A tall, lanky blond actor who began his career as a singer, Ryan Gosling steadily amassed an impressive resume in film and TV before finally breaking through with a powerful performance as a Jewish neo-Nazi in the based-on-fact "The Believer" (2001), the Grand Jury Prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Gosling began his showbiz career performing with his older sister at local talent shows. After beating out some 17,000 other aspirants, he was selected to join the 1990s Disney Channel revival of the "Mickey Mouse Club" in 1993, joining a cast that included future singing superstars Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez of *NSYNC, as well as Keri Russell of TV's "Felicity". By the time his last episodes aired in 1996 -- he spent two years taping episodes that aired over a four-year period -- Gosling could be seen in the story of preteen who tries to bring the Creature back to life in "Frankenstein and Me" (Disney Channel). That same year, he delivered a well-received turn as a British foundling in an episode of "The Road to Avonlea" (aired in the USA on Disney Channel), which brought him a Gemini Award nomination.

In 1997. Gosling was tapped to play the smooth-talking hypochondriac Sean Hanlon in "Breaker High" (USA Network, 1997-98), a half-hour series about a high school set on a cruise ship. His goofy charm and attractive looks earned him status as a teen pin-up which was further enhanced by casting as "Young Hercules" (Fox, 1998-99), a sort of prequel to the popular series featuring Kevin Sorbo.

Gosling made the transition to the big screen playing one of the squad of players coping with the integration of the football team in the 1970s-set true-life drama "Remember the Titans" (2000). He followed with a galvanizing performance as an articulate and intelligent young Jewish teen who becomes involved with a neo-Nazi group in "The Believer" (2001). The Sundance-screened film was inspired by a real-life event but writer-director Henry Bean took some liberties with the tale, moving the time frame from the 60s to the present. The film picked up the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in part because of Gosling's star-making turn. The young actor next was cast as another troubled teen trying to cope with life in a violent world in "The Slaughter Rule" (lensed 2001) before turning murderous as a teen trying to outwit an FBI agent (Sandra Bullock) in "Murder By Numbers" (also lensed 2001).

Gosling's penchant to take on intricate and complex characters earned him the lead and title role of upcoming film, "The United States of Leland," opposite Don Cheadle and Kevin Spacey. In early summer 2004, he can be seen in the adaptation of the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel, "The Notebook," directed by Nick Cassavetes. Also, he recently completed filming "Stay," opposite Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts, for director Marc Forster.

Credit : allstars-online.net