Ryan Kopel (born 17 July 1997) is a Scottish actor and singer. He is known for his roles in various West End and off-West End plays and musicals, as well as the titular role in Dear Evan Hansen.
Early life Kopel was born in 1997 to Scott and Jacqueline Kopel in Kirriemuir, Scotland. He is the grandson of footballer Frank Kopel. Kopel grew up enjoying theatre, performing with his local youth theatre group at the Kirriemuir Town Hall. At the age of 13, he decided to train to pursue a career in stage and screen acting, attending the vocational Dance School of Scotland, in Glasgow. Kopel then moved to London to study at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, where he graduated in 2018 with a BA in Musical Theatre.
In 2018, Kopel won the 'Young Scottish Musical Theatre Performer of the Year' award.
Career
Kopel started his career on stage in 2018, performing at the King's Head Theatre as Jerry Johnson in And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens..., a play by American playwright Tennessee Williams that discusses LGBT+ themes. In 2019, Kopel starred as the titular character in a production of The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit alongside Paul Greenwood. In the same year, he performed at the Edinburgh International Festival in the concert version of West Side Story.
Kopel made his West End debut in 2018 in the Noel Coward Theatre, where he performed in The Inheritance, a seven-hour long play about the AIDS crisis directed by Stephen Daldry. Kopel continued on the West End, joining the ensemble cast of The Book of Mormon in 2020. In the same year, Kopel performed in the radio-play BLUFF, written and produced by Matt Cavendish and Ed Zanders.
Kopel made his television debut in 2021 on the British medical drama Casualty, where he guest starred at Frank Polt. He then appeared in the 2022 British mini-series Wedding Season. Kopel returned to theatre in 2022 in Disney's musical Newsies, where he took on the role of Davey.
In 2024, Kopel performed as Lucas in the West End musical comedy The Addams Family. Kopel then appeared in HBO's House of the Dragon as Ser Aeron Bracken.
Kopel was announced to play the lead role of Evan Hansen in the UK touring production of Dear Evan Hansen, which opened for previews on 9 September 2024 at the Nottingham Playhouse. The production officially premiered on 17 September to reviews praising Kopel's performance, including from The Times and The Guardian. The tour extended its run in the UK until July 2025. In September 2025, Kopel appeared alongside Dear Evan Hansen co-star Alice Fearn as a special guest in the live concert celebrating the Golden Days musical theatre EP release. In November 2025, he then performed at the Breaking Character concert at the London The Other Palace studio theatre alongside Vivian Panka, who also performed in Dear Evan Hansen.
In 2026, Kopel was cast in the role of Charlie in the concert performance of the In Pieces musical, which ran from the 30th and 31st of March at The Other Palace Theatre. Kopel was then cast in the role of Joshua in the UK premiere of We Had a World, a play by Joshua Harmon. The play opened on the 29th of May at the Hampstead Theatre and ran until the 4th of July 2026. Kopel featured as a lead vocalist in the role of Elliot in the concept album World Enough, And Time. The album was written and produced by Ben Ward and was released on the 28th of August 2026.
Filmography + Television roles Year Title Role Notes 2021 Casualty Frank Polt Series 35, episode 25. Credited as Ryan Koppel 2022 Wedding Season Duncan Episode #1.1 2024 House of the Dragon Aeron Bracken Episode: "The Burning Mill"
Theatre + Stage roles Year Title Role Notes2018 The Inheritance Ensemble / Understudy Leo and Adam Noel Coward Theatre, London And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens... Jerry Johnson King's Head Theatre, London 2019 The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchit Timothy Cratchit Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester 2020 The Book of Mormon Ensemble Prince of Wales Theatre, London 2022 Newsies Davey Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre 2023 Scandalgate Ensemble Workshop at The Other Palace 2024 Dear Evan Hansen Evan Hansen UK touring production
+ Concert roles Year Title Role Notes 2019 West Side Story Action Edinburgh International Festival 2020 BLUFF Alec Bonum Radio musical 2023 Billie the Kid David Frances Vaudeville Theatre 2024 The Addams Family Lucas London Palladium2025 Golden Days Musical Theatre EP Live Concert Guest star The Pheasantry2025 Breaking Character Himself Collaborative musical show with Vivian Panka. Venue is The Other Palace, London.2026 In Pieces Charlie The Other Palace, London We Had A World Joshua Hampstead Theatre, London
References
External links
Spotlight