Trivial Biographies: Ryan Gosling

NAME Ryan Thomas Gosling

WHAT FAMOUS FOR Canadian actor, director, musician, and producer, best known for roles in The Notebook (2004), La La Land (2016), and Barbie (2023).

BIRTH Born November 12, 1980, in London, Ontario, Canada.

FAMILY BACKGROUND Gosling is the son of Donna (Wilson), a secretary who later became a high school teacher in 2011, and Thomas Ray Gosling, a traveling salesman for a paper mill. His parents were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

He has one older sister, Mandi Gosling, who works as a producer and casting director.

His ancestry includes French-Canadian, English, Scottish, Irish, and German heritage.

His parents divorced when he was 13 years old, and he was raised by his mother.

CHILDHOOD Gosling's childhood was marked by instability and difficulty. His family moved frequently due to his father's work, living in Cornwall, Ontario, and Burlington, Ontario.

He struggled with ADHD, was severely bullied at school and nicknamed "Trouble" for his behavior, which included getting into fights and having trouble focusing in class. After watching Rambo: First Blood at age four, he took steak knives to school and threw them at other children. (1)

He and his sister Mandi performed together at talent shows and wedding competitions. At age 12, he successfully auditioned for The All-New Mickey Mouse Club, beating out 17,000 other candidates.

EDUCATION Gosling attended Gladstone Public School and Cornwall Collegiate & Vocational School, where he excelled in Drama and Fine Arts. Due to his behavioral issues and being bullied, his mother pulled him out of school when he was 10 years old to homeschool him for about a year. This experience gave him "a sense of autonomy that I've never really lost," according to Gosling. He later attended Lester B. Pearson High School in Burlington, Ontario, but ultimately dropped out to pursue acting. (2)

CAREER RECORD 1993-1995 Gosling's professional career began at age 13 on Disney Channel's The All-New Mickey Mouse Club alongside future stars like Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera.

1995-2001 After the show ended, he returned to Canada, appearing in shows like Goosebumps and Breaker High

2001 His breakthrough film role came in The Believer, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

2004 The Notebook established him as a leading man.

APPEARANCE Ryan Gosling has a symmetrical face, sharp jawline, and chiseled cheekbones. He is approximately 6 feet tall. He has a generally youthful and natural appearance. His hair color is blonde/light brown, and he has blue eyes.

Gosling weighs approximately 180 pounds, but transforms his physique for different roles - notably gaining 15 pounds of muscle for The Fall Guy while staying lean for his Ken role in Barbie. He has a naturally skinny frame but works with top trainers to bulk up when necessary for action roles.

Gosling in 2014 By Georges Biard,

FASHION Gosling's fashion style is classic and understated, mixing trendless menswear with a touch of modern flair. He frequently wears staples like denim jackets, straight-cut jeans, and work boots. For red carpet events, he is known for his stylish and well-tailored suits, occasionally adding a unique element, such as the memorable pink suit he wore for the Barbie press tour. He has also been a brand ambassador for TAG Heuer watches.

CHARACTER Gosling is introspective, reserved, and thoughtful. He is known for being private and prefers to keep his personal life out of the public eye. In interviews, he often displays a quiet, self-deprecating wit. He's known for being passionate about his craft, empathetic, and compassionate, often becoming deeply invested in his roles and involved in writing and production processes.

Personality analysis suggests he exhibits traits consistent with Enneagram Type 9 (the Peacemaker), showing a calm, collected demeanor with deep emotional depth beneath a still surface. (3)

SPEAKING VOICE He has a distinctive low, soft, and somewhat gravelly speaking voice, which is often described as having a relaxed, laid-back cadence.

Gosling adopted an American accent as a child after deciding his Canadian accent didn't sound "tough enough," inspired by Marlon Brando. (4)

His voice work includes narrating documentaries and performing with his band Dead Man's Bones. He has described his natural singing voice as having "a '50s kind of crooner-y feel" similar to Roy Orbison or Bryan Ferry. (5)

SENSE OF HUMOUR Gosling possesses a dry, sarcastic wit and is known for his appreciation of British humor, particularly The Office and Ricky Gervais. He demonstrates excellent comedic timing as a storyteller and isn't afraid to be playful or self-deprecating in interviews. His humor often emerges through subtle observations and unexpected responses rather than overtly comedic behavior. He's been praised by co-stars for his ability to make others laugh while maintaining his characteristic calm demeanor.

Gosling's comedic timing has been praised in films like Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Nice Guys.

RELATIONSHIPS Gosling has been in a long-term relationship with actress Eva Mendes since 2011, after meeting on the set of The Place Beyond the Pines. The couple has two daughters together: Esmeralda Amada (born 2014) and Amada Lee (born 2016). They may have secretly married in 2022, though this remains unconfirmed. The family maintains strict privacy, rarely making public appearances together and avoiding social media exposure of their children.

Previously, he dated his The Notebook co-star Rachel McAdams and was briefly linked to Olivia Wilde.

MONEY AND FAME As of 2025, Ryan Gosling’s net worth is estimated at $70 million. His most lucrative year came in 2023, when he earned around $43 million, boosted by the runaway success of Barbie. For that film, he reportedly made $12.5 million, while The Gray Man brought in about $20 million, and The Nice Guys added over $7 million. He also collected a sizeable paycheck of roughly $10 million for Blade Runner 2049.

Beyond acting, Gosling expands his income through music with his band Dead Man’s Bones, co-ownership of the Beverly Hills restaurant Tagine, and endorsement partnerships with luxury brands such as TAG Heuer and Gucci. He often serves as a producer on his projects, giving him additional revenue from backend deals and streaming rights.

Despite being one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, Gosling is known for his low-key lifestyle and preference for keeping his financial success and fame away from the spotlight.

FOOD AND DRINK For his roles, Ryan Gosling often commits to strict dietary regimens. While training for Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), he ate a disciplined diet of fish, vegetables, rice, and protein shakes, typically consuming six protein-heavy meals a day with careful carb cycling to stay lean. He also practiced a 16:8 intermittent fasting routine.

Despite the discipline, Gosling has a playful side when it comes to food—Emma Stone once revealed he keeps Twizzlers stashed in his coat pockets.

For The Fall Guy (2024), his approach was more relaxed: he admitted to simply “eating more” and enjoying Australia’s “too good” food, since his stuntman character wasn’t meant to have a chiseled look.

Not all of his transformations worked out. For The Lovely Bones (2009), Gosling famously gained 60 pounds by drinking melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream, only to be told he was “too fat” for the role—Mark Wahlberg was cast instead.

A cocktail named "Ryan Gosling Won't Eat His Cereal" was created in his honor, inspired by a popular internet meme.

ACTING CAREER Ryan Gosling’s career began in that rather unlikely incubator of future celebrities, Disney Channel’s The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1993–1995). There he found himself surrounded by a surreal cast of soon-to-be icons—Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera—an entire Top 40 chart crammed into one children’s variety show. Gosling, a Canadian boy with a faintly melancholy gaze, looked as if he’d taken a wrong turn on the way to an eye exam, but somehow managed to hold his own.

When the Club folded, he was shipped back to Canada, where he did the rounds on children’s television—turning up on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps, before donning ancient Greek armour as the improbably youthful star of Young Hercules (1998–1999). It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept the lights on.

The real turning point came with The Believer (2001), in which Gosling played a Jewish neo-Nazi with unnerving conviction. Audiences and critics alike had to pause and say, “Wait, isn’t that the kid from Goosebumps?” By 2004, he had achieved international heartthrob status in The Notebook, a film that reduced whole continents to tears and ensured that no one could look at a rainstorm again without thinking of Rachel McAdams.

From there, Gosling cleverly avoided typecasting by pursuing roles that were quirky, offbeat, and often emotionally draining: a crack-addicted teacher in Half Nelson (2006), which earned him his first Oscar nomination; a lonely man romancing an inflatable doll in Lars and the Real Girl (2007); and the raw marital disintegration of Blue Valentine (2010). None of these were obvious date-night choices, but they solidified his reputation as the thinking person’s movie star.

In 2011, he suddenly seemed to be everywhere at once—charming Emma Stone in the rom-com Crazy, Stupid, Love, snarling through George Clooney’s political drama The Ides of March, and radiating silent menace behind the wheel in Drive. At this point, Gosling had become the cinematic equivalent of a Swiss Army knife: compact, versatile, and surprisingly dangerous.

Not content with merely acting, he tried his hand at directing with Lost River (2014), which met with reviews so mixed they could have been sold at a cocktail bar. Undeterred, he went on to rack up a remarkable string of roles: The Big Short (2015), The Nice Guys (2016), and the dazzling musical La La Land (2016), for which he won a Golden Globe and another Oscar nomination, as well as the undying envy of anyone who ever sat through piano lessons.

Ever restless, Gosling then ventured into sci-fi as Officer K in Blade Runner 2049 (2017), and into space itself as Neil Armstrong in First Man (2018). By 2023, he had reached a new level of pop-cultural ubiquity by playing Ken in Barbie—a role that could have been career suicide but instead became his highest-grossing film and earned him yet another Oscar nomination.

Today, Ryan Gosling is celebrated for his uncanny range: indie misfits, romantic heroes, brooding antiheroes, song-and-dance men, and plastic dolls. In a business that thrives on pigeonholes, he has somehow avoided them all, which may be his most impressive trick yet.

MUSIC AND ARTS Gosling is the frontman of the gothic-folk band Dead Man's Bones, formed with filmmaker Zach Shields in 2007. They released one album in 2009 featuring the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir (founded by Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers). The project was originally conceived as a horror musical about "monsters and ghosts falling in love." He taught himself cello and piano for the band, which adhered to strict recording rules including no electric guitars, no click tracks, and maximum three takes per song.

For La La Land (2016), Gosling learned piano from scratch, performing all the pieces himself.

Beyond music, he has a deep appreciation for visual arts and film, often incorporating creative elements into his directorial and production work.

LITERATURE An avid reader, Gosling has been photographed reading various books, including The Stranger by Albert Camus, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami, and National Geographic magazines. As a child diagnosed with ADHD, he initially had trouble reading but eventually overcame these difficulties. He was homeschooled by his mother, which included extensive exposure to literature and learning.

He co-authored Congo Stories, a book featuring his photography from Congo with text by activist John Prendergast.

NATURE Gosling enjoys outdoor activities and connecting with nature. He invests in quality outdoor gear for hiking in the Los Angeles hills, leisurely bike rides, and camping trips.

In 2024, he took his family on an adventurous trip to Australia's Blue Mountains, where they showed keen interest in native flora, fauna, geology, World Heritage status, and Indigenous culture. A representative noted their genuine fascination with the natural environment, saying they would make "incredible guides" if Hollywood didn't work out.

PETS Gosling is a devoted dog dad who has adopted rescue dogs throughout his life. His most famous pet was George, a mixed-breed dog adopted in 1999 who accompanied him to movie sets and interviews for years until passing away in 2016. After losing George, Gosling began wearing a necklace made from his dog's tags as a tribute.

Eva Mendes adopted Hugo, a Belgian Malinois trained by Cesar Millan who responded only to French commands, for protection after a stalker incident; Hugo passed away in 2014 and Gosling honored him in The Fall Guy.

In 2019, they adopted Lucho, a Fawn Doberman from Friends for Life Rescue Network, who had early development challenges but became a beloved family member.

HOBBIES AND SPORTS Gosling's most unexpected hobby is knitting, which he learned for Lars and the Real Girl and found so relaxing that he continued practicing it. He describes knitting as one of his most relaxing activities and finds the clicking of needles soothing enough to help him sleep.

He enjoys basketball, hiking, and cycling for active recovery.

Gosling spends significant money on musical instruments and equipment, building an impressive collection of guitars and keyboards.

He also enjoys camping and outdoor activities as a way to disconnect from Hollywood's hustle and bustle.

Gosling rebuilt his own 1973 Chevy Malibu for his role in Drive (2011).

SCIENCE AND MATHS In the 2026 science fiction movie Project Hail Mary, Gosling plays a school teacher and former biologist Ryland Grace, who wakes up aboard a spacecraft afflicted with amnesia. The film is described as being about "the power of science, the power of teaching, the power of learning" and explores themes of human potential through scientific discovery.

PHILOSOPHY & THEOLOGY Gosling was raised in a devout Mormon household, with his mother admitting she was a "religious zealot" whose faith influenced every aspect of their lives - what they ate and how they thought. However, he never identified with Mormonism and considers himself a non-denominational Christian today, though his current spiritual views remain largely private. His mother gave him the freedom to find his own truth, saying the religion was "an option" but not "the only option." (9)

Gosling's upbringing in the church helped socialize him and taught him to pray and speak in public, skills that stayed with him.

POLITICS Gosling generally avoids political statements and admits to not following U.S. politics closely. However, he has shown some political engagement through his work. In 2015, he shared a Bernie Sanders video addressing racism in America, though he clarified he wasn't endorsing Sanders but rather supporting "the conversation and listening." (10)

He produced and narrated the documentary ReGeneration, which examines young Americans' apathy toward real-world problems and endorses the Occupy Wall Street movement while criticizing bankers, corporations, and special interests.

Gosling is a supporter of several humanitarian organizations, including PETA, Invisible Children, and the Enough Project, and has traveled to Chad, Uganda, and eastern Congo to raise awareness about conflicts in the regions.

SCANDAL Gosling has maintained a relatively scandal-free career. In 2005, he was arrested for drunk driving, which contradicted his Mormon upbringing's teachings against alcohol.

He has spoken out against Harvey Weinstein, expressing disappointment in himself for being "oblivious" to the harassment and abuse, calling Weinstein "emblematic of a systemic problem" in Hollywood. Gosling worked with Weinstein on Blue Valentine and joined other actors in calling for accountability and change in the industry. (11)

MILITARY RECORD In his roles in The Gray Man and related projects, Gosling plays characters who are lethal operatives but specifically ones who never served in the military, creating tension with special ops veterans in the storylines. He has portrayed military-connected characters like Neil Armstrong in First Man, for which free tickets were offered to active-duty troops and veterans due to Armstrong's Navy pilot background and Korean War service.

HEALTH AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Gosling maintains excellent physical condition through rigorous training regimens tailored to his film roles. For The Fall Guy, he gained 15 pounds of muscle in 16 weeks through a program combining five days of weights, three days of stunt work, and six days of morning cardio weekly, guided by trainer Don Saladino.

His routine includes compound movements, functional training, and recovery protocols with 7-8 hours of sleep and regular massage therapy. He follows traditional bodybuilding splits with 90-minute sessions and takes active recovery days for hiking or basketball. His training philosophy emphasizes functional strength over pure aesthetics. (12)

HOMES Gosling and Mendes maintain an extremely private real estate portfolio. Their primary residence is reportedly a 6,500-square-foot farmhouse on five acres near Santa Barbara, purchased in 2014, featuring four bedrooms, five bathrooms, rustic interiors, three 200-year-old barns, a circular pool, and ocean views. They previously owned a Mediterranean Revival-style home in Los Feliz (sold in 2018 for $4.9 million) and maintain a modern apartment in New York City.

TRAVEL Ryan Gosling’s career has carried him across the globe. In 2022–2023, he spent several months in Sydney, Australia, filming The Fall Guy. Before that, Prague doubled as a major backdrop for The Gray Man. His travels have also extended beyond film sets—he’s visited Chad, Uganda, and eastern Congo to spotlight humanitarian crises and conflict in the region.

Closer to home, Venice Beach provided a colorful setting for Barbie. Travel isn’t limited to work either: in 2024, Gosling, Eva Mendes, and their daughters explored Australia’s Blue Mountains, and the family later turned up together at the Paris Olympics.

APPEARANCES IN MEDIA Gosling's media appearances are characteristically thoughtful and often humorous. He has hosted Saturday Night Live three times (2015, 2017, 2024), earning an Emmy nomination for his 2024 hosting stint.

He frequently appears on talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Graham Norton's show, where he showcases his dry wit and storytelling abilities. His interviews often go viral for his unexpectedly funny responses and calm demeanor. Notable interview moments include his uncontrollable laughter with Harrison Ford, discussions about his knitting hobby, and his "cellophane salesman" childhood story.