Ryan Stiles

**Ryan Lee Stiles** is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, producer and director best known for his role as Lewis Kiniski in the TV series "The Drew Carey Show" and his work as an improvisational comic on the American and British versions of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

Born April 22, 1959 in Seattle, Washington, Stiles was the youngest of five children, of Canadian parents, Sonny and Irene Stiles. His father was a supervisor at a Vancouver-based Canadian fish processing plant and his mother was home-maker. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was ten, attending R.C. Palmer Junior Secondary School and Richmond Senior Secondary in Richmond, British Columbia. Although he was a good student, his flexible high school scedule allowed him to quit school at 17 a few months shy of graduation and support himself doing stand-up routines at clubs near his Vancouver home. With Rich Elwood, he helped create the Punchlines Comedy Club and became the head writer of "The Don Harron Show" on CTV as well as the host of "Comedy College" on CBC. He was also a regular improv performer with the Vancouver Theatre Sports League and Punchline's "No Name Player" before joining the Second City comedy ensemble at Expo 86. He continued with Second City in Toronto and later in Los Angeles. In 1981, he met Patricia McDonald, a waitress at Punchlines; they married a few years later.

By 1989, Stiles became one of the starring performers on the British improvisational comedy show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" staying with it until it ended in 1998. His popularity parlaid him into getting the role of Lewis Kiniski on the hit ABC series, "The Drew Carey Show" with Drew Carey and Diedrich Bader. Carey also ivited him to star on the American version of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" which ran alongside "The Drew Carey Show" through the 90s. On the show, Stiles became closefriends with performer Colin Mochrie, the foil in many of his bits. He received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 2002 for his work on the show. During the run of both shows, he starred in the movies "Hot Shots!" with Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer and its sequel. "Hot Shots: Part Deux!"

After "The Drew Carey Show" and "Whose Line" ended, Stiles went on to get a recurring role in "Two and a Half Men" which also starred Sheen and Cryer. He also made appearances in the TV series "Murphy Brown," "Mad About You," "Mad TV," "Dharma & Greg" and "Reno 911!" as Sergeant Clift, an acting coach. During the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, he made several commercials for Nike.

In 2005, Stiles appeared in the mockumentary "Conker: Celebrity Squirrel," produced for the promotion of the Xbox video game, "Conker: Live & Reloaded." This role allowed him to be inducted into the 2015 class of the DK Vine Hall of Fame.

In the Summer of 2013, Stiles returned as performer and executive producer for the revival of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" featuring actress Aisha Tyler. He has also been a frequent fund raiser for children with burn injuries, raising over $500,000 for the Burned Children Recovery Center since 2009.

Stiles has been married since 1981, He and his wife, Patricia, have three children and live near Lake Samish outside Bellingham, Washington. He has opened the local Upfront Theatre, a small theater dedicated to live improvisational comedy and holds dual American-Canadian citizenship.