Ryan Steele

Ryan Steele is an American dancer and actor born on August 3, 1990, in Walled Lake, Michigan. He has worked across Broadway, film, and television, with a career spanning from 2009 to 2023. Dance was a family pursuit from an early age; both of his parents participated in dance classes alongside his brother and sister, and Steele himself began dancing at age five. His training during elementary and high school included programs at The Juilliard School, with his later high school years focused intensively on ballet and a potential career in concert dance.

Rather than attending university after high school, Steele took a year off to audition for dance companies, during which he secured a contract with a ballet company in Texas. That same year, he attended an open call for the 2009 Broadway revival of West Side Story and was cast in the role of Baby John, remaining with the production from its opening night on March 19, 2009, through its closing night on January 2, 2011.

Between January 4, 2011, and January 8, 2012, Steele joined the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical as a replacement swing and understudy. He then originated the role of Specs in Newsies at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey before reprising the role when the show transferred to Broadway, where he also served as the production's original dance captain. Steele was with the Broadway cast of Newsies from its opening on March 29, 2012, until February 3, 2013. He departed to join the original Broadway cast of Matilda the Musical, appearing from its opening on April 11, 2013, through October 6, 2013. His subsequent Broadway credits include Carousel, MJ, and Once Upon a Time.

On screen, Steele took the lead role of Chip in the film Five Dances, written and directed by Alan Brown, playing a young dancer who relocates to New York City to pursue ballet training. In December 2014, he appeared as Curly, a Lost Boy, in NBC's Peter Pan Live!, and he was among the dancers featured in the 2015 Academy Awards ceremony. His television work includes an ensemble role in the series Smash and an appearance in the pilot episode of The Miraculous Year.

Steele was born and raised in Walled Lake, Michigan, where he lived with his parents, brother, and sister. He is openly gay and has described his family as consistently supportive of both his career and his sexuality. He was previously in a relationship with Broadway actor Matt Doyle for two years.