Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor, model, singer, songwriter and producer. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series Smallville (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star between the fifth and tenth seasons. Ritchson gained further prominence for portraying Thad Castle on the Spike TV sitcom Blue Mountain State (2010–2012), a role he reprised in the 2016 film sequel. He also headlined the SyFy action series Blood Drive (2017). In 2018, he returned to superhero television as Hank Hall / Hawk on the DC Universe / HBO Max series Titans. Ritchson left Titans in 2021 and, in 2022, began portraying the title character on the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher.

Outside of television, Ritchson played Raphael in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot and its 2016 sequel, along with appearing in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). He made his directorial debut and co-starred in the action-comedy Dark Web: Cicada 3301 (2021).

Early life and education :

Ritchson was born on November 28, 1982, in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He is the son of Vickie Ritchson, a high school teacher and David Ritchson, a retired U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant. He is the second of three boys. During his childhood, his family moved to Rantoul, Illinois. At age 10, Ritchson's family settled in Niceville, Florida. He attended Niceville High School and graduated in 2001. In a 2013 interview with Indonesian magazine Da Man, he stated that he once obtained a full music scholarship. From 1999 to 2003, he attended as a dual-enrollment student and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree at Okaloosa Walton Community College, now Northwest Florida State College. He was a member of the Fine Arts division's Soundsations and Madrigal Singers.