Ryan Jamaal Swain

Last updated
Ryan Jamaal Swain
Born (1994-03-13) March 13, 1994 (age 30) [1]
Orlando, Florida, U.S. [1]
Alma mater Howard University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • dancer
Years active2017–present
Website ryanjswain.com [ dead link ]

Ryan Jamaal Swain (born March 13, 1994) is an American actor and dancer. He is known for his role as Damon Richards-Evangelista, a gay dancer, in the FX television series Pose . [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Ryan Swain was born to a single-mother household in Orlando, Florida, on March 13, 1994. [1] He is the eldest of four children and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. [1]

Whereas his family members geared towards the healthcare field, Swain showed an affinity for the arts at a young age. He began tap dancing lessons at the age of four and expanded his repertoire to include ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop dancing. During his childhood, Swain worked with the Alabama Dance Academy, Alabama Ballet, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Birmingham Children's Theatre and Virginia Samford Theatre. [3]

He began catalog modeling at the age of eight, and did not pursue acting until his freshman year of high school at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. [5] [6] At the time, Swain was initially seeking an internship—as he was training to become a professional tennis player. [1] He would go on to earn his B.F.A. from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and study at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, U.K. [7] Swain relocated to New York City upon completing his studies.

Career

Stage

While attending Howard University, Swain appeared in productions such as Anything Goes . [3] [8] He has also performed in plays including Six Degrees of Separation and Thoughts of a Colored Man, as well as starring in several Off-Broadway productions such as Kill Move Paradise at the National Black Theatre in New York. [3] [9] Despite his small screen debut, Swain still gives back to the theater community. In 2018, it was reported that he hosted an impromptu acting workshop at the Forma Arts + Wellness studio in Birmingham. [10]

Film

In 2017, Swain was cast as Damon Richards in Ryan Murphy's FX television series Pose . [11] The series premiered on June 3, 2018, and attracted critical acclaim. [12] [13] The first season boasted the largest cast of transgender actors ever for a scripted network series, [11] with over 50 transgender characters. [14] On July 12, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which was set to premiere sometime in 2019. [15] Due to his Southern background, Swain had never heard of or been exposed to the ball culture depicted in Pose. Swain based his performance on his viewing of the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning during his college years. [2] He also drew upon his experience of moving to New York City with just "50 dollars in his pocket" in order to pursue his dreams. [16] Swain's character returned for the first episode of the third and final season, but was written out for the second half of the episode, which was filmed during Swain's exit from the series due to the death of Swain's real-life sister. [17]

Writing

Swain's first major foray into writing was in 2014 when he wrote and starred in A Negro Writer, a one-man show about the life of American writer Langston Hughes. [3] He announced plans to write a teen fiction book about a Southern teenager. [1] [18]

Personal life

Although Swain's family has been largely supportive of his artistic endeavors, he has still experienced his share of adversity. During Swain's childhood, his stepfather became physically and emotionally abusive towards him due to his sexuality. [19] Swain's sister, Raven Lynette Swain, was shot and killed in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 28, 2020, [20] which precipitated Swain's desire to exit from Pose and his character being written out of the series after the first episode of the third season. [17] Swain identifies as queer. [21]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2019EngagedElliotShort film [22]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018–2021 Pose Damon Evangelista18 episodes

Theater

YearTitleRoleNotes
2019 Thoughts of a Colored Man LoveSyracuse Stage, Baltimore Center Stage

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama School of Fine Arts</span> Public school in Birmingham, Alabama, United States

The Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) is a public, tuition-free partially boarding state magnet middle and high school located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It provides conservatory style and college-preparatory education to students in grades 7-12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Murphy (producer)</span> American television writer and producer (born 1965)

Ryan Patrick Murphy is an American television writer, director, and producer. He has created and produced a number of television series including Nip/Tuck (2003–2010), Glee (2009–2015), American Horror Story (2011–present), American Crime Story (2016–present), Pose (2018–2021), 9-1-1 (2018–present), 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020–present), Ratched (2020), American Horror Stories (2021–present), and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022).

John Allen McDorman IV is an American actor best known for the 2014 film American Sniper and starring on television shows such as CBS' Limitless (2015–2016) and the Disney+ historical drama The Right Stuff as Alan Shepard. He is also well known for his roles on the ABC Family comedy-drama Greek (2007–2011), the fourth season of the Showtime comedy-drama Shameless (2014), the revival season of the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown (2018), FX's What We Do in the Shadows (2019), and Peacock's sci-fi comedy drama series Mrs. Davis (2023).

Barnet Kellman is an American theatre, television and film director, television producer and film actor, and educator, best known for the premiere productions of new American plays, and for the pilots of long-running television series such as Murphy Brown and Mad About You. He is the recipient of two Emmy Awards and a Directors Guild of America Award. He is the co-founder and director of USC Comedy at the School of Cinematic Arts, and holds the school's Robin Williams Endowed Chair in Comedy.

Pretty/Handsome is a 2008 television pilot by Ryan Murphy that was not picked up to series by FX. According to Vogue, Murphy "was devastated when the studio he was working with decided not to pursue the show because they felt their advertisers wouldn’t support it".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Falchuk</span> American television writer, director and producer

Bradley Douglas Falchuk is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for co-creating with Ryan Murphy the television series Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Pose. He was also a writer and executive producer for Nip/Tuck and is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finn Wittrock</span> American actor

Peter L. Wittrock Jr., known as Finn Wittrock, is an American actor who began his career in guest roles on several television shows. He made his film debut in 2004, in Halloweentown High before returning to films in the 2010 film Twelve. After studying theater at The Juilliard School, he was a regular in the soap opera All My Children from 2009 to 2011, while performing in several theatrical productions. In 2011, he performed in playwright Tony Kushner's Off-Broadway play The Illusion and made his Broadway debut in 2012 as Happy Loman in the revival of Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman, directed by Mike Nichols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady J</span> American pianist and television producer

Our Lady J is a screenwriter, producer and director, best-known for her work on Pose, Transparent, and American Horror Story. She is the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well as the first out trans writer to be hired in a television writers room.

<i>Feud</i> (TV series) American anthology television series

Feud is an American docudrama anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy, Jaffe Cohen, and Michael Zam, which premiered on FX on March 5, 2017. Conceived as an anthology series, Feud's first season, Bette and Joan, chronicles the well-documented rivalry between Hollywood actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis during and after the production of their psychological horror thriller film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon star as Crawford and Davis, respectively. Judy Davis, Jackie Hoffman, Alfred Molina, Stanley Tucci, and Alison Wright feature in supporting roles. Academy Award–winning actresses Catherine Zeta-Jones and Kathy Bates also appear. Critically acclaimed, with major praise for Lange and Sarandon's performances, the first season garnered several accolades. It received 18 nominations at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards and won two, including Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup (Non-Prosthetic). Bette and Joan also received six Critics' Choice Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Television Critics Association Awards nominations.

<i>Pose</i> (TV series) 2018 American drama television series

Pose is an American drama television series about New York City's ball culture, an LGBTQ subculture in the African-American and Latino communities, throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Featured characters are dancers and models, who compete for trophies and recognition in this underground culture and who support one another in a network of chosen families known as Houses.

"Pilot" is the first episode of the American drama television series Pose, which aired on FX on June 3, 2018. The 77-minute episode was written by series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals, and directed by Murphy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Jackson (model)</span> Trinidadian actress, author and model

Dominique Brebnor, known professionally as Dominique Jackson and Tyra Allure Ross, is a Tobagonian-American actress, author, model, and reality television personality. As an actress, she is best known for her leading role of Elektra Abundance on the FX television series Pose. As a model, she has appeared in Vogue España.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michaela Jaé Rodriguez</span> American actress and singer (born 1991)

Michaela Antonia Jaé Rodriguez, formerly known as Mj Rodriguez, is an American actress and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, Rodriguez attended several performing arts schools in her youth before being cast in a theater production of Rent as Angel Dumott Schunard, winning the 2011 Clive Barnes Award for her performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indya Moore</span> American actor and model (born 1995)

Indya Adrianna Moore is an American actor and model. They are known for playing the role of Angel Evangelista in the FX television series Pose. Time named them one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019. Moore is transgender and non-binary, and uses they/them and she/her pronouns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hailie Sahar</span> American actress (born 1988)

Hailie Sahar is an American actress. She is known for her performance as Lulu Abundance, later co-founder of the House of Ferocity in the TV series, Pose.

Dyllón Burnside is an American actor and singer. He is known for his role as Ricky Evangelista, a dancer, in the FX television series Pose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Pope</span> American actor and singer

Jeremy Pope is an American actor and singer. Pope is the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories for separate performances during the same year, when he received nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for his role as Pharus Jonathan Young in Choir Boy and Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical for his role as Eddie Kendricks in Ain't Too Proud in 2019, the latter of which also earned him a nomination for a 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Canals</span> American screenwriter (born 1980)

Steven Canals is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-creating and executive-producing the FX television show Pose.

Jason A. Rodriguez is a Dominican-American actor and dancer. He is known for his role of Lemar Wintour in the FX television series Pose. He is also known as Slim Xtravaganza and belongs to the House of Xtravaganza, part of the New York City ballroom scene.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "RYAN JAMAAL SWAIN". ISSUE Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2019. BIRTH DATE: 03/13/1999 BIRTH PLACE: Birmingham, AL WDE" "Where are you from? I'm from Birmingham, Alabama. I was born in Orlando, Florida, but I moved to Birmingham when I was six." "I was going to public high school and had been training to become a professional tennis player." "What's next? Writing my teen fiction book about a young man finding his voice in the south—love and experience get mixed up there.
  2. 1 2 Saxena, Jaya (2018-06-19). "Ryan Jamaal Swain on the Universality of 'Pose'". GQ. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ryan Jamaal Swain as Damon Richards in POSE on FX". FXNetworks. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  4. ↑ "'Pose' Star Ryan Jamaal Swain Urges Madonna to Appear on Second Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  5. ↑ "Ryan Jamáal Swain". Real Talk. 2012-07-04. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  6. ↑ Reign, Eva (20 July 2018). "All Hail the Beautiful, Black Gay Love on 'Pose'". them. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  7. ↑ "ryan-jamaal-swain | BIO". ryan-jamaal-swain. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  8. ↑ "'Anything Goes' at Howard University - DC Metro Theater Arts". DC Metro Theater Arts. 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  9. ↑ "FX's Pose - TCA Winter 2018 panel bios" (PDF). 2018.
  10. ↑ ""Pose" Actor and Birmingham Native, Ryan Jamaal Swain, hosts Pop-Up workshop in city". The Birmingham Times. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  11. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (October 25, 2017). "FX's 'Pose': Ryan Murphy Sets Largest Transgender Cast Ever For Scripted Series". Deadline Hollywood . Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Pose: Season 1 - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Pose: Season 1 - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  14. ↑ "New Ryan Murphy Musical Dance Series POSE Gets Full Season Order". BroadwayWorld.com. December 27, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  15. ↑ Otterson, Joe (July 12, 2018). "'Pose' Renewed for Season 2 at FX". Variety . Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  16. ↑ "'Pose' Star Says Show Is 'Art Mirroring Reality': 'I Was Broke'". Alton Telegraph. 2018-07-19. Archived from the original on 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  17. 1 2 "Pose Showrunner Breaks Down Damon's Sudden Exit in the Season 3 Premiere". 3 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "Alabama's Ryan Jamaal Swain earning rave reviews for breakout role on 'Pose'". AL.com. Retrieved 2018-08-15.
  19. ↑ "Ryan Jamaal Swain On How 'Pose' Helped Him Heal From Personal Trauma". NYLON. 2018-06-07. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  20. ↑ "'Pose' actor mourns sister killed in Birmingham: 'We will have swift justice'". 30 July 2020.
  21. ↑ Teeman, Tim (December 3, 2018). "'Pose' Star Ryan Jamaal Swain on Abuse, Fame, LGBT History, and Defining as 'Queer'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  22. ↑ Engaged (2019) - IMDb, March 2019, retrieved 2019-07-25
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.