Ryan Cooley was one of the main characters on the teen show Degrassi and has kept a quiet profile since he moved on from the show. To discover everything that you need to know about Ryan Cooley, including why you may have not seen him in any more acting roles, simply continue reading!
He was born in 1988:
Other famous celebrities who were also born in 1988 include Emma Stone, Rihanna, Ana de Armas, Kevin Durant, Adele, Stephen Curry and Connor McGregor. In Degrassi, Cooley’s character was two years younger and was born in 1990.
Ryan Cooley Degrassi:
Cooley’s most notable acting role was playing J.T. Yorke on Degrassi. A Canadian teen show about growing up at a typical Canadian high school in Toronto. If you haven’t watched Degrassi, J.T. Yorke was known as the class clown and was a kind, sociable boy that everyone got on well with. However, his two best friends were definitely Toby Issacs and Danny Van Zant.
Unfortunately, J.T. didn’t get to graduate from Degrassi and instead was fatally stabbed outside his friend Emma’s house at his girlfriend Liberty’s 17th birthday party. His murderer being Drake Lempkey, a student from a rival high school, Lakehurst Secondary School. At the time Degrassi fans were devastated as J.T. had been a lovable character on Degrassi for six years and many fans felt as if they had grown up with his character.
He is retired:
While many teen stars go on to have lengthy careers in the industry, Cooley made the decision to retire at a young age. A surprising decision as he did study acting at college. Other Degrassi alumini who went on to have high profile careers in the entertainment industry include rap superstar Drake and actresses Shay Mitchell, Nina Dobrev and Shenae Grimes Beach.
Ryan Cooley interview:
In an interview, Cooley revealed that while he was shocked when he read that his character was getting killed off, the timing was perfect as Cooley was hoping to leave the show in order to enroll in college. Cooley also admitted that his character’s death made his decision to pursue tertiary education was easier, due to his character’s death as he would have found it challenging to say goodbye to his character otherwise.
Cooley also spoke at length about how the death of his character was kept a secret from the rest of the cast, until it was time to shoot his final episode. Which Cooley admitted was challenging as he was so close with all of his cast mates. While Cooley didn’t spill the beans, a rumor did start circulating around the set that one of the main characters was being written off and was going to die. Although no one knew, which character would meet their demise.
So if you were curious about why you may not have seen Ryan Cooley in any more projects since he starred in Degrassi, the answer is that after his character was killed off he retired from acting!
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