About Ricky

(COVID Vaccinated + Booster)

Ricky Ryba (pronounced Ree-ba) is a SAG-AFTRA Actor, Producer & former US Naval Officer.  A few notable accomplishments are his supporting role in the Clint Eastwood film “American Sniper”, his voiceover role on “Pokemon”, his talent performance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, his lead role in the Los Angeles play “The Ghosts of Ma Barker”, & receiving the ‘Best Overall Actor Award’ at the Global Stars Network four day competition against 200+ other actors. 

Ricky was born & raised in New Jersey but also lived in southern California for several years.  He greatly excelled in football, baseball, track, & wrestling; winning numerous conference, league, MVP & State Championship titles.  During his junior year of High School, he decided baseball was no longer enjoyable for him & he was convinced by some friends to try out for the High School Musical. Bravely stepping out of his comfort zone, he shocked everybody by landing the lead role. It was one of the most remarkable experiences of his life, & he realized at that point he had found an incredible new passion. He performed again in the High School Musical the following year & loved every minute of it, but he had to make a really difficult choice on the path he was going to take after high school when the attacks on 9/11 happened. He felt compelled to serve & protect his family & his country, so when he was accepted to attend the US Naval Academy, he put his entertainment dream on hold. To satisfy his hidden desire to act & perform, he tried out for & made the US Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club, hosted pep rallies, acted in plays, & participated in talent competitions.

He graduated the US Naval Academy with a degree in Information Technology & was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer. He was stationed on two warships in Mayport, FL (USS John L Hall FFG-32 & USS Farragut DDG-99). He deployed overseas twice to over 20 countries. He transferred to Point Mugu, CA at the Naval Satellite Operations Center for his final military command so he could also begin chasing his dream in entertainment.  Because of his military experience, he understands what it takes to succeed in Hollywood: consistent hard work & training, a belief in oneself & always staying focused on the mission.  He honorably completed his military service in 2019 & later received a Masters in Producing (with honors) from the New York Film Academy in 2020.  He recently completed the Writers Guild Foundation 2022 Veteran Screenwriting Program and is currently developing 2 feature film projects.

In addition to his creative work, Ricky is a committed advocate for the arts & veteran communities.  He helps volunteer with SAG-AFTRA, SAG Foundation, MPTF, PGA, AFI, & Veterans in Media & Entertainment. He created & runs three actor support groups in LA, NYC, & Atlanta to help support good hearted, hard working actors in their career ambitions.  He’s on the board of directors for a non-profit organization called Pin-Ups for Vets, which raises money for hospitalized veterans & deployed soldiers. He also volunteers with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) that provides basic horsemanship & riding lessons to military veterans & individuals with special needs.

His great passions in life are spending real quality time with his family & friends, being adventurous, laughing & enjoying the small things, creating art, making a positive impact on others, & living life with passion everyday!  He is currently engaged and resides in Los Angeles.


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