Ryan Stiles (born April 22, 1959) is an American actor and improvisational comedian. He was born in Seattle, Washington, United States, the youngest of five children. When Stiles was ten, his Canadian-born parents moved the family to Richmond, British Columbia. At the age of seventeen, he dropped out of high school to pursue a career in comedy, working in his father's fish-processing plant to earn a living while doing stand-up in Vancouver-area night clubs. In 1986, Stiles auditioned for and got a stint with Toronto's renowned Second City comedy ensemble. By 1990, he had gained the attention of the producers of the British improvisational comedy show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? Stiles was a regular on the show until 1998, and the show's short production season allowed him to make numerous television and motion picture appearances in the United States as well.
In 1995, Stiles was tapped by American comic Drew Carey to be a regular on his sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, in which he played Drew's smart but underachieving best friend, Lewis Kiniski. Stiles and Carey continued work on the comedy even as they brought Whose Line Is It Anyway? to American television, with Carey as the new host. Both men appeared weekly on the program and were its executive producers. Ryan Stiles regularly did impressions of Carol Channing and John Wayne.
In 2002, Stiles and Sean Masterson finished work on a screenplay, Live Bait, which is reportedly in production.
Stiles has appeared in the movies Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux (playing different roles). He also appeared in the Academy Award-nominated short, "Rainbow War". On the TV screen he appeared as a guest star in several TV-series such as Mad About You, Two and a Half Men, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, and Dharma & Greg. He has also appeared in commercials for Pizza Hut, Lotto 6-49, FedEx Kinko's, and Progressive Auto Insurance.
In 2004, Stiles appeared on the pilot episode of Drew Carey's Green Screen Show and appeared occasionally throughout the short-lived series. He was not a regular; his good friend and Whose Line co-star Colin Mochrie reported on his website that Stiles was "burnt out with improv". Stiles denies the claim.
Stiles is married and has three children. When not working in Hollywood, he lives at his home in Bellingham, Washington, where he opened the Upfront Theatre, a small theater dedicated to live improv comedy.
At 6'6", Stiles has trouble finding shoes that fit him. He often gets custom-made shoes by George Esquivel.
His house was once owned by Liberace.
