Ryan Kwanten

Ryan Kwanten was born on 28 November 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, he is an Australian actor. Kwanten got his start on television shows such as A Country Practice and Spellbinder. He became well known when, in 1997, he joined the cast of Australian soap opera Home and Away playing lifeguard Vinnie Patterson. Kwanten starred on the show for several years, becoming a sex symbol. He eventually chose to leave the show in 2002, shortly after his character had married and become a father. Vinnie was jailed, and later apparently killed offscreen. It eventually emerged that Vinnie was in witness protection and his death had essentially been faked by the authorities. Moving to the United States, Kwanten was cast as Jay Robertson in the Lori Loughlin series Summerland which ran from 2004 to 2005. He will next be seen in two films, both due to be released in 2006 - Flicka with Maria Bello, Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw - and the lead role in Silence.