Ryan Jamaal Swain

Early life Ryan Swain was born to a single-mother household in Orlando, Florida, on March 13, 1994.

Whereas his family members geared towards the healthcare field, Swain showed an affinity for the arts at a young age. He began tap dancing lessons at the age of four and expanded his repertoire to include ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop dancing. During his childhood, Swain worked with the Alabama Dance Academy, Alabama Ballet, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Birmingham Children's Theatre and Virginia Samford Theatre. At the time, Swain was initially seeking an internship—as he was training to become a professional tennis player. Swain relocated to New York City upon completing his studies.

Career

Stage While attending Howard University, Swain appeared in productions such as Anything Goes. He has also performed in plays including Six Degrees of Separation and Thoughts of a Colored Man, as well as starring in several Off-Broadway productions such as Kill Move Paradise at the National Black Theatre in New York. Despite his small screen debut, Swain still gives back to the theater community. In 2018, it was reported that he hosted an impromptu acting workshop at the Forma Arts + Wellness studio in Birmingham.

Film In 2017, Swain was cast as Damon Richards in Ryan Murphy's FX television series Pose. The first season boasted the largest cast of transgender actors ever for a scripted network series, with over 50 transgender characters. On July 12, 2018, it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season, which was set to premiere sometime in 2019. Due to his Southern background, Swain had never heard of or been exposed to the ball culture depicted in Pose. Swain based his performance on his viewing of the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning during his college years. Swain's character returned for the first episode of the third and final season, but was written out for the second half of the episode, which was filmed during Swain's exit from the series due to the death of Swain's real-life sister.

Writing Swain's first major foray into writing was in 2014 when he wrote and starred in A Negro Writer, a one-man show about the life of American writer Langston Hughes.

Personal life Although Swain's family has been largely supportive of his artistic endeavors, he has still experienced his share of adversity. During Swain's childhood, his stepfather became physically and emotionally abusive towards him due to his sexuality. Swain's sister, Raven Lynette Swain, was shot and killed in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 28, 2020, which precipitated Swain's desire to exit from Pose and his character being written out of the series after the first episode of the third season.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2019 Engaged Elliot Short film 2025 1 Million Followers Myami 2026 Relationship Goals Ronald

Television Year Title Role Notes 2018–2021 Pose Damon Evangelista 18 episodes 2020 Acting for a Cause A-Gay Episode: "Hit the Wall" 2022 The First Lady Johnny Wright Episode: "Punch Perfect"2025Sub/liminalJules Grealy 2026 Survival of the Thickest Designer Episode 3 Season 3

Theater Year Title Role Notes 2019 Thoughts of a Colored Man Love Syracuse Stage, Baltimore Center Stage