Ryan Francis Atwood (born March 19, 1988) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fox television series The O.C., portrayed by Ben McKenzie.

McKenzie, who had spent two years in New York City and Los Angeles seeking acting work, lacked experience and later described his selection as "a tremendous leap of faith" on the producers' part.

[6] Coined from his own statements, Ryan never had a father figure for much of his life, before being adopted by the Cohens due to Frank's prison sentence and his mother's revolving door of boyfriends.

[9] Ryan generally dislikes speaking about his biological family and hints during Christmas and Thanksgiving that the holidays bring up painful memories for him.

During his first Chrismukkah in Newport Beach, he tells the Cohens that his holidays mainly consisted of him "getting [his] ass kicked" and sums up his Christmas memories in three words: drinking, crying and cops.

[12] Ryan was born to and then raised in a working class family, as such he knew the lifestyle and attitudes of people from his neighborhood of Chino, California, as well as the dangers that occurred in cases where outsiders are influenced by its environment.

He at times appears burdened by an almost compulsive need to rescue others at the expense of his own well-being, and as a result, is overly protective of Marissa, who is his main love interest on the show.

[14] Despite the generosity of his adoptive family, Ryan earns money at various part-time jobs around town—as a busboy at the Crab Shack, a construction worker, an intern at the Newport Group, and a barback position.

Ryan and Seth often finish each other's sentences, according to Summer, "like they're composing a lie on the spot",[13] and they also read each other's body language and facial expressions.