-rising career which included the Disney Channel series "Liv and Maddie" (2013-17) and The Girl and the Dreamcatcher, a pop duo he formed with his "Liv" co-star, Dove Cameron. Born June 14, 1993 in Excelsior, Minnesota, McCartan began performing in regional theater at the age of eight, and by his teenaged years, had earned top acting honors on the Minneapolis theater scene. In 2011, McCartan won the Jimmy Award for Best Actor in the National High School Musical Theater Awards, the highest honor for graduating students pursuing a career in the arts. The following year, he enrolled in the University of Minnesota's Guthrie BFA program, but soon departed to try his hand at professional acting in Los Angeles. Almost immediately, McCartan was cast on the Disney Channel comedy "Liv and Maddie" as Diggie Smalls, a high school basketball star and love interest for former teen actress Liv Rooney (Dove Cameron). The popularity of the show led to guest appearances on primetime series like "The Middle" (ABC, 2009- ) and a recurring role as a wealthy teen on the USA Networks' "Royal Pains" (2009-16). During this period, McCartan also starred in the 2014 Off-Broadway run of "Heathers," a musical based on the 1989 theatrical feature comedy; McCartan essayed J.D., the malevolent high schooler played by Christian Slater in the film. That same year, he released his debut pop single, "You Can't Unlove Me," which was followed in 2015 with his first solo album, Heart Attack. However, his career as a solo artist was soon superseded by The Girl and the Dreamcatcher,a duo act he formed with "Liv" co-star and girlfriend Dove Cameron. The pair released a slew of singles in 2015, the same year McCartan was cast as Brad in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event" (Fox, 2016), a television version of the long-running cult musical with fellow Disney star Victoria Justice and Tim Curry, the star of the 1975 feature film.
