User:RickyRyba

Born as Richard Patrick Engel, Ricky Ryba was raised in Medford, NJ and lived with his Mother and Sister at his Grandparent’s house. When he was 5 years old, he moved to Escondido, CA with his Mother and Sister. They stayed there for 5 years and eventually returned back to his Grandparent’s house in NJ.

He played sports all of his life. Football, baseball, track, wrestling. During his Junior Year at Shawnee High School, he decided baseball was…no longer enjoyable for him and he was convinced by some friends to try out for the High School Musical “Footloose”. He shocked everybody by landing the leading role as Ren, Kevin Bacon’s character. It was one of the best experiences of his life at that point, and he realized at that moment he had found his calling. He performed in the Musical “West Side Story” the following year and 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. He also had ambitions and a desire to serve his country, so his Mother told him that if he did not get accepted in to the US Naval Academy, they would move to Hollywood and she would support his dream of becoming an Actor. Well, he was obviously accepted and eventually chose to attend the US Naval Academy and put his dream on hold. To satisfy his secret desire to act and perform, he tried out for and made the US Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club, hosted pep rallies, acted in plays, and participated in talent competitions.

He graduated in 2008 with a degree in Information Technology and was commissioned as a US Naval Officer. He was stationed on 2 ships in Mayport, FL for 4.5 years (USS John L Hall FFG-32 and [|USS Farragut DDG-99]. He deployed overseas twice to over 20 countries. He transferred to Point Mugu, CA last year and began chasing his dream of becoming an Actor.  He recently won Best Overall Male Actor at the Global Stars Network 2013 Talent Showcase.

He is currently a Lieutenant in the United States Navy. His great passion in life, besides his family and friends, would be Acting, Entertaining, Volunteering, Photography and living life to the fullest!