Ryan Drummond
Ryan Shawn Drummond (born January 10, 1973) is an American actor, comedian and singer, best known for his role as the original English voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise from 1998 to 2004.
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| Ryan Drummond |
|---|
| Ryan Shawn Drummond (1973-01-10) January 10, 1973Lima, Ohio, U.S. |
| Shawn Silver |
| Eastern Michigan University (BA) |
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| 1980–present |
| .mw-parser-output .marriage-line-margin2px{line-height:0;margin-bottom:-2px}.mw-parser-output .marriage-line-margin3px{line-height:0;margin-bottom:-3px}.mw-parser-output .marriage-display-inline{display:inline} |
| Lisa Drummond |
| (m. 2002; div. 2019) |
| Abby Drummond (m. 2019) |
| 2 |
| Musical career |
| Musical theatre |
| jazz |
| opera |
| Vocals |
| The A.Y.U. Quartet |
| Film |
| television |
| theatre |
| Sketch comedy |
| improvisational comedy |
| physical comedy |
| clowning |
| mime |
| www.ryandrummond.com (archive) |
Ryan Shawn Drummond (born January 10, 1973) is an American actor, comedian and singer, best known for his role as the original English voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise from 1998 to 2004.
Ryan Shawn Drummond was born in Lima, Ohio, on January 10, 1973. He attended Clague Middle School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he participated in various children's theatre, beginning in 1980 at seven years old. Both of his parents also worked in theatre, his mother and father was both actors and theatre directors of the children theatre plays that Ryan participated in while in school.
In 1993, he got his first paid acting job at a dinner theater while still attending college. He graduated from the Eastern Michigan University in 1995, with a degree in theater. Upon graduating, he moved to San Diego, California in 1996 to pursue his acting career.
In 1997, Drummond got his first television acting role as DJ Johnny Jam in an episode of the television drama series Baywatch. He would later star in several other television shows, such as Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, The Chronicle, The Invisible Man, Point Pleasant and Trauma. He also made a guest appearance in an episode on The Rosie O'Donnell Show in December 1998, during the Toys For Tots segment. In film, he made his feature film debut in the 2000 teen cheerleading comedy film, Bring It On, as Theatre Boy.
As a voice actor, he has provided many character voices in various video games titles. In 1998, he became the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the video games series for SEGA, when auditioning for the role, he was asked by the voice director "You see that picture of Sonic the Hedgehog on the wall there? If you could imagine a voice coming out of him, what would it sound like?", he stated he had no time to think and stated that he decided to give him a "speedy teenage hedgehog voice." A week later, the casting director called him up and said he got the part.
He continued to voice the character for six more years until 2004, the video games includes Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Battle, Sonic Advance 3 and Sega Superstars. He also voiced Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic Shuffle, Metal Sonic in Sonic Heroes and briefly voiced Shadow the Hedgehog for a few lines in Sonic Adventure 2.
Additionally, he also voiced Elliot Ballade in Blue Stinger, Insider in AirBlade, Bill Bardi in The Godfather II, J. Edgar Hoover and various other characters in Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Kevin Kertsman in Illbleed and has recently voiced the Doctor character in Mafia: Definitive Edition, where he also did the motion-capture.
Drummond initially wanted to play Sonic in the anime adaptation Sonic X, and even offered to move to New York so he could play the role, 4Kids instead hired Jason Griffith who later became his successor.
In an interview, Drummond stated he was offered the chance by Sega to re-audition as Sonic during the development of Sonic Generations, but he rejected the role because Sega refused to give him a union contract.
He also did acting and voice work in commercials, such as The Padres, McDonald's, Wheel Of Fortune, Sega Dreamcast, Ocean's Eleven, Checkmate Inc., Clear Factor Skincare, Hoist Fitness Systems, and Diedrich Coffee. Additionally, he has done voices for theme parks including SeaWorld Orlando as Shamu for a few years and has also provided various background voices in Legoland California.
Outside of acting, Drummond has also worked in comedy, such as a mime artist and a clown.
Today, Drummond mainly works in theatre. He starred in a musical comedy theatre show in San Diego titled Forever Plaid. He would later star in many other musical theatre productions, such as Godspell, Into the Woods, City of Angels, Zhivago, The Producers, Hairspray, The Wedding Singer, Anything Goes, Singin' in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Sunday in the Park with George, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus and most recently, Groundhog Day.
In 2020, Drummond would once again reprise his role as the voice of Sonic in the radio fan web-series Sonic and Tails R.
In 2025, Drummond and his second wife Abby founded the talent agency The Gold Ring Agency, as a way for events to book appearances of Drummond and other Sonic Adventure series voice actors David Humphrey and Scott Dreier.
Drummond is a member and the bass vocalist in the music group, The A.Y.U. Quartet. Together, the music group has released three albums.
Upon moving to San Diego, California, Drummond met his first wife Lisa. They were married on October 8, 2002, and together, they have two sons. In 2019, they had divorced, and on October 30, 2019, Drummond married his second wife Abby. He currently resides in San Francisco, California.
Drummond would update his fans about his personal life from time to time on his online blog.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Bring It On | Theatre Boy | ||
| 2001 | Poor Man | Mime | Short film | |
| 2002 | Trial By Pies | —.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px;white-space:nowrap}N/a | ||
| 2003 | Miniature Sun | —N/a | ||
| 2004 | The Color Of Corruption | —N/a | ||
| 2005 | Man of the House | —N/a | ||
| 2008 | Based on a True Story | Hunter |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Baywatch | DJ Johnny Jam | Episode: "Baywatch at Sea World" | |
| 1998 | Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place | Isaac Glickstein | Episode: "Two Guys, a Girl and an Elective" | |
| 1999 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show | Sonic the Hedgehog | Voice; Season 4, Episode 69 | |
| 2001 | The Chronicle | Andy | Episode: "What Gobbles Beneath" | |
| The Invisible Man | Mime, Scientologist | Episodes: "Money for Nothing: Part 2", "Immaterial Girl" | ||
| 2002 | Art of Betrayal | —N/a | 1 episode | |
| 2004 | Veronica Mars | Roger | Episode: "You Think You Know Somebody" | |
| 2005 | Point Pleasant | Booth Vendor | Episode: "Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Choked" | |
| 2009 | Trauma | Fair Patron | Episode: "All's Fair" | |
| 2011 | Dual Suspects | Robert Evans | Episode: "Fast Food Fatality" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Three Decoders: Riddle of the Ring | Sheldon | ||
| The Three Decoders 2: Key to the Carousel | ||||
| 1998 | Sonic Adventure | Sonic the Hedgehog | ||
| 1999 | Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger | Rick Arlen | ||
| Blue Stinger | Eliot Ballade | |||
| Twisted Metal 4 | Pizza Boy | |||
| 2000 | Evil Dead: Hail to the King | Merchant | ||
| Danger Girl | Additional voices | |||
| The Mummy | Jonathan Carnahan | |||
| Sonic Shuffle | Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna | |||
| 2001 | Undying | Various | ||
| Illbleed | Kevin Kertsman | |||
| Zax: The Alien Hunter | Zax, Korbo, Villager | |||
| Sonic Adventure 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog (few lines) | |||
| Sonic Adventure 2: Battle | ||||
| 2002 | AirBlade | Insider | ||
| NASCAR Racing 2002 Season | Spotter | |||
| Backyard Baseball 2003 | Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Cliff Floyd, Frank Thomas, Achmed Khan, Ernie Steele, Pablo Sanchez, Tony Delvecchio | |||
| Backyard Football | Achmed Khan, Amir Khan, Ernie Steele, Pablo Sanchez, Tony Delvecchio | |||
| 2003 | Chrome | Additional voices | ||
| Rogue Ops | ||||
| Backyard Soccer 2004 | Additional voices | |||
| Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut | Sonic the Hedgehog | Archive recordings | ||
| Sonic Battle | ||||
| Sonic Heroes | Sonic the Hedgehog, Metal Sonic | |||
| 2004 | Duel Masters | Additional voices | ||
| Gangland | Black Boss, Bouncer, Croupier, Civilian, Sniper, Cop, Ninja, Additional voices | |||
| Spy Fiction | Michael Kwain | |||
| Sonic Advance 3 | Sonic the Hedgehog | |||
| Sega Superstars | ||||
| 2005 | Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth | J. Edgar Hoover, Seaman Willie Thompson, Experiment, Poorhouse Resident, Cutter Urania Seaman, Yithian, Additional voices | ||
| Cold War | Carter, scientist, Civilian | |||
| 2006 | Scared Rings | Additional voices | ||
| 2008 | The Godfather II: Crime Rings | Bill Bardi | ||
| 2009 | The Godfather II | Bill Bardi, Additional voices | ||
| Guitar Hero: Van Halen | Additional voices | |||
| 2011 | Dreamcast Collection | Sonic the Hedgehog | Archive recordings | |
| 2020 | Mafia: Definitive Edition | Doctor | Also motion-capture |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–2024 | Sonic and Tails R | Sonic the Hedgehog | 11 episodesYouTube fan-made audio drama series |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | SeaWorld San Diego | Shamu, Wild Arctic monitor | ||
| 1999 | Legoland California | Various voices |
| Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Padres | Baseball fan | Channel 4 | |
| McDonald's | Sonic the Hedgehog | Voice | |
| Wheel of Fortune | —N/a | King World distribution | |
| Sega Dreamcast | Sonic the Hedgehog | Voice | |
| Oceans Eleven Casino | Himself | ||
| Checkmate Inc. | —N/a |
| Title | Ref. |
|---|---|
| Mastercard | |
| Pizza Hut | |
| Weekenders Clothing Company | |
| Chrysler | |
| Jack in the Box | |
| Washington Mutual Bank | |
| Carl's Jr. | |
| Petco | |
| Deputy Inc. | |
| Sunrider | |
| Applied Micro Circuits | |
| Lifeforce | |
| Ford Motor Company | |
| CTX International | |
| Mamillian Express |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Festival Of Christmas: Once Upon A Time... | Thorr | Lamb's Players Theatre | |
| I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change | Man #1 | Off-Broadway | ||
| 1998 | Show Boat | Windy, Jim, Backwoodsman | Off-Broadway | |
| 2001 | Kiss Me, Kate | Bill Calhoun, Lucentio | West End | |
| Marooned! with Clyde and Seamore | Juan Ho | SeaWorld San Diego | ||
| Pinocchio | Pinocchio | Off-Broadway | ||
| 2000–2005 | Forever Plaid | Smudge | Lamb's Players Theatre, Latina Playhouse Moulton Theatre | |
| 2002 | Godspell | John the Baptist | Lamb's Players Theatre | |
| 2003 | Cotton Patch Gospel | Simon Rock Johnson | Lamb's Players Theatre | |
| Festival of Christmas: It's Christmas And It's Live! | Ronald Harmon | Lamb's Players Theatre | ||
| Shear Madness | Eddie Lawrence | Off-Broadway | ||
| Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Judah, Levi | Off-Broadway | ||
| 2005 | Palm Beach | Ensemble | La Jolla Playhouse Mandela Weiss Theatre | |
| 2006 | Zhivago | Performer | La Jolla Playhouse Mandela Weiss | |
| Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical | Young Max | Old Globe Theatre | ||
| Into the Woods | Baker | Lamb's Players Theatre | ||
| 2008 | Caroline, or Change | Stuart Gellman | Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts | |
| Annie Get Your Gun | Frank Butler | John Muir Amphitheater | ||
| 2009 | The Producers | Leo Bloom | Lesher Center for the Arts Hofmann Theatre | |
| The Wedding Singer | Robbie Hart | Willows Theatre Company Concord | ||
| On the Town | Ozzie | Lesher Center for the Arts Hofmann Theatre | ||
| 2010 | A Grand Night for Singing | Lesher Center for the Arts | Cosmopolitan Cabaret | |
| Hairspray | Corny Collins | Woodminster Amphitheater | ||
| She Loves Me | Georg Nowack | Lesher Center for the Arts | ||
| 2011 | Curtains | Lieutenant Frank Cioffi | Foothill Collage Lehman Theatre | |
| The Fantasticks | El Gallo | Willows Theatre Company Concord | ||
| A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Puck | Off-Broadway | ||
| 2012 | Anything Goes | Moonface Martin | Foothill Collage Lehman Theatre | |
| Assassins | Samuel Byck | The Ashby Stage | ||
| Pal Joey | Ludlow Lowell | The Eureka Theatre | ||
| 2013 | Singin' in the Rain | Cosmo Brown | Lester Center for the Arts | |
| Carnival | Paul Berthalet | The Eureka Theatre | ||
| 1776 | Richard Henry Lee | American Conservatory Theater | ||
| 2013–2014 | Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness! | Dearlove | The Ashby Stage | |
| 2014 | Painting the Clouds With Sunshine | Russell James | The Eureka Theatre | |
| Du Barry Was a Lady | Jones, Le Docteur, Paingrille | The Eureka Theatre | ||
| Life Could Be a Dream | Denny | Lester Center for the Arts | ||
| 2015 | Nick & Nora | Nick Charles | The Eureka Theatre | |
| Company | David | San Francisco Playhouse | ||
| 2015, 2016 | Scrooge in Love | Jacob Marley | The Eureka Theatre | |
| 2016 | City of Angels | Buddy Fidler, Irwin S. Irving | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| 2017 | La Cage aux Folles | Georges | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| 2017–2018 | A Christmas Story | The Old Man | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| 2017–2020 | Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus | Performer | ||
| 2018 | Sunday in the Park with George | Jules, Bob Greenberg | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| 2018–2019 | Mary Poppins | Mr. George Banks | San Francisco Playhouse | |
| 2019–2020 | Groundhog Day | Phil Connors | San Francisco Playhouse |
- S.C.R.A.M. (1994) – Harmony, lead vocals
- Atomic Young Ultrasonics (1996) – Harmony, lead vocals
- Acappella Yuletide Uproar (2010) – Harmony, lead vocals
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- Official website (archived)
- Ryan Drummond at IMDb
- Ryan Drummond on X
- Ryan Drummond on Instagram