He was born in February 1967 in England. Has its roots in English, Irish, and from the paternal grandmother is from Poland settled in a Jewish family. Parents Ryan traded artworks. Accompanying them on business trips, he met future actor just Europe. Going to school in England. He distinguished himself in sports, especially athletics, however, was regarded as an unruly student, openly expressing their own opinion, did not avoid it so many penalties. At school, his passion is football, then competed in motocross competitions, motorcycle and car, but very serious injuries prevented him from continuing his career. He scored a technical education, he worked as a mechanic, and finally enrolled in atuação courses in London. Began performing on the commercials, but quickly gained attention for his impressive role in "Kiss of the dragon" por Chris Nahon, written por Luc Besson (also the film's producer). After this success, he played successfully in a series of action movies.