Ryan O'Donnell (born 20 November 1982) is an English singer.

Biography

Ryan O'Donnell was born in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. In the 15th century, the town became an economic hub of the old West Riding of Yorkshire, primarily in woo ...

, England and grew up in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. After earning a degree in animation at the Surrey Art Institute he joined the metal band 2 Degree Field as a singer and guitarist. The band broke up when all the members finished college. He then went to study acting at the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama () is a conservatoire located in Cardiff, Wales. It has three theatres: the Richard Burton Theatre, the Bute Theatre, and the Caird Studio. It also includes one concert hall, the Dora Stoutzker Hall, and ...

, where he met his mentor, the conductor

John O'Hara John Henry O'Hara (January 31, 1905 – April 11, 1970) was an American writer. He was one of America's most prolific writers of Short story, short stories, credited with helping to invent ''The New Yorker'' magazine short story style.John O'H ...

. After University, O'Donnell began an acting career, working briefly in the theater and in the circus, until he broke his leg in 2006, preventing him from working for nine months. After a full recovery, he entered the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, joining the production of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', and later landed the role of Jimmy in the theatrical production of ''

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the previous two being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While ...

''. On that occasion, he returned to meet John O'Hara, who had organised the musical arrangement of ''Quadrophenia''. Then he collaborated with

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and musician. He has sold more than 100 million records and has more than two billion st ...

in a duet with the British singer in the song "Matthew and Son". In 2012, he participated in the making of

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

's album ''

Thick as a Brick 2 ''Thick as a Brick 2'', abbreviated ''TAAB 2'' and subtitled ''Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?'', is the fifth studio album by Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson, released in 2012 as a sequel album to ''Thick as a Brick'', Jethro Tull's 19 ...

'', sequel to the historical Jethro Tull's album ''

Thick as a Brick ''Thick as a Brick'' is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released on 3 March 1972. The album contains one continuous piece of music, split over two sides of an LP record, and is intended as a parody of the concept a ...

'' (1972). In 2014, O'Donnell was present again in the sixth solo album by Anderson, '' Homo Erraticus''. And on that same year, he was featured on Ian Anderson's ''

Thick as a Brick - Live in Iceland Thick may refer to: * A bulky or heavyset body shape or overweight * ''Thick'' (album), 1999 fusion jazz album by Tribal Tech * Thick concept, in philosophy, a concept that is both descriptive and evaluative * Thick description, in anthropology, ...

'' album. In 2015, O'Donnell joined the West End cast of ''

Sunny Afternoon "Sunny Afternoon" is a song by the Kinks, written by Ray Davies and released as a single in June 1966. The track was included on the '' Face to Face'' album released in late October, and served as the title track for a 1967 compilation album. L ...

'', as an understudy for both the role of

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...

and

Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...

. After the cast change he also became alternate for the role of Ray Davies, only to take on the role full-time in the Sunny Afternoon UK Tour in 2016. In 2023, he played

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...

on the UK tour of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

''.

Discography

* ''

'' (2012) * '' Homo Erraticus'' (2014) * ''

'' (2014)

References

External links

Biography on Jethro Tull Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:ODonnell, Ryan 1982 births Living people 21st-century English singers 21st-century English male singers English expatriates in Germany