NICE BOY OF THE WEEK: Jay Ryan

The Nice Boy of the Week this week is actor Jay Ryan, who plays Dr. Vincent Keller on The CW remake of the classic series Beauty And the Beast alongside former Smallville alum Kristin Kreuk.

Born Jay Bunyan in Auckland, New Zealand in 1981, he comes from a theatre background, sharing the stage with the likes of John Cleese and touring internationally with The Packer, an acclaimed solo show written by New Zealand playwright Dianna Fuemana.

He got his start in episodes of the TV shows Young Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess then appeared in episodes of the TV shows The Tribe and Being Eve before moving to Australia at the age of 19 to play the role of Jack Scully on the long-running soap opera Neighbours.

In 2005, when he left that soap opera, he appeared in the TV shows Interrogation and Sea Patrol as well as three short films entitled Mockingbird, Bleeders and Franswa Sharl.

When he began auditioning for roles in Los Angeles around 2010, he changed his name to Jay Ryan (because his last name sounded too similar to “bunion”) and landed roles on the syndicated series Legend of the Seeker and the acclaimed New Zealand series Go Girls.

He then landed a role in the short-lived FOX drama Terra Nova before landing the lead role in Beauty And the Beast. He will soon be seen in the Sundance mini-series Top of the Lake that will star Elizabeth Moss of Mad Men fame and award-winner Holly Hunter.

Fans can follow Jay Ryan on Twitter @JayRyan.