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Ryan Stiles

Highest Rated: 25% Certifiably Jonathan (2007)

Lowest Rated: 25% Certifiably Jonathan (2007)

Birthday: Apr 22, 1959

Birthday:

Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, USA

Canadian-American actor and comic Ryan Stiles' exceptional gifts at improvisation led to a long-standing gig as performer on both the British and American versions of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (Channel 4, 1988-1999; ABC/ABC Family/The CW, 1999-2007, 2013- ) and co-star on "The Drew Carey Show" (ABC, 1995-2004). Born Ryan Lee Stiles in Seattle, Washington, he was the youngest of five children by Canadian parents who relocated the family to Vancouver, British Columbia when Stiles was 10 years of age. A solid student, but with a laissez-faire attitude towards school, Stiles found a creative outlet in comedy and actually dropped out of high school shortly before graduation in order to pursue a career as a stand-up comic. He worked the Vancouver club circuit before joining the Second City troupe in Toronto, which in turn led to guest roles on Canadian television series. His big break came in 1988 when he was invited to perform on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (BBC Radio 4, 1988), an improvisational series which challenged its comic talent to create skits, characters and musical numbers based on suggestions from panelists. The program moved to television for Channel 4 that same year, with Stiles joining the cast as a regular player in its second season. He would become the show's longest-running performer, appearing in 76 of its 136 episodes, while also balancing regular work on television in the United States and Canada as a guest star on series like "The John Larroquette Show" (NBC, 1993-96) and the occasional feature, including "Hot Shots!" (1991). But it was Stiles' improvisational work that drew the attention of American comedian Drew Carey; a fan of the British series, he tapped Stiles to co-star on his sitcom, "The Drew Carey Show," as Lewis Kiniski, an eccentric sidekick to Carey's fictionalized version of himself. Though brilliant - Kiniski was alleged to have been a scientist at one point - he avoided work and responsibility, preferring instead to indulge in absurd schemes with Carey's other friend, Oswald (Diedrich Bader). While working on the series, Stiles and Carey also successfully brought "Whose Line Is It Anyway" to American television and served as both producers and on-air performers during its lengthy network runs on ABC and ABC Family from 1998 to 2007. Stiles' seemingly effortless improvisational skills not only earned him a 2002 Emmy nomination for his work on "Line," but also led to producing opportunities on other improv series, like the short-lived "Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza" (Game Show Network, 2011) and a revived version of "Line" for The CW in 2013, for which he also appeared as a regular performer.

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Highest rated movies

25% 48% Certifiably Jonathan
Watchlist
110 Lombard Street
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Out of Nothing
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Courting Courtney
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Out of Nothing Producer - 2013
25% 48% Certifiably Jonathan Self $7.8K 2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet Courting Courtney Chad Gross (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet 110 Lombard Street Unknown (Character) - 1987

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Whose Line Is It Anyway? Unknown (Character),
Executive Producer,
Self
2013-2024
No Score Yet 83% Young Sheldon Dr. Bowers (Guest Star) 2020
No Score Yet 79% American Housewife Bill Doty (Guest Star) 2019
65% 66% Two and a Half Men Dr. Herb Melnick (Guest Star) 2004 2006-2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza Guest 2011-2013
18% 22% Are You There, Chelsea? Unknown (Guest Star) 2012
86% 84% RENO 911! Sergeant Clift (Guest Star) 2008
No Score Yet 98% Whose Line Is It Anyway? Unknown (Character),
Executive Producer
1998-2007
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Drew Carey Show Lewis Kiniski (Character),
Director
1995-2004
No Score Yet 93% Rugrats Ralph (Guest Voice) 2002
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dharma & Greg Unknown (Guest Star) 2001
67% No Score Yet Norm Unknown (Guest Star) 1999
No Score Yet No Score Yet Whose Line Is It Anyway? Unknown (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star)
1989-1998
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mad About You Boss (Guest Star) 1993-1994
No Score Yet No Score Yet Who's the Boss? Unknown (Guest Star) 1991