Ryan O'Quinn was born in the small coal mining town of Grundy, Virginia. He attended the College of William and Mary in Virginia where he was a member of the famed improvisational comedy group known as I.T. Following a brief stint as a staff assistant in the United States Senate, O'Quinn moved to Los Angeles and studied acting at The Beverly Hills Playhouse.
He was repped by manager Ross Brown and the William Morris Agency and is known for memorable roles in television shows including "Beverly Hills 90210, "Alias", "JAG", "ER", "Melrose Place" and "Third Rock from the Sun". His first feature films were "Starship Troopers" and "That Thing You Do" directed by Tom Hanks. Since then he has produced and starred in award-winning feature films including "Paul's Promise", for which O'Quinn was nominated as Best Actor and the film won Best Picture at multiple international film festivals.
O'Quinn's improv comedy background aided his venture into the arena of online videos. Television and radio stations around the world have featured his characters on their web sites and broadcasts. His comedy shorts were recently featured on "Good Morning America", "Today", "Fox and Friends", "Access Hollywood", Inside Edition", Bravo TV's "Outrageous and Contagious Viral Videos", The CW's "Online Nation", Channel 4's (UK) "Rude Tube" and was named YouTube Star of the Moment and YouTube Star of the month by G4 Network.
O'Quinn authored two bestselling books, "Parenting Rules: The Hilarious Handbook for Surviving Parenthood" and "Marriage Rules: The Hilarious Handbook for Surviving Marriage". His book "Parenting Rules" was the Amazon #1 bestselling book in 6 categories including fastest selling, Parenting and Families, Parenting >Religion and Parenting>Humor.
Prior to closure O'Quinn performed regularly at the famed ImprovOlympic in Hollywood that boasts alumni such as Tine Fey, Ratchel Dratch, Jason Sudeikis, Neil Flynn, Adam McKay, Dave Koechner & more. Ryan has had starring roles in various feature films and TV shows including "Believe" and the upcoming "Paul's Promise" slated for release in 2022.
Ryan O'Quinn is the founder of Damascus Road Productions, an entertainment and production company in Los Angeles, focusing on family and faith content. He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, film producer Heather O'Quinn, and their three children.
Dad Dudes
In the summer of 2014 Ryan and his partners at DudeDayFilms released their first video "Dads Respond to Disney's Frozen". The video went viral and they ultimately launched a web site and movement called "Dad Dudes" that focuses on being dads first and dudes second.
Production on a single camera television comedy titled "Dad Dudes" began shortly after. Ryan plays a lead character, Ryan Hollis, who is a local high school athletic director that hysterically tries to navigate his career, wife, kids and friends. The sitcom also stars Jerrry Mathers (Leave it to Beaver) as Ryan's father, Joyce Giraud, Tracy Melchior, Todd Wilkerson and Bradley Dorsey.
The Dad Dudes brand is also synonymous with a viral video and entertainment company that O'Quinn and his partners formed that produce high-quality comedy videos and entertainment.
The Books
Broadstreet Publishing released "Parenting Rules! The Hilarious Handbook for Surviving Parenthood" by Ryan O'Quinn.
Following a long-running tour as a comedian, Ryan wrote poignant and hilarious insight in a parenting book with real stories based on his own family. His everyman approach to comedy gives him a unique approach to say exactly what most people are thinking. If you've ever known a parent, been a parent, or had a parent...this book was written for you.
The book was officially named an Amazon Best Seller in its first week for sale. In week 3 of release it was a #1 Best Seller in a number of categories including Parenting, Relationships, Parenting Humor, Family and Humor. It was also optioned for a half-hour sitcom. Ryan's latest book "Marriage Rules! The Hilarious Handbook for Surviving Marriage" is also available at retailers nationwide.