Chanel Ryan

Acting · Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA

Chanel Ryan (born 12 December 1976, Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American actress, producer, and former model of German and Irish descent. Discovered on the beach in her early teens, she spent her early career as a swimsuit and glamour model (appearing in Maxim, FHM, Esquire, and GQ), before shifting to acting full-time in 2011. Her first film role was in the independent Waiting for the Rocket (1994); when she auditioned for George Wallace (1997, dir. John Frankenheimer) the director offered her the part on the spot, alongside Gary Sinise and Mare Winningham. She then landed a Felon Cheerleader in BASEketball (1998, dir. David Zucker), from the creators of South Park. She studied Meisner technique under Alex Taylor and dialect coaching with Bob Corff. She is also an animal rights activist and rescuer. Her filmography includes: George Wallace (1997) (Gary Sinise, Mare Winningham); BASEketball (1998) (Cuba Gooding Jr., Mickey Rourke); Hobgoblins 2 (2009, dir. Rick Sloan); The Witches of Oz (2011) (Sean Astin, Christopher Lloyd); Hollywood Sex Wars (2011); Small Apartments (2012, dir. Jonas Åkerlund) (Matt Lucas, Sara Gilbert); Bad Kids Go to Hell (2012, dir. Matthew Spradlin) (Judd Nelson, Ben Browder); Circus of the Dead (2014) (Bill Oberst Jr., Roger Edwards); Dead Sea (2014); House on Rodeo Gulch (2015); The Haunting of Alice D (2017) (Kane Hodder); Bigger Than the Beatles (2017) (Candice Bergen, Alyssa Milano); Mayday (2019); Lockdown (2022). TV: The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015), MANswers (2012), How Booze Built America (2012).